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# Ray the Mailman

Responsive email templates and full campaign management

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.raythemailman.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Including videos in your email](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/including-videos-in-your-email/) - Videos are awesome. Provided your video is of good quality (both technically and content wise), it has the potential to convey your message a lot quicker and clearer than any written blog post. The thing is though: videos won't play in email clients. They just won't. However, there are some platforms (which shall remain
- [Outlook pagebreak issue](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/outlook-pagebreak-issue/) - [Sarcasm and mild swearing alert for this post - read at your own risk!] If you're into email marketing (you probably are, given the fact that you somehow ended up on my blog), you may be aware that Microsoft Outlook is your archenemy. I can't even begin to list ALL of the reasons why it
- [Don't use anchor texts that follow the URL format](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/dont-use-anchor-texts-that-follow-the-url-format/) - There are many reasons for spam filters to not like an incoming message, but this is a big one: links that appear to be fraudulent. When directing people to your website from your email, you may be inclined to say something like "Hey guys, visit www.[mydomain].com". That sounds great, but most ESPs (MailChimp and
- [Email templates with built-in flexibility](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/email-templates-with-built-in-flexibility/) - Unless you're a HTML savvy email pirate that likes to code every email from scratch, this blogpost is for you. Because if you're not one of those, you probably (want to) use a more or less predetermined template for creating your email campaigns. And if you do, you have traded (a little bit of) freedom
- [Email bounces](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/email-bounces/) - An email that doesn't reach its intended recipient, is said to "bounce" off the receiving email server. There are three major types of bounces: syntax bounces, hard bounces and soft bounces. This blog post aims to explain these types of email errors, and it will tell you how MailChimp and Copernica handle bounces. Syntax
- [Outlook doesn't know how to add](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/outlook-doesnt-know-how-to-add/) - Outlook sucks in so many ways, it's unbelievable it's still out there. With that said, the specific quirk that I want to discuss today, is called the "Outlook can't add" bug. All right, I just made that up. But it's exactly what's happening: Outlook isn't able to add the pixel widths of tables and
- [Spam](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/spam/) - "Do you think that's email you're sending?" There are two definitions of spam. One is the definition by law, and the other one is how people perceive incoming messages. You need to be aware of this distinction, and the worst part is: you need to abide by both sets of rulse. Yuck! Spam
- [E-mailmarketing vs Social Media](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/e-mailmarketing-vs-social-media/) - "Should I use email marketing to generate more sales, or should I rely on social media?" Yes, let's talk about that. Oh wait, let's not. It's a pointless endeavour at best. You may as well try to figure out whether you need a new car or new shoes. They both get you from point A
- [Email deliverability: getting to the inbox](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/email-deliverability-getting-to-the-inbox/) - Deliverability is everything. You can create the most amazing email campaign you want, but if it doesn't find its way to your recipients' inbox, then what's the point? So first and foremost, you need to get rounds on target. First of all, there are some technical measures to be taken: make sure you tell
- [Common mistakes in email template design](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/common-mistakes-in-email-template-design/) - Email template design is both easier and harder than other types of design. It’s easier because you can’t use the most flashy types of styling, and it’s harder because you need to balance form with function waaaay more than with designing websites, brochures or banners. Over the years, I’ve come across a couple of common
- [How often should I send out a newsletter?](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/how-often-should-i-send-out-a-newsletter/) - People often wonder, should I send a newsletter every week? Every month? Twice a day? The optimal sending frequency has been the topic of many debates in the past, and it'll probably continue to be a point of discussion for a long time. Here's my take on the matter: it all depends... Who's your
- [Balancing text and images in email marketing](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/balancing-text-and-images-in-email-marketing/) - A newsletter usually contains both text and images. Some people (like myself) choose to use very little images, others use a lot of them. So which is better? Or better yet: is one way truly better than the other? As always, this mostly depends on what you're offering. If you're selling products like -
- [A couple of quick email marketing tips](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/a-couple-of-quick-email-marketing-tips/) - Today, I’ve got a couple of quick tips for ya. They’re not related (other than all of them being email marketing issues, obviously), but they’re all equally important things to keep in mind. Here we go: Make sure to include an unsubscribe link where people expect it People who want to leave you, will
- [Plan your content ahead of time and use categories](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/plan-your-content-ahead-of-time-and-use-categories/) - Lots of folks start their email campaign with great enthusiasm. Spirits are high, and content is "no problem". Everybody in the company is in on it, because they’re expecting a great payoff. The first email is sent out, results are being analyzed and maybe some champagne finds its way down a couple of thirsty throats.
- [Common mistakes in email marketing](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/common-mistakes-in-email-marketing/) - Email marketing is an exciting business. It enables us to connect with our target audience in an efficient way, while still maintaining a somewhat personal approach. And the best part? It's great for creating engagement and interaction. And those are your bill payers right there. Not great products, not great marketing. Engagement and interaction, for
- [Email template DOs and DON'Ts](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/email-template-dos-and-donts/) - There are so many things that you really need to take care of when creating a custom email template. I'll just discuss the most important topics on this page. Some of the items in the list below are also covered in email template design, but I'll mention them anyway. Besides, on this page we look
- [Custom email template design](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/custom-email-template-design/) - You want your email template to look stunning. And there's no reason it shouldn't. However, there are a couple of things you may want to consider before you start exercising your right to freedom of expression. Images should be supportive of text Using images is a great way to improve the general look and
- [The best time or day for sending newsletters](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/the-best-time-or-day-for-sending-newsletters/) - The question "What is the best time or day to send email newsletters?" has been the subject of debate for many years. Researchers have performed studies with the single goal of finding the Ultimate Email Day and the Ultimate Email Time. I love it when people who have nothing to do with my email
- [Custom email template coding](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/custom-email-template-coding/) - You may be aware of the fact that website layouts sometimes appear a little different across various web browsers. However, the differences are getting smaller every day, since Microsoft finally seems to realize it needs to comply with the standards that other browsers have been following since the beginning of time. Web browsers vs
- [Custom email template testing](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/custom-email-template-testing/) - This post deals with email template testing in general. To find out more about how I test my templates, follow this link. Testing your email template is the most important part of your journey towards Perfect Email Template Land. And I don't mean sending your template to a Hotmail address and popping the champagne

