It feels like the beginning of spring up here in Boston, Massachusetts. Even though I’m probably jinxing us by bringing up warm weather, I’m in the mood for a good spring cleaning. But before I break out my Swiffer, I’d like to give you a few tips on how you can clean up and refresh your email template for 2012. Even if you make minor changes, customers will know something is different. It’s like looking at a person who just got bangs or is wearing new eye shadow. You know something has changed, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Regardless, you notice.

Depending on who or what you use for email, they may have different templates for you to choose from, but if you’re designing one on your own, you’ll obviously have more control over what it looks like. If you’re using a postcard template that focuses on one message and you’d like to shine the spotlight on some valuable content, change it to a multi-column layout, which will allow you to add more text. On the other hand, if you’ve been sending your emails out using a columned template, simplify your look with a more modern postcard style where images of your products are the center of attention.

Have you updated your photography lately? As infographics, Pinterest and other image-driven media become more popular, photography (and how people respond to it) will become more important. When many small e-commerce stores start out, budgets are tight, and sometimes photography is done on the fly. Hopefully as your store grows, you can get pictures of your products professionally done, as these will not only benefit your store’s user experience, it will help your email program, too. If you have been using the same stock photography for your emails, change those images for a fresher appearance. And check back often as stock photography websites often add new photos.

Keep in mind that the one thing you should never change on your emails is the branding – your logo, colors and font should never change unless you’re doing a complete overhaul.