Advertising your company, products, and services has never been easier or more cost effective. Using the power of the internet, it is now possible to reach hundreds of people within a matter of seconds. Creating and sending out your email marketing campaigns, gets your message and product announced to the world, with just the click of a mouse.
What is an Email Template?
An Email Template is a pre-formatted design, including links and images that are ready to be edited as a starting point for your e-campaign. Size, font, and images are in conformity with design standards in compliance with the most popular email programs. Your email-marketing template may also include embedded links such as registration, opt-in, op-out and a URL link for your website-landing page. As with any email template, knowledge of HTML is unnecessary.
Why Use Email Template Designs?
1. In the beginning there were HTML template designers, making a great deal of money off of you. Now, everyone is a designer, well able to produce a polished and professional email campaign using email templates.
2. Uniformity and Consistency. Keeping your design and format consistent, enables your readers to easily recognize your email and company brand.
3. Do not Waste your Creativity. An email template allows you to focus on the most important thing, turning prospects into clients. Write that great subject line with exciting, and relevant content. Leave the design to the template.
4. Campaign Goals are Important. Time is money. Dealing with a designer and the content, could push your deadline back too far. You need to be in control of your e-campaign from start to finish.
One of the best marketing communication vehicles is the email newsletter. Why?: Email newsletters: keep you in contact with current customers, build interest and trust with your prospects, while keeping your product and service in the front of their minds. A well-planned e-campaign, enables your recipients to see who you are and hear your personal voice. Connecting a person with their company makes your email newsletters more personal, opening the door for further marketing opportunities.
Content and Layout Tips to Consider:
HTML or Text. When considering your alternatives, you need to know your focus. HTML is pretty, interactive, with a highly professional appearance. It is normally the choice of most email marketers. If you use a pure text format, you are less likely to turn on the spam and junk filters. However, pure text emails are less likely to captivate your audience within a few seconds. When using an HTML newsletter, you have graphics, color, and presentation all working for you. The best solution is to offer both, letting the user decide. Having an alternative text version as an option, giving everyone a win-win situation.
HTML Newsletter Designing Tips
1. Writing a catchy subject line. You need to have a clearly defined goal and focus. Your subject line must hold true to its content. When it comes to length, studies show that shorter lines consisting of around seven words get emails opened; however, longer lines increase the click through rates. Know what works best for you. TIP: Write your subject line after your content is completed and finalized – not before.
2. Plan your content. Readers do not want to be bombarded with constant sales jargon. Your content should be relevant, interesting, having value added information.
3. Mailing frequency. Sending an email newsletter is a big commitment. Start small. A quarterly newsletter will not overwhelm you or your prospects. Starting with a quarterly newsletter, will give you time to plan each campaign with sensible goals. You can always send separate newsletters when promoting specials during closeouts or holidays.
4. Using white space to your advantage. White space refers to space that is not occupied by text or images. The amount and use of white space helps guide the eyes to better readability and legibility. Do not chunk loads of text together. Space out paragraphs, use bullet points, and numbering. Make your content easy to parse, read, and scroll.
5. Using the correct text format. Using a universal display of text and graphics guarantees you that most if not all, will see your campaign format correctly displayed on their computer or device. Many users minimize their desktop displays; do not download images in their email software, and some view their inbox through a small windowpane. Know your obstacles, as well as your target audience.
6. Create a clear call to action. The call to action is a key element of an email marketing campaign. Clearly layout what you want your recipients to do. Make the steps and message clear, and easy to follow. Avoid distractions. Separate the call to action from banners, and other links. TIP: Test your links before sending.
7. Visible Opt-in and Opt-out. New subscribers are a good thing. Make is easy for your recipients to sign up for your email newsletter. Always use a double opt-in, confirming a recipient’s request. TIP: Make it easy to opt-out. Do not frustrate a recipient who wants to cancel your newsletters. Always leave a good impression.
Any successful email marketing campaign is born from research, testing, and good planning. As hard as that is, you still need to get your campaign into the inbox, opened, and read. And if that were not enough, you need great click through rates, as well. At the end, the long-term approach is the most solid. Create trust and recognition with your prospects. Be in it for the long haul.
