In today’s digital age, standing out in a crowded email inbox is crucial. While social media marketing has its perks, building an email subscriber list and regularly engaging with your audience is a game-changer. Unlike the ever-changing social media algorithms, email marketing gives you more control over your communication and engagement.
Content is King
To capture attention and drive engagement, your email content needs to deliver real value. Think about what your audience cares about. What are their pain points? What topics can you uniquely address? Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Save Your Customers Time and Money: When you can make it obvious to your readers the ways you help them survive and thrive, you win and they win. What can you teach them or offer them that will save them time and money? Templates they can download? Time-saving or money-saving tips? Give value to get value.
- Customer Success Stories: Share how your customers have solved common problems with your help. Use before-and-after images, include a testimonial quote, and link to the full story on your website. These stories make great blog posts too!
- Behind the Scenes: Showcase the human side of your business. Share images or videos of work-in-progress and provide captions to highlight the process.
- Trends Articles: What trends are you seeing in the services you provide, or in your industry? For topics where you are the subject matter expert, share your insider knowledge in a way that helps your prospects and customers survive and thrive.
- Recommended Reading: You don’t need to originate all of your own content. Some of the value you can provide to your audience is compiling helpful resources from industry experts that you’ve found helpful, and that you think will help them. Poll your team to learn what they’re reading, and share this with your audience.
- Employee Features: People want to work with people they know, like and trust. Showcase the rockstars on your team, giving your readers the opportunity to get to know you better and learn what you’re all about.
- Featured Reviews: Have you received great testimonials from your customers? Feature these quotes and their photo as a way to demonstrate the ways you help customers survive and thrive.
Make Your Emails Visual
While content is king, visuals are the crown jewels. Crafting visually appealing emails and e-newsletters not only captures your audience’s attention but also drives traffic back to your website. Here’s how better email design benefits your marketing efforts:
- Better Engagement: Visually compelling emails capture readers’ attention and encourage engagement. HubSpot reports that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened, and beautifully designed emails can significantly increase click-through rates.
- Deliver Better Value: Visual storytelling through infographics, videos, and well-designed images conveys complex information quickly and effectively, making your emails more enjoyable to read.
- Drive Website Traffic: Use teasers and links to drive traffic to your website instead of cramming all content into the email body. This keeps your emails concise and directs readers to your site for more.
- Make Emails Easier to Create: With a clear structure and visual elements, creating emails becomes more straightforward. When you have a design and content template, your job gets easier. This consistency helps maintain a regular email schedule, key to keeping your audience engaged.
Tips for Boosting Email Engagement
- Personalization: Including the recipient’s name or personalized content can boost open rates by 20% (Campaign Monitor).
- Mobile Optimization: Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices. Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly.
- A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, layouts, and calls-to-action to see what resonates best with your audience.
Templatizing Your Emails
- Regular Content Features: Establish sections like tips of the week, customer spotlights, or product highlights. This creates familiarity and helps plan content in advance.
- Consistent Look and Feel: Maintain a consistent design aligned with your brand. Use the same color schemes, fonts, and logo placement in every email.
- Easier Content Calendar Creation: With templated emails, planning becomes simpler. Outline your email content well in advance for steady communication.
Must-Haves in Every Email
- Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Know what you want your reader to do and make it the main priority. Whether it’s visiting your blog, downloading a resource, or signing up for an event, ensure your CTA stands out.
- Social Sharing Buttons: Encourage readers to share your content by including social media buttons. This can help increase your reach and attract new subscribers.
- Visual Elements: Incorporate images, infographics, and videos to break up text and make your emails more engaging. According to GetResponse, emails with images have a 42% higher click-through rate than those without.
Get Help with Email Design from Experienced Designers
If creating visually appealing and engaging emails feels overwhelming, don’t worry. Our team is here to help. Book a free strategy session with us, and let’s craft an email marketing plan and design template that works for you.
By focusing on visual storytelling and leveraging the tips outlined above, you can create emails and e-newsletters that not only engage your audience but also drive valuable traffic to your website. Consistency in design and content will simplify your email creation process and boost your overall marketing strategy.