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.raythemailman.com/)
- [Contact](https://www.raythemailman.com/contact/) - Ray the Mailman Arnhem The Netherlands Phone: +31 6 549 210 66 Email: info [at] raythemailman [dot] com
- [Pricing](https://www.raythemailman.com/pricing/) - Every job is unique: some people are simply looking for a template and / or some assistance in setting things up, others want me to manage the full implementation of their email marketing strategy. That's why I provide specific quotes for all projects. With the number of email marketing projects that I have under my
- [All over the world](https://www.raythemailman.com/all-over-the-world/) - I'm proud to say that - so far - I've worked with people in the following countries: Australia Austria Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Canada China Costa Rica Denmark Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Hong Kong Iceland India Ireland Israel Italy New Zealand Panama Qatar Singapore South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland The Netherlands Uganda Ukraine
- [MailChimp](https://www.raythemailman.com/mailchimp/) - MailChimp is the care free email platform of today's online world. Unsubscribes, bounces, spam complaints...you don't have to worry about a thing. Just set up your list (with double opt-in subscribers!), create a campaign and start sending out emails - MailChimp will take care of the rest. Lists, forms and templates Of course there
- [My personal test setup => Litmus](https://www.raythemailman.com/contact/my-personal-test-setup/) - EDIT: In April of 2022, I switched to using Litmus for all of my email testing. That pretty much renders this page irrelevant. There should be no links pointing to this page, I'm just keeping it for nostalgic reasons. Please note: when you ask me to design and code your email template, I'll take
- [Terms & Conditions](https://www.raythemailman.com/contact/terms-conditions/) - I'm not a big fan of elaborate documents that no one is ever going to read, so I'll just keep it plain and simple: by doing business with me, you agree to each and every term and condition below. Providing me with legally obtained information only If you're going to let me work on
- [My promise to you](https://www.raythemailman.com/contact/my-promise-to-you/) - If we end up working together, I will: NOT send any emails to anybody on any of your lists without your explicit permission. NOT download or export any email addresses from any of your lists or databases without your explicit permission. NOT share your login details or mailing lists or any other data with
- [Legal details](https://www.raythemailman.com/contact/legal-details/) - Ray the Mailman is part of Badoux Internet Projects, a registered company in Arnhem, The Netherlands. IBAN: NL07ABNA0568698630 BIC: ABNANL2A TAX ID: NL001870792B11
- [Disclaimer](https://www.raythemailman.com/contact/disclaimer/) - Human effort This website and its contents have been generated with great care and attention to detail. Nevertheless, it's still created by human mind and as such, it may contain flaws. Therefore, you cannot derive any right from the information on this website. Nor can Ray the Mailman or his lawful owner (Badoux Internet Projects)
- [Working with one of my custom MailChimp templates](https://www.raythemailman.com/mailchimp/working-with-one-of-my-custom-mailchimp-templates/) - If you're lucky enough to find yourself working with one of my custom coded MailChimp templates, this article is for you. It's a nice little reference for some common procedures. Nothing fancy, just the facts. Happy editing! The following tutorials are available: Adding / removing content sections Changing the order of content sections
- [MailChimp templates](https://www.raythemailman.com/mailchimp/templates/) - MailChimp templates come in all shapes and structures. One column, two columns, three columns, images left or images right, you'll find it all in MailChimp's template library. All of these templates are free for you to use, and the best part is, you can edit the template style to match your website. So if you're
- [Reloading a selection](https://www.raythemailman.com/copernica/copernica-tutorials/reloading-a-selection/) - "Edit selections". Select the selection you want to refresh. Click "Rebuild status" (third tab from the left). Click "Force rebuild".
