Design Elements for Email Marketing

A good design can greatly improve the open rates of your email blast. And while a great subject line gets you halfway there, a clean, colorful, enchanting design can move the needle toward potential sales.

When designing email marketing pitches today, a company can't just consider how it will look on a computer screen. More than 40 percent of Americans – likely more in other countries – use smartphones as their primary device for opening emails.

Marketing emails must now be "responsive," meaning simply that emails must automatically adjust to whatever platform the viewer uses. An email built in a responsive platform will look the same overall, but its size and dimensions will change slightly based on a viewer's screen size.

An email built for viewing on Outlook or Gmail will look the same on a cell phone, but headlines, branding elements and text will adjust to the narrower screen. Before you say, "This sounds too technological," we're here to tell you that you can build email marketing in responsive templates. You won't have to do anything special or technical because responsive templates automatically change based on the viewer's platform.

G-Lock provides free and for-purchase, inexpensive and responsive email and newsletter marketing designs at http://hotemailtemplates.com/. Hotemailtemplates.com integrates seamlessly with G-Lock EasyMail7, our easy-to-use email marketing program that will have you running a marketing campaign in minutes.

Now, for a few tips on creating email that will appeal to potential clients. One of the first things to think about in designing emails is the preview panel. That's the panel people use in Microsoft Outlook, Gmail and other programs to read emails before opening them.

Consider what content will draw readers in. What doesn't work is a lengthy explanation of the benefits of your great products. Be short, punchy and to the point. Consider the following examples: "50 percent off shirts and shoes today!" "Free shipping for the next three days." Or "Contact us now for a free plumbing estimate." They communicate quickly and efficiently.

Use your brand as a letterhead of sorts at the top of the page. Beneath that, use photography along with clear fonts and text to get your message across. People like images and color, and everything needs to work together to get readers to your website.

If the email recipients haven't opted in to your email, create an opt-in box so they can sign up for your offers. It's simple with G-Lock WPNewsman to build in an opt-in box.

Let's take a look at a leading merchant, Lands' End, who loads up the email inboxes of millions of people every day. A recent email had the company's logo placed at the top left. Below it were the individual departments – women's, men's, kids' and so forth. Below that was the teaser. "Best customer exclusive, enjoy 30 percent off your order." A small headline above that was a simple phrase saying "Extended one day." Below that were colorful photos of summery shirts, shoes, blouses and other apparel.

All of that was intended to make the reader feel special – extended for you, one day, 30 percent off.

But that wasn't all. On the right side of the page, Lands' End reminded buyers that if they spend more than $50 they receive free shipping. A tiny text offers 30 percent off for the best customers for an extra day without defining what constitutes "best customer". (Perhaps whoever clicks to go to the website qualifies!)

Everything that makes for good design in the email looked almost as good on a cell phone screen except that it required a bit of scrolling and sizing by users. The email offered a compelling pitch — 30 percent off all orders. Order more and shipping is free.

And the images really popped off the page.

Lands' End has a huge marketing department with a budget in the millions of dollars, but even a small merchant can learn a few tips from big companies on successful email marketing.

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Written by Julia Gulevich. Posted in Blog, Email Marketing Software