Now is an especially busy time of the year-holidays, new years, fourth quarter. You are super busy and the last thing you feel like dealing with is your entire email communications program. But do not worry- it’s simpler than you think!
- Include a preheader to support your subject line. Being the first line of text in your message, make the preheader the most valuable. It’s what people see first and can sometimes be the only line of text that will show up on mobile phones. Don’t waste space by putting something like “Click to View on the Web”. Use a value proposition or call to action as a replacement. Subject lines should not be repeated, instead, magnify them by adding a secondary offer, deadline or other relevant information. Any phone numbers included should be a number, no lettering or wording, otherwise it will not be clickable on an iPhone.
- Optimize for the image suppression and preview pane. Do not place a single large image at the top because this leads to viewers only seeing a big blank. You will probably see only a part of the text in the message and no images when you view your email message on most web mail clients.
There are four easy steps for this fix:
- Use HTML to move important copy out of an image. The HTML text will render even if the images do not.
- You should also use HTML text for the navigation bar instead of using images.
- Use a good preheader and put important information at the top left corner of your message or in the top half of the message.Use alternate text to add a few informative words such as price, call to action, item name. This will render when images do not. - Your headline and button copy must work together. Often times these are the only two parts of your message that your reader will have the chance to see. People are busy and don’t have too much time, so they basically scroll over and scan headlines
- Use a “bulletproof button to showcase your call to action. This button uses HTML text in place of graphic text. It uses a color that grabs attention and does not conflict with the message’s main color palette. It has the ability to render even if the images are suppressed sometimes.
- Organize message components correctly: place into different compartments. You need each part to be separate from the rest while maintaining a pleasant overall image. Try using layout, color, graphics, strong headlines and complementary fonts to organize secondary messages in your email. However, make sure they stand out, while at the same time not distracting from the main offer.
- Animation is the way to go! This is something that will definitely grab the recipients’ attention. Don’t go overboard and dizzy the reader. Try and add movement to your email with an animated GIF that properly connects to the content of your message. It’s a great way to also demonstrate product attributes.
- Add video if it suits the message. Obviously don’t just add video because you can. It’s not suitable for every device and recipient. However, it’s a good idea to add a link to a video if you have the right content to support it. This has helped many campaigns in the past. Possible uses include spokesman’s comments, product demos, company videos on Youtube, or broadcast commercials.
- Give your messages that added human touch. At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, people trust people. It’s a good idea to show the people behind the company and use photos or customer reviews.
- Make your content social network friendly. Your content should be something that is easy to share between friends and family. The “Forward to a Friend” button is not going to cut it. Make sure to have good deals and offers. Center your attention on content that is “shareworthy” instead of focusing on the entire message. Use social network icons as well. This will make it easy to identify sharing opportunities.
- Remember the smaller screens. These days many of your recipients will be viewing your emails via mobile phones. For this reason you must start to design for smaller screens. Try shrinking the width of your email message. This will decrease the need of the recipient to scroll from side to side.
These are some valuable and simple ways to help improve your email communications. Try re-reading your emails from a subscribers end and you will see how these tiny little changes can make a world of difference.
