A well-devised email will gain and keep the attention of your readers. As a marketer, you need to consider how you design the email and craft an attention-grabbing subject line, use compelling copy, and include a strong call to action. Interestingly, these are the same components of a successful ad.
Starting with the design, there are numerous companies that supply templates so you can select the one that best suits your needs. Choose from invitation, newsletter or letter templates. Keep in mind that a majority of emails are now opened on mobile devices, so send a test to a variety of phones with different sized screens to see what the email looks like on smaller screens. Be sure the most important information is shown before people have to scroll down.
The subject line can determine whether your email is opened or not, so take time to carefully consider different subject lines. If you’re sending a high volume of emails, you can test some different lines to figure out which one gets the highest percentage of opens. According to Ipsos Reid, the average Canadian subscribes to 13 commercial email programs including their financial services relationships, retailers and hobbies, so you have a lot of competition to capture their attention.
Design emails so they’re in one column. That way, readers don’t need to scroll over to see a second column. Your content will also be displayed correctly without being condensed to fit in.
The copy should be succinct since many people will just glance at the email, and if the message isn’t compelling it will be quickly deleted. Edit down the text as much as you can, so that only the important details remain. Provide a link to a specific landing page or a web form where buyers can go for more information. This click-through also gives you a good indication of the relevancy of your content.
A good call to action will move the reader to the next stage of the buying process. If you’ve captured their interest, then encourage them to request a call from a sales rep. Think about your goal when you’re designing the campaign, and the call to action will become a natural next step. Also ensure the call to action button is large, so that it’s easy to tap with your finger on a small screen. Make the button stand out by enlarging it or making it a different colour.
Combine all these elements and you’ll have a successful email campaign.