Anatomy of an email
If you are just getting started with email marketing there are some email basics that you should follow and consider before sending out your first email. Regardless of the type of business, you have these seven email marketing tips should help you create an email campaign that gets opened, clicks, and converts.
The Purpose. Emails should have a clear focus and goal. Know your why for sending an email then the rest comes together much more easily, including the subject line. If your email has 16 things happening inside, then it’s even harder to come up with a compelling subject line. Less is more in email, it is better to keep it short and to the point and send more emails than load one email with too much content. Not only do people have short attention spans, but people get decision fatigue, give them too many decisions (too many things to click) they make none. Your email can be product-focused but also include benefits, storytelling, education, or inspiring. Your emails can also be informative, useful announcing, inviting, or inspiring.
The Hero Section. This is the very first image they see when they open the email, it needs to hook them in for them to keep scrolling down the page for more. This should be attention-grabbing, on-brand, and clear to understand or read. The hero image should not include too much text. You can add more details and longer copy below this image and throughout the rest of the email. The first image really needs to captivate
3. Call to Action (CTA) Your call to action should always be above the fold, (this is usually what they say for e-commerce). This is a button that is usually right under the hero section for people to click through right away so if they do not need to scan the rest of the email they can click right away. But if you don’t have the type of business where you need a button that is so smack-in-the-face in the beginning, I would just recommend that you have one in at least the first half of the email. Call to action are best under longer copy blocks and within any content/image blocks. Yes, you can have more than one call to action, depending on your type of business but every email should have a main CTA priority, then secondary CTA items and options.
4. Branding
Your emails should have a consistent look and design. Include your logo and header as well as a footer that includes other forms of communication and ways to reach out, and most importantly get them to your website. Make sure your logos are linked, as well as include some other clickable links to your website as well. Your social media handles, and possibly links to important pages on your website, or customer service email and phone numbers. Always use your brands voice, personality, colors and fonts in your emails. Subscribers should know right away that this email is from you, and start to become very familiar and enjoy getting your emails.
5. Design for mobile. Everything revolves around the smartphone these days. 60% of email is opened on mobile devices, so it is important that you design with this in mind. Images and copy need to be clear and easy to read on a mobile device as well as CTA buttons should be large enough to click. This means that any longer copy / text on graphics need to be large so people do not have to zoom in.
6. Captivating Copy
Your emails should be written in your brand voice and should be written like you are talking to someone or having a conversation with someone. You should use language and words that your customer would understand. Keep your email copy short and to the point, people have very limited time and are easily distracted so keep it brief. There are businesses or brands that are more educational or have a longer editorial style email, and so if that is what they are known for then they can do longer form emails, but if your intention is to get the customer to take action or do something; click, buy, download, sign up, read more, go to your blog then you don't want to bog them down in a lot of text.
7. The Subject Line
Quick, catchy and to the point! Please remember that your email subject needs to compete with The subject line is the most important piece of an email. In fact, you may find yourself spending more time on this than you’d think, and you should. It’s that important. A stand-out subject line in a flood of emails that piques some interest has a higher chance of getting clicked. The subject line should be the summary of the email choosing only a few choice words. The subject line should
