Think of the most recent marketing email or newsletter you opened in your inbox. Was the information easy to digest? Were the graphics appropriately placed and crafted in a way that highlights the copy that was laid out? Was the content flowing in a structured format? If you work outside of marketing or design, you are probably not asking yourself these questions. However, every single one of us creates an opinion on things we like, and dislike. Our opinions of marketed content are geared a bit more towards “I think I like the information I am reading, how can I learn more?” rather than “The color of this button does not match the same shade of red as the logo”. While the use of cohesive brand guidelines is important (keeping a constant color palate for example), it is detrimental to your business to think like the customer when creating the copy you want communicated on your platform.
It is painfully clear which companies’ piece together their newsletter or marketing email a week before its scheduled send out date (yes, this actually does happen), compared to those who spend an entire month (or more) creating content which flows in a specific format that is always constant. Email presence is here to stay – make sure you are utilizing this marketing channel in an effective way!
One thing you should notice across all emails is that they incorporate some type of layout.
A header at the top typically includes the company logo. Title text and a body paragraph beneath that, a few related articles which may interest you, and lastly the email footer. The breakdown can look a bit like what I have drawn out below.
Email Layout Breakdown
The logo sits at the top of your email. The reader should be able to look at the logo and instantly know who they are getting communication from.
The banner graphic will be the first image on the email that sits above the fold (the fold being everything above the bottom of a users screen before having to scroll).
Take the time to effectively create a header which reflects what is being communicated in the body paragraph. In most cases the banner graphic, header, and body paragraph in the first block should all represent the same information.
There are multiple styles you can use when designing the perfect newsletter or marketing email that fits your companies needs. For this basic example, I have created three content blocks that house a graphic, CTA (call to action), and paragraph text.
I want to emphasize the importance on having these three key elements. A graphic will help to visualize the paragraph text. The paragraph text will give the customer a brief explanation on what you are wanting to provide them with. The call to action is the heart and soul of everything we are trying to achieve here. Your CTR (click through rate) is an extremely important key metric to determine what your readers are interested in, how you can strategically market towards them in the future, and the use of granular segmentation methods.
Lastly, you want to create an informative footer that includes the option for a user to manage their preferences, unsubscribe, forward the email, and view related links if applicable. You may also need to include some additional text depending on what type of email you are sending, what country you are sending it to, and what specific guidelines your company needs to follow.
This is only one layout amongst hundreds that you can create to effectively communicate the blog posts, promotions, related articles, and more to your customers! Play around with it. Use different sized graphics, dynamic CTA's, and create copy that gives just enough information that captures the customers attention to further their engagement with your content. The options and creativity are endless, but make sure to include each of these crucial elements listed above.
Final Thoughts
A newsletter jammed packed with information is really hard to digest. The worst thing you can do is to try and write two big paragraphs full of information that basically sums up the entire article you are wanting to promote. The purpose of the newsletter or marketing email is to create eye-catching, effective headlines with a brief paragraph hitting key points of the article while leaving an invitation for the reader to click the CTA to read more about the article. As with anything, this takes practice to master.
Becoming a content writer includes many different components which I have explained in my article that can be found by clicking here!
Creating informative emails that produce high conversion rates is entirely possible, you just need to take the time to buckle down and create effective layouts and carefully curated copy. Email marketing is a never-ending world of knowledge passed down from marketer to marketer. Use your resources to become to best email guru you can be.
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