Emojis are the laughing stock of marketing texts. They can’t stand for themselves, so you always have to be prodding them into some sort of action, like turning blue or red. At least, that’s how it’s played out in most cases. You’ll often see people use emojis in their emails, texts, and social media posts, and it’s almost always in a bad way.
In the right place at the right time, with the right design, and in small doses, emojis can be a useful tool. But when overused, they can break down the reading experience, especially when coming across as an attachment in an email.
The Rise Of The Attachment-less Email
The attachment-less email is a thing and it’s here to stay. Why? Because it works. In fact, according to HubSpot Blogs research, 76% of surveyed consumers find emails with attachments difficult to read and 41% haven’t even opened them. Furthermore, only 14% of respondents said they enjoy reading lengthy email reports.
But that doesn’t mean marketers should give up on the attachment-less email. Far from it. With the correct design and use of simple, clear call-to-actions (CTAs), brands can offer compelling content without taxing customers’ time or attention spans.
Takeaway: If you’re using email to communicate with customers, make sure that your emails don’t demand too much of their attention. Design your emails to be concise, concise, and to the point. In addition, ensure that your email campaigns consistently include relevant, compelling content.
Attachment-less Design
There are various ways to design an email so that it doesn’t demand too much of your reader’s attention, including keeping the text size consistent, using simple fonts and colors, and ensuring images are consistent in size and quality. But arguably, one of the easiest ways to create an attachment-less email is by using a boilerplate template.
Takeaway: Whether you’re new to email marketing or you’re already doing this and just want to make sure you’re using the best practices, it’s essential to establish a standard email template that suits your needs. This will help you craft all of your future emails and ensures that they’re consistent in appearance.
The Rise Of Social Media
Here we’re going to assume you know what social media is and how it can be useful to your brand. If not, we recommend you read this entire blog post before continuing.
In terms of email marketing, there are also various ways in which you can use social media to make your email marketing more effective. You can ask customers to join your mailing list on social media, cross-post relevant articles from your blog to your social media accounts, and use social media to promote your email campaigns.
As with all marketing activities, you need to ensure that your use of social media is consistent with your brand voice and that it creates a positive impression of your brand.
Takeaway: One of the simplest ways to get started with social media in your email marketing is to simply ask people to follow you on Twitter or LinkedIn. But beyond this, you can use various tactics to increase your followers on social media, such as paying for retweets and gaining support from influential people in your niche.
Mobile Users Prefer Short, Snappy Emails
If you’re reading this on a mobile device, you’re going to want to shorten the amount of text within your email. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 66% of respondents said they’d prefer shorter emails and only 18% said they’d prefer longer emails.
In the same research, 19% of respondents said they haven’t opened emails from brands they didn’t know or had no connection with, while 16% said they didn’t like being pitched to by brands they didn’t know or had no connection with. These results suggest mobile users don’t want to be bombarded with tons of text in their inboxes; they want concise, snappy emails that provide value.
Takeaway: If you’re sending out a lot of text-based emails and you want to shorten them, use a boilerplate email template. This will help you craft short, concise emails that provide value.
Use Of Emojis
Here’s something else you’re probably already doing and didn’t even realize it: Using emojis in your emails. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 28% of respondents said they use emojis in their emails and texts, while 23% said they don’t. But even when present, emojis can break down the reading experience. In particular, respondents said they didn’t like receiving emails with emojis in them because they found it difficult to focus on the text.
These results suggest that if you want to include emojis in your next email campaign, do it sparingly. Use them for emotion rather than solely for visual appeal. And if possible, include a mix of both text and emoji, so your message can be conveyed effectively without taxing your reader’s attention span.
Takeaway: With the right design and use of relevant, compelling content, emojis can be used to good effect. But if you want to be sure that your email doesn’t break down the reading experience, don’t overuse them. Design your emails to be succinct and to the point, and ensure that your content is both relevant and easy to understand.
What other ways can you use email to better engage with your customers? Feel free to suggest other tactics in the comments below.