Dear Mr. Internet,

Is there someway I can set up e-mail templates so I don't have to keep typing the same messages over and over again?

Dawn Doherty
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Denver, CO

Dear Dawn,

In PART I & II of this series we saw how to create text and simple HTML e-mail templates which can be used for any purpose and are immediately available with a single click of the mouse.

In this third and final part of the series, we will explore how to create more complex custom HTML stationery that instantly includes your branding look, contact information, links to your site etc. as part of every message you send (i.e. like your print stationery, only in e-mail format). Using the methods below, you can also create powerful e-mail forms (i.e. like a Web form, only in e-mail format) useful for streamlining the operations side of your business. And as always, I personally do and use everything I'm about to share with you below.

(NOTE: all following references to e-mail software are for Outlook 2000, XP, or higher)

E-mail Stationery That Sets You Apart...

As mentioned in PART II of this series, Outlook allows you to create simple HTML e-mail (either messages or templates) directly in the message window. However, for more complex HTML messages, templates, or stationery, it requires that they first be designed using a Web page editor (e.g. FrontPage, Dreamweaver, etc.) and saved to your hard drive as an HTML file. This way, you (or your Web designer) can create HTML e-mail with almost no limitations as to design, look, and feel.

Here are the two steps required to create well-designed HTML stationery for Outlook:

1. Create Your Stationery HTML File - using a Web page editor, create the design of your stationery as an HTML file (i.e. Web page) stored on your hard drive.

   While this gives you almost unlimited ability to design anything you want, be aware that there are certain caveats when creating HTML mail. This is not a process for amateurs. In fact, even most Web designers know very little about designing effective HTML e-mail that consistently works and looks good on most e-mail software platforms. The details are a bit technical so I have created a special "cheat sheet" specifically for your designer. Make sure they review it before they begin your stationery design.

2. Convert Your HTML File Into Stationery - once you have saved the final design of your stationery as an HTML file on your hard drive (be sure to remember where!), it is a straightforward process to create your new e-mail stationery based on it. Just CLICK HERE to see a short slide show that shows every step you need to take.

You can create many different versions of your stationery this way if you choose. CLICK HERE to see an example of what my stationery looks like as an HTML file. Also, you can add any kind of message to a blank e-mail that uses your stationery as a background and then save it (using the methods described in PART II) as a one-click template. The possibilities are nearly unlimited!

And speaking of possibilities, by adding just one more step you (well, actually your Web designer) can create powerful e-mail forms that can bring great efficiencies to the way your business is run.

E-mail Forms To Profit By...

Something that apparently few people have figured out and yet we use extensively in our business is HTML e-mail report forms. If you use Outlook 2000 (or later) CLICK HERE to see an example of a sales-call report form my staff uses to provide me with instant daily updates on their sales efforts. They save it on their computer as a "one-click" template and, in just seconds, complete it and send it on its way to me. Using forms like this has been an awesome tool to help me run my business from a distance using Virtual Assistants.

To create these form templates, you go through the first two steps outlined above to first turn them into stationery. Then open a new message using this form "stationery," make some minor adjustments (see the "cheat sheet" mentioned above for details) and save it as an Outlook HTML template file (extension .oft) as covered in PART II of this series.

Well, believe it or not we are finally done! The combined information and "how to" in this three-part series of articles gives you everything you need to turn your Outlook into one sophisticated lean, mean, online marketing machine that will also help you significantly streamline your business operations. And, the only thing left to do is for you to put it into action!