Email is one of the most effective and efficient means of communication there is. It is also one of the most popular —if not the most popular— digital marketing channels.
However, not all email marketing is created equal, and not all strategies work for every business.
Choose The Right Email Template
The first step to designing an email that gets noticed is to select the right email template. There are roughly four main types of templates:
- Simple text – This is the simplest and most common type of email template. It consists of a few lines of text with a couple of sentences at the very most. This type of email template is easy enough to design and typeset, and it is a simple and cost-effective option. However, it is basic and lacks visual appeal.
- HTML – The HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – based email template is more appealing to the eye. It allows for greater design and content flexibility, as well as a greater chance of having the email opened by the recipient.
- Text with image – This type of template contains a large amount of text, along with a small image that serves as the subject of the email. This type of email template is great for businesses interested in having a more unique design for their emails.
- Vast image – This type of email template contains a large amount of text, along with a large image at the top of the email that serves as the subject of the email.
The choice of email template will depend on several factors. One of the most important factors is the email marketing channel the business chooses to use. For example, if the business chooses to use Facebook Messenger (FBMail) to connect with their audience, they will want to use a Facebook based email template.
The next step is to determine whether or not you should use click-to-call or click-to-submit buttons on the template. If you decide that you should include these types of buttons, you will want to use a template with clickable areas, as these buttons generate affiliate revenue for the platform that hosts the template. If you decide against including these buttons, you can select a non-clickable template.
Determine Your Email’s Target Audience
In addition to selecting an appealing email template, the next step in the design process is to identify your email’s target audience.
In order to effectively market an email, you must first determine who the audience is for that email.
The first step to identifying your email’s target audience is to determine what they are currently doing. If you know that they are searching the internet for wedding ring inspiration, for example, you can assume that they are in the market for wedding rings and that your product or service may fit their needs. Alternatively, if you know that they are currently booking appointments with dentists, you can assume that they are in need of Dental insurance and your product or service may be able to help them out with that.
Once you have an idea of your target audience’s primary need, you can begin to map out their psychographic characteristics. This will help you to determine the kind of messaging and content that may appeal to them, as well as the method of delivery, which may be online or offline. For example, if your target audience is interested in finding the best laptop for school purposes, you may want to utilize online marketing to reach them. In contrast, if your target audience is primarily based in your local area, you may want to utilize cold calling to reach them. The choice is yours.
Research The Best Way To Reach Your Audience
Once you have identified your target audience, you can begin to think about how to reach them. Depending on the nature of your product or service, you may want to utilize a combination of methods.
If you are primarily focused on one method of marketing, you may want to reconsider your strategy, as different methods of marketing can work together to enhance your reach. One important principle to keep in mind is the law of persuasion. The law of persuasion says that people are more likely to do something if you persuade them that it is in their interest to do so. In other words, if you can show them that something will benefit them, then you can bet that they will be more likely to pursue that course of action.
For example, if you are selling shoes, but your target audience is fashion-conscious individuals interested in finding the best streetwear franchise in New York City, then you may want to consider using online marketing to reach them. In contrast, if you are selling office equipment and your target audience is corporate professionals, you may want to consider using phone banking to reach them.
In addition to considering the nature of your product or service, you must also think about the medium through which you intend to reach your audience. If you are selling shoes, you may want to consider using online marketing to reach your target audience, as most people live in a virtual world where shoes are a trending topic. In contrast, if you are a dental practice and your target audience is primarily based in your local area, you may want to consider using cold calling to reach them. Remember, your local area may not be their prime audience, so think globally when considering the medium through which you will reach your audience. This will become more important as you consider the choice of the email’s format.
Determine The Format Of Your Email
The final step in the design process of an efficient email is to determine the format of your email.
The choice of the email’s format will depend on several factors, which include your target audience, the channel you select to reach them, and whether or not you want to include multimedia content. If you decide to use a simple text based email template, you should consider using short blasts (SEO-friendly brief messages) to get your point across. Including multimedia content in the design of your email may turn out to be an expensive and time-consuming process, depending on how much content you include.
In conclusion, the choice of the right email template is a critical one, and it determines greatly the effectiveness of your email marketing.