Yesterday I posted some thoughts on “easy HTML tips” for marketers to avoid – after seeing an article listing outdated (and potentially harmful) HTML tips including the use of inline styles and the like. After seeing some of the comments on the source article, I thought a follow-up was worthwhile.

Several of the commenters indicated that they were glad for an article explaining HTML, because it was so helpful, but “what I really want to know is ____.” As someone who’s worked in both marketing and web development simultaneously, I’m glad to see people like this enthusiastic about maintaining and contributing to their websites. But there’s a better way than relying on “tips & tricks” posts on the internet.

Dear marketers who want fine-grained control over the presentation of your content: the best tip I can offer you is this:

Talk to your web development/design team.

Talk to them honestly, and let them know you’re interested in being involved in the process of updating content. I can almost guarantee they’ll be willing to show you what you need to know, and set up some guidelines to make it easier for you. It’s in their best interests to show you the right way to do what you want to do, because it means there will be less things they have to fix later.

Whether they set up a system where you write using Markdown, or create custom templates for you to fill with your content, or teach you more detailed code, it’s better to work with them rather than around them.

To a happy future of marketers and developers working together in harmony!

Photo by webmove. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)