Email marketing is one of the best ways for a small business to reach potential clients. Email campaigns can be created for newsletters, to promote a sale or offer, ecards and much more. But first, let’s take a look at why email marketing is such an effective marketing tool.
According to a study performed by getresponse.com, 64% of companies rated email marking as the most effective marketing channel. Upon further research, I also found that 89% of marketers stated that email marketing was their primary marketing channel for lead generation. Needless to say, if you’re yet to take advantage of the benefits an email campaign can offer your business, you must begin today! However, before you do so, its important to understand that the success of an email campaign often lies in the design of the email itself.
At ignition Media, we create custom MailChimp templates for our client’s email campaigns. As such, today I’ll share with you my tips on how to create a MailChimp template that will lead to a successful email campaign.
1. Headers and preheaders
In your MailChimp template, pay special attention to the preheader and header sections. Consider adding links to online versions of the email along with a motivating description of the email content that will engage users. I generally design my headers to be less than 150 pixels in height. This ensures that the message or call to action buttons do not get pushed further down the screen; this is all the more important for those viewing the email on a mobile device.
2. Designing for previews
Not everyone will bother looking beyond the preview of your email. In fact, statistics reveal that at least 64% of all consumers don’t fully open their emails – rather they make use of the preview pane through their email clients. As such, you MailChimp template needs to be designed with the preview pane in mind. Consider placing your company logo on the top left corner and include important text information only in the top left quarter so that it can easily be seen in the preview pane.
3. Eye catching graphics
Tempting subject lines often entice people into opening an email. However, to keep the user engaged, an email must include eye catching graphics with snippets of information. In your MailChimp templates, be sure to use high-quality graphics and images and strategically add information in small snippets so as to make your email campaign more digestible to a recipient. This helps potential leads to quickly understand what is being offered and make a decision whether to continue reading or not.
4. Call to action
The point of any email campaign is to get people to react. This can be achieved by insuring ‘call to action’ buttons are included in your MailChimp templates. Calls to action must be obvious and identifiable, such as a link to information or a specific offer for the recipient. Remember – not every recipient may be interested in making a purchase so terms such as “Buy Now” should be used with care.
5. Brand optimisation
Each MailChimp template should be optimised for your brand. Be sure to use your brand name in the “From Name” and use an identifiable “From Address” so that users know where the mail is coming from. Also consider personalising the recipient’s names and never use their email addresses in the “To” field. Finally, when setting up your campaign, be sure to limit the subject line to 35 characters; insure the subject is short, clear and recognisable to recipients. These seemingly simple techniques have a great impact on an email campaign as they result in a higher open rate.
Conclusion:
For an email campaign to be successful, there are certain best practices that should be followed by marketers when designing a template. Some techniques that I use across the MailChimp templates that I create include paying special attention to headers and preheaders, designing with the preview pane in mind, using eye catching graphics, including clear calls to action and brand optimisation techniques. These techniques make emails friendlier to recipients and they are more likely to open a mail and continue reading.
Here at Ignition Media, we offer a full suite of online marketing services, which also includes email marketing. We can design an amazing MailChimp and Campaign Monitor templates for you that allow you to manage and send out your mails with ease. Our customised templates are made to match your website design and your branding scheme. Thanks to our expertise in this domain, you can dramatically improve the click through ratio you receive from your email campaign.
To make use of our specialised email marketing services, get in touch with us today!
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