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Email Marketing Guide Part 1: Targeting | Part 2: Email Design | Part 3: Ensuring Delivery | Part 4: Tracking & Monitoring
	Part 2: Email Design Email design is very important when you are expected to stand out from hundreds of other emails a recipient may receive each day. But how do you avoid the junk folder? Part 2 of the Emailer Marketing Guide delves into what's important when designing, formatting and construction an email in order to get the best response rates possible.

Looks are Everything

The design of your email is undoubtedly very important. With some people receiving hundreds of emails a day, your message has to get across quickly. It also has to be be inviting without seeming 'spammy'. Newspaper headlines are great examples of this.

As with any other form of marketing, there should be continuity in your branding. This works particularly well for emails as it builds an instant level of trust if the recipient recognises who you are.

Subject Line

The subject line of an email is the first thing a recipient will see. The most successful subject lines are succinct and provide a reason for the recipient to look further. Research by email firm MailChimp suggested keeping subject lines under 50 characters worked best. Words and phrases to avoid included:

		"Free"
		"Help"
		"Best"
		"...% Off"
		"Reminder"
		"As Seen On..."
		"Information you requested"

If you're providing a special offer, or money off, you shouldn't necessarily not use these words. It just  becomes even more important to make sure your email is highly targeted. Certainly you should avoid writing subject lines in capitals or over-exaggerating. Unnecessary punctuation will also result in your email being deleted.

By making an email personal, open rates are much higher. Using words like 'your' can lead to a better open rate, as well generally making it clear to the recipient that the email is meant for them. A good example of an email subject line for an email sent to someone in the construction industry would be:

If you plan to resend an email, ensure the subject line changes as open rate will decline the more you send the email. Frequency is also  important. If a recipient receives the same email each week, it will be most likely deleted before they finish reading the whole of the subject line!

From Line

Don't ignore this line, it's normally the first thing a recipient will look to judge validity. You can use the From line to save characters in the subject line (such as your company name). If you use a person's name, your organisation may look small. Recipients also tend to delete emails from people they don't know or recognise Instead, stick to your company name but ensure its not too long (don't include 'PLC' or 'Limited).

Email Layout

Getting back to the email itself, the key things to remember are to ensure the email:

		Is relevant and genuinely interesting
		Is customised to recipients
		Communicates the message quickly
		Has a clear call-to-action
		Clearly displays website & phone number

Emails don't have to be short, but bear in mind typical screen sizes. Is your message clearly communicated without the need to scroll down? If the email covers more than one topic, ensure the web link goes to a relevant part of the website, not just your homepage each time.

Utilising your website is key, don't write a novel when you can have a succinct paragraph linking to a webpage with more information. If people are interested, they will click to read more. You can use a tool like SpamCheck to check how 'spammy' your content is.

Don't skimp on the design either. Just like a website, recipients will judge you on how good the email looks. A professional layout makes your organisation look established and trustworthy.

Remember that you're legally required to give recipients the opportunity to stop receiving your email marketing. You should always have an 'unsubscribe' option. You can read our article on the legal requirements with email marketing for more information.

Choosing HTML or Text Only format

Using full HTML allows you to create an email that looks just like a webpage. It means you can include your branding as well as images to grab attention. Most business users will see these emails without a problem, but a lot of web based email programs such as Hotmail do not display correctly, even not showing images at all by default.

It's best to cater for all by having a Text Only option too. Ideally, if you have a Sign Up form to opt-in, you will have a tick box for a preferred option. It's also common practice to have a line at the very top of the email with a link to a hosted online version so recipients can read the email within their web browser.

...Or go back to 'Targeting'