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Anatomy of an Email Blast

 In Email List/Newsletter, Email Marketing

Want to convert readers into clickers and clients? Here are some best practices on how to design a B2C email blast that turns email into business.

Purity Products is a NY based provider of quality supplements. They are active email marketers and send a variety of emails to their client and prospect base. So let’s talk about some of the key elements in their design:

  1. Pre-Header: The pre-header is typically a short description or teaser of the email offer. It is sometimes above the email and sometimes within the top of the email. In this case the pre-header is in the top right “Get 30% off with Promo code…” Always try to use a pre-header as it allows for an easy click to a promo or an article from the top of the email and especially useful when a reader views it in a preview mode.
  2. Header: The header is typically your company’s logo and the main value proposition. Typically best to have prominently at the top left of the email which is the 1st place a readers’ eye goes.
  3. Navigation: Here’s a good example of creating an email that mimics the look and feel of the web site. In this case, the navigation is a subset of the website navigation and is appropriate for the email. The purpose is to give subscribers an easy choice to click-thru on what interests them and segment themselves. If I am not interested in the promotion, I may choose to click on Best Sellers or Specials. You’ll be surprised how well this works when it is carefully mapped to relevant pages on your site.
  4. Call to Action: Make the call to action “jump” out at the reader yet maintain a classy look. See how the orange “Get Your Discount Now” button is very pronounced but at the same time well integrated into the email design. This typically will receive the largest percentage of clickers.
  5. Primary Message: The example here is templated. Every promotion the includes this same layout but with a different primary message and image. It’s not easy to come up with the right image and copy that delivers a clever message such as the “secret sale”. When you develop your campaign make sure the image and copy go hand in hand. Take special note that the younger woman is looking at the key message and her eyes point to where you want the reader to read.
  6. Secondary Navigation: What’s the point, here? Isn’t the primary navigation enough? Well, you want to provide a reader with a variety of options to engage with your company. In this case, the email highlights only one product out of many. We want to remind the reader of the other choices. Note the breakdown of supplement type on the left and the category type on the right. Clicking on these links helps to segment reader’s interests, and this data may be useful in creating triggered campaigns or dynamic content email. For example, a click on “Brain Health” could generate a follow up email
  7. Secondary Messages: In this case the secondary messages are there to “tone down” the promotional aspect of the email. They are testimonials from clients and physicians, but otherwise encourage inbound traffic to the website.
  8. Footer: A footer is a very important element of the email. It’s a great place to include social networks, contact information and a promotional disclaimer. The footer is also where you’ll provide unsubscribe and personalization options.
  9. There’s a lot more to it and these guidelines will change based upon your business and the type of email you are sending (newsletter, special communication, invitation, etc…).

If you need a hand to come up with some winning designs, you know where to find us!

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