For every dollar brands invest in email marketing, they receive 42 dollars in return, research on email marketing ROI shows. If your clients already send direct mail, now is a great time to add targeted email to their marketing efforts.
But email doesn’t sell itself, it needs to have a great offer, and to be presented well in the inbox to drive results. In this blog post, I will share tips on designing targeted email that will drive results.
When designing a targeted email, follow these expert tips to ensure the results your client wants. Your offer, subject line, layout and CTA matter.
Incorporating a Great Offer – “What’s in it for me?”
The very first step to creating a good email is a great offer. Think about it from the reader’s perspective: They want to know quickly WIIFM – “What’s in it for me?”
The good news is 72 percent of end-users expect an offer in their inbox. With targeted email, you can specifically send an offer to those who are most interested in your product or service. For example, if you have a sale on furniture you can send directly to people who indicated they are interested in home furnishings.
Guidelines for the Perfect Subject Line – the First Impression in the Inbox
The most effective subject lines are brief, descriptive and include a compelling reason for the user to open the email.
- Keep your audience (and your goals) in mind
- Localize and personalize
- Keep it short and sweet
- Convey a sense of urgency
- Offer value
- Avoid using words that may flag your email as SPAM. For example: Free, Cash, Winner, Call Now, Investments, Risk-free
Drive Results with Targeted Email Through a Strategic Layout
I suggest using the inverted pyramid layout as a simple way to optimize targeted emails. This layout works to draw people in, deliver the campaign’s key messages and get click throughs by guiding the eye to the call to action. This encourages readers to click through to explore your offer, resulting in better brand awareness, more web traffic and ultimately more sales.
Use creative designed to shine in the inbox. The best way to do this is by using an HTML email, not just a .jpg or an image of a flyer. Regardless of your client’s technical capabilities, you can ensure a good promotional email by having a layout designed to drive results.
Imagine an inverted pyramid, widest at the top and narrow at the bottom:
- Brand Logo: At the top, brand recognition
- Full Width Image: Use one large, eye-catching image to draw the reader in and get them interested
- Headline: Keep it short and concise. WIIFM; text large enough to read on mobile
- Body Copy: Include relevant offer details leading to actions you want the recipient to take
- Call to Action (CTA) Button: Large enough to be “touch-friendly” on mobile (rectangle is best) with a direct action like “Buy Now!”
How to Create a Strong CTA for Targeted Email
The header, headline, and copy all lead to this: The CTA Button where the recipient will actively engage with the email and how you will measure the results of the email. Make the CTA clickable to the offer’s landing page or the website. This is the best way to measure results from the campaign. Keep the text short and action-oriented, and large enough to read clearly – especially for mobile devices.
With these simple tips in mind, you’ll design an email to rock the inbox and get results. Ready to learn more about the ins and outs of targeted email campaigns? Read the previous posts in our series, and stay tuned for the next steps.
So, how do you feel about Emails selling 30-50 different cars and trucks in one Email? Does that work well?
It is best to focus on one offer per email, or if you have a ton of cars on sale highlight one or two of them and have a Call to Action to view all the autos on your website. You want to keep your email short and to the point, interested consumers will then click through and browse all the deals you have available on your site/landing page.