- Creating an effective subject line
- Designing an html email campaign
- Creating content for email marketing campaigns
- Creating an effective html email campaign
- How to choose an email marketing provider
Here’s our top tips on creating an effective subject line
1. Ensure that it is short in length, up to 70 characters. If it is too long it may not display properly in the inbox.
2. If you have basic information for your recipients, personalise the subject line. It may intrigue them enough to open the email.
3. Don’t use CAPS, spam words or lots of exclamation marks. The subject line can determine whether or not the email makes it into the junk box or not.
4. Test different subject lines over time to evaluate the best approach for your business. Test questions, offers and headlines to see which receive the best open rates.
5. It should grab attention and entice people to open it. Offers and promotions help open rates.
Here’s our top tips on designing an html email campaign
1. Create email campaigns which reflect your website design or brand. This will increase brand awareness amongst your recipients. It is worth investing in bespoke email templates to ensure that they compliment your website and branding.
2. Place your brand logo in a prominent position. Remember that people read from left to right, top to bottom.
3. Be creative – don’t be scared to create eye-catching designs, and regularly change elements of the email to keep it looking fresh.
4. Always test your email design in a number of email accounts. Check that the design displays correctly in a preview pane, full screen and with images turned on and off.
5. Balance the amount of images you use with text. Don’t forget that if the images are disabled by a user, they will not see some of the email and therefore always use ALT tags on images.
Here’s what you should remember when creating the content for your email marketing campaign
1. Personalise your email campaigns where possible, for instance, start the email with Dear John Smith. When recipients feel that an email campaign is personal to them they are more likely to read them and click through to the sender’s website.
2. If you are sending to the same address books on a regular basis, change the content in each email. Variety is key to keeping your open and click rates high.
3. Email campaigns promoting special offers are often more popular with recipients than information only emails. Remember that they probably signed up to receive news about ‘special offers’.
4. Avoid using spam words in the body of your email as well as the subject line.
5. Always create a clear call to action in the body of your email campaign. Make sure that they know what to do if they like the offers that you are displaying.
Here’s some of out top tips for creating an effective html email
1. Place the main offers in the top part of the email so that they are always viewable in a preview pane.
2. Make all images clickable. Many recipients will automatically assume that the images are links.
3. Have your call to action both at the top and at the bottom of the email.
4. Always include an unsubscribe link. Remember that placing the unsubscribe link at the bottom of an email may encourage recipients to click the ‘junk’ button rather than scrolling down and clicking ‘unsubscribe’.
5. It is a legal requirement to include your business name, registered address and company on all email marketing campaigns that you send.
6. Always test your email campaigns in a number of inboxes, including Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo mail and Outlook.
7. Always add a ‘forward to a friend’ link so that if a recipient wishes to share the offers with someone the email that they receive is in the correct format.
8. Include ALT tags for all images, as many recipients will have images disabled in their email account settings. If they can read the Alt tags and understand what the email is about they are more likely to enable the images to view the html fully.
Here’s some things that you should check for when choosing an email marketing provider
1. Ensure that the system is easy to use. Have a demonstration so that you know exactly how the system works.
2. You should choose a system that does not require you to send high volumes of emails.
3. Check that the software is provided by a UK company. Using a provider overseas often limits the support available.
4. Use an email marketing provider that has its own design service. That way you can be sure that the design is not only attractive but also works with the software.
5. It is always useful to sign up to a provider’s trial account. You can then get colleagues to log in and give you their opinions on the system.