- [Setting or changing your test destination](https://www.raythemailman.com/copernica/copernica-tutorials/test-destination/)
- [Copernica Tutorials](https://www.raythemailman.com/copernica/copernica-tutorials/) - Below you'll find a list of Copernica tutorials for some common procedures. Reloading a selection Setting or changing your test destination
- [Time management](https://www.raythemailman.com/time-management/) - Dealing with the fact that we may be in (very) different time zones, is not as hard as it seems. I can usually make myself available at any time between 8am and 10pm CET. With a window like that, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to work something out if we're trying to set up
- [Copernica](https://www.raythemailman.com/copernica/) - You want to get serious about lead generation in email marketing? As in: you want to work with a platform that actively and automatically sends sales qualified leads to your sales team so they can pick up the phone and start taking orders? If that's the case, Copernica is for you. It's that simple.
- [Let's do it together](https://www.raythemailman.com/mailchimp/lets-do-it-together/) - Some jobs just aren't meant to be approached with the classic "intake - quote - sign off - get started" strategy. Sometimes you just need to get your hands dirty right from the start. And it's best to do this together. Signup forms Say you need to integrate a signup form in your website.
- [Other MailChimp services](https://www.raythemailman.com/mailchimp/other-services/) - When it comes to MailChimp, my core business is designing and developing flexible and responsive templates, but there are a lot of other things I can do. That means I can help you out with each and any of the following: RSS Campaigns Autoresponders Merging and managing your MailChimp lists Sign up forms and
- [Are you kidding me?](https://www.raythemailman.com/are-you-kidding-me/) - You just UNSUBSCRIBED from my monthly update? Have you been drinking? Smoking? Popping pills? Tsss… This is all just to say: I respect your decision. No hard feelings whatsoever. You won’t be hearing from me ever again – promise!
- [Ray in a nutshell](https://www.raythemailman.com/ray-in-a-nutshell/) - You need any MailChimp, Mandrill or Copernica work taken care of? Look no further! I'm an allround email marketing guy with years of experience - up for any challenge in the field, in any part of the world. That means I can help you with each and any of the following: Awesome responsive emails
- [Testimonials](https://www.raythemailman.com/testimonials/) - There's no substitute for word of mouth marketing, so here's a taste of what other people have to say about me: James, GetkOOky "What can one say about Raymond? His work ethic, attention to detail and experience in all things Chimp are out of this world. Another positive is that besides the tech /
- [Thank you for subscribing](https://www.raythemailman.com/thank-you-for-subscribing/) - Thank you for subscribing. Yada yada yada…
- [Yada yada](https://www.raythemailman.com/yada/) - This page isn't about anything, really. It's just a placeholder for a menu item with subitems that sort of "belong" on any website but that nobody ever reads. What are you doing here anyway? Please return to my homepage and go from there!
- [Portfolio](https://www.raythemailman.com/portfolio/)
- [Blog](https://www.raythemailman.com/blog/)

## Categories

- [Blog](https://www.raythemailman.com/category/blog/)

## Tags

- [email templates](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/email-templates/)
- [email strategy](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/email-strategy/)
- [email design](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/email-design/)
- [email content](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/email-content/)
- [email coding](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/email-coding/)
- [geeky stuff](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/geeky-stuff/)
- [spam](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/spam/)
- [email deliverability](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/email-deliverability/)
- [social media](https://www.raythemailman.com/tag/social-media/)