Lotus Notes Compatibility Issues

If you are an e-mail marketer servicing the B2B market, you have most likely encountered HTML e-mail compatibility issues, with the Lotus Notes client being one of the biggest culprits. Some companies still operate on the Lotus Notes platform, with many using older versions that convert standard HTML e-mails to a Lotus Notes Rich Text format. Some older Lotus Notes versions also may not recognize multipart messages properly. Also, some companies may deploy a newer version of the Lotus Notes client, but are running an older version of Lotus Notes/Domino server, causing HTML e-mails to continue to render incorrectly.

If your database has a significant Lotus Notes subscriber base, we suggest placing a link to a hosted version of the HTML e-mail near the top of your message (i.e. "View this email as a web page.") The recipient can then view the email correctly in their browser. Additionally, if you are not sending multipart messages but are instead sending based on the recipient's HTML preference, include an "Update Preferences" link on each of your e-mails. This will take the recipient to a web form where they will be able to change their preference to receive text e-mails rather than HTML. You can also place a message on your opt-in forms encouraging users of Lotus Notes versions below R5 to select 'text' as their preference.

For more information on Applied Info Group's database and email marketing service capabilities, please contact Mitch Rubin, President of Applied Info Group at (908) 241-7007. Visit www.appliedinfogroup.com to learn more.