According to a study done by Radicati in 2014, “business users send and receive on average 121 emails a day”. So how do you make sure yours gets read?
Many of our clients send out both internal and external emails on a regular basis, and so we’re often asked that very question.
Email has become the main form communication between co-workers, clients, and even potential clients; and so it is becoming increasingly important to have a well-crafted email campaign.
Here are some tips that will help engage your readers:
Have a clear Call-to-Action at the top of the email
It’s important to grab the readers attention right at the open of the email—tell them what they need to know and exactly what you want them to do (i.e. rsvp, join, etc). And just because you have the CTA at the top, doesn’t mean it’s the only place for that information. Don’t be afraid to repeat the details again down below. This will only help reinforce the action you want the reader to take, and also help clarify important information (i.e. event address, times, etc).
Keep it short and sweet!
This is probably the most important rule of thumb for creating successful emails. The average business person receives 121 emails per day, so it’s important not to take up too much of their time. If an email is too long, most readers won’t even get halfway before moving on to the next email. If you can’t fit it all, use only a summary for the email and lead the reader to a branded landing page with more information.
Balance text with images
The use of images goes hand-in-hand with keeping the copy short. Images help the reader to easily focus on one section at a time, rather than be overwhelmed with paragraphs of information at all once. It’s also important to note that you should not have the entire email just be one image. You want the main copy to be “live text”. This will allow the content of the email to easily be searched in the future.
Write concise headlines and subheadings
Concise and clear headlines allow the reader to easily scan the email, getting the intended message across with minimal time. This helps increase the chances of getting the desired response from the recipient.
Have a strong campaign design
Establishing a strong, cohesive visual identity for your email campaign that transfers to other platforms will help increase visibility, as well as legitimize your campaign. Transferring your email’s design theme to other social channels and even other media like printed materials, landing pages, etc. will help to increase response rates.
Keep the subject line 50 characters or less
Email subject lines, like the copy, should be short and sweet. A general rule of thumb is that they are kept under 50 characters. The subject line is another good opportunity to repeat the CTA, or to use a catchy phrase to grab the readers attention before the email is even opened.
Here at Cleveland, we’ve designed hundreds of emails for our clients using these techniques and strategies to help make their email campaigns more successful. If you would like to discuss how email campaigns can help your business, contact us.
