We are happy to see more and more clients jumping aboard the email marketing bandwagon these days. Contrary to what some may perceive as a lesser or weakened channel of communication due to new materializing technologies, it is still the cornerstone to a lot of communication, education, touch points and automated interactions with customers and clients. Be it lead nurturing, event reminders or product announcements, email marketing programs, and the platforms that enable them, provide critical marketing value.
With that understood, we thought it important to relay tips on what we think is an often overlooked or underappreciated aspect of email marketing: the email template design.
Here are five tips to make sure your emails are effective when they land in your subscribers’ inboxes:
1. Pay attention to rendering
- Watch your image use. The majority of email clients will be blocking images initially, which may require the user to manually click to download or allow the images before the full email design will display. Make sure you get your point across sans images using HTML text and Web-safe fonts.
2. Keep it easy
- Past research has proven that human eyes scan emails in an ‘F’ pattern. Position your logo, headline and key call to action at the top of the email and make sure the important stuff is above the fold. Maximize the upper left hand corner of the email.
3. Keep it engaging
- Use smaller, bite-size chunks of information to summarize longer articles with links included to view the full piece. Create rational imagery to allow subscribers to quickly view and consume information and facts being proposed or communicated, such as pie graphs or infographics. Use emotional imagery to evoke reaction and then action.
4. Be precise
- With calls to action, make sure they are direct. Use “Buy Now” instead of “Submit.” Use “Register Today” instead of “Click Here.”
5. Follow through
- Set expectations and make sure your landing pages live up to them. Be honest and clear with what you are offering. Keep all lead-capturing forms minimal for a quicker experience.
And one bonus tip: TEST, TEST, TEST, TEST. Like browsers, there are a number of email clients (including Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) you will want to test with before you send the final product.
We would like to thank
ExactTarget for providing a wealth of knowledge and expertise in this space and realize a lot of what we covered here originates from their support and service.
Want a personalized demo and a better understanding of how email marketing can help your business?
Contact us today.
About the author::
Bruce Williams loves a good database schema and watching his team astonish clients with new JQuery tricks. He is the
Data team manager at thunder::tech during the day (and occasionally at night). When he isn’t programming, he and his wife are pulling their kids through the neighborhood in their favorite wagon.