As we count down to the end of 2011, we want to share some friendly reminders on how to improve your email marketing campaigns next year.
Email marketing design tips
1. De-clutter Your Call to Action
Since this is the entire point of your email; make sure that your call to action, whatever it is – promotion, coupon, webinar or industry news – is clear. If you make it difficult for your clients' to understand or even load your point, then you've already lost them even before you've started.
2. Watch Your Images
Understand that many email programs (Hotmail, Gmail, and AOL, for example) don't always properly load your graphics or images. Though images very well spruce up any campaign, ensure that your email isn't overloaded with them.
Remember: the more graphics and images you use in a campaign, directly influences load rate and opens.
3. Include an HTML Link
Give your clients' the opportunity to read your email in the format that is more comfortable and convenient for them. By including a simple link at the top of the email that allows your clients to view your email either as a webpage link or in an HTML version.
4. Mind the preview pane
Don't load up the top part of your email with logos or pictures: this is the most valuable part of your email, so this is where your call-to-action lives.
5. Design for mobile devices
The majority of your subscribers still view your email on their computers, but the number of mobile users are growing. Design your email so it looks the best on mobile devices, regardless of how its viewed.
6. Don't cut and paste
Mimicking your website in your email newsletter, including all of your navigation bars, is a surefire way to waste valuable space and be unreadable on mobile devices.
7. Offer a web-based version
Some subscribers want the whole experience of your email rather than just looking at it in their preview pane.
8. Design to fix in an email window
The standard width of any email marketing campaign is 650 (maximum). This ensures that you only have vertical scrolling and not horizontal.
Want more email marketing tips and best practices? Take a tour of SimplyCast University.
