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A PROGRAM OF THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION
 

IOM Blog

October 27, 2014

Design for Dummies: 5 Critical Things You Can Do To Improve Your Email Design

All of us use emails to reach out to members, colleagues, coworkers, and friends. Email communication is one of the cheapest and straightforward forms of interaction available. The ease of this communication strategy has led to an oversaturation of our inbox. I know that I’m not alone when I delete lots of subscription-based emails and unrelated content on a daily basis just to get to the important messages. So how do you set your emails apart from the trash-destined messages? Follow these 5 basic rules to improve your email design and increase your click-through rates.

1.       Build Your Brand.
Create consistency between your emails, landing pages and websites. If one of your subscribers doesn’t recognize your email immediately, there’s a good chance that they will delete it.

Your subscribers already know you and trust you well enough to receive your emails but leave no room for confusion; write a clear message in the “From” line and create a consistent look throughout all of your material. Display your logo in your email and include a website link for seamless browsing ease from the email client to the web browser.

2.       Catch Their Eye.
Research has proven that most people scan written works in an “F” pattern. Use this key information to your advantage by positioning your logo, headline, and the most-important call-to-action at the top of your email.

3.       Engage Your Subscribers.
Vary your emails and make them interesting by offering something of value. Some ideas are including a promotion, a high-interest piece of information, or something they would not likely receive anywhere else. Mold your message so it’s interesting to your subscribers’ needs. By doing so, you’ll make it easier for them to take action on your message and read the whole thing.

4.       Maximize Response.
Build the reader’s interest with enticing information and design. If they’ve opened the email, you already have their attention; now keep it by placing your call-to-action in the top left quadrant and by utilizing attention-grabbing colors, interesting graphics and relevant wording. The purpose of your email is for your subscribers to take action, so ask for it.

5.       Emails with Holes, Images Aren’t Everything.
Many email clients will block images by default. This improves email performance and the rate of deliverability but it is vital to keep this in mind when crafting your message. If your entire email is a graphic or picture overlaid with words, your recipient may never see your message. Use HTML and web-safe fonts when possible and avoid email templates that are very wide. If it is necessary to include only photos, think about including a note telling the addressee to download all photos.

In conclusion, your emails will be better received and have more readers if you follow the 5 guidelines above. When you create an email that is attractively designed, effectively written and packed with relevant and useful information (that isn’t too text heavy), you’ve created a recipe for maximum subscriber engagement. Do you have any guidelines or ideas that have worked in the past? If so, please leave a comment below and let us know what it is.

To read more about email design and writing effective messages, check out this article.

http://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/design/28-tips-for-designing-effective-html-emails

 

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Andrew Weller
Associate Manager, Marketing and Communications, Institute for Organization Management
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Andrew Weller is associate manager of marketing and communications for Institute for Organization Management, a four-year educational program on nonprofit management of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Weller oversees communication efforts with Institute prospective students, attendees, and graduates through targeted marketing deliverables and other promotional items. Weller received his Bachelor of Arts degree in strategic communications and a minor in leadership studies from Elon University in 2013.

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