Top Tips for Great Newsletter Layouts and Lead Nurturing Emails
When it comes to generating and nurturing leads, sending informative newsletters through email offers several benefits. However, there is a vital difference between just sending an email and using email for marketing. If you want people to give you more than a cursory glance, you need to have some great newsletter layouts that engage readers. Here are a few points to keep in mind when designing an email newsletter.
1. Choose the Right Format
Text and HTML are the main formats most newsletter publishers use, and each has its own merits and limitations. Text formats come across as personal, as if you are actually speaking to your target audience; this effect is difficult with HTML newsletters.
Wherever possible, allow the option of viewing it in either format so the reader gets to choose what he is comfortable with. The best email newsletter designs are those that use the hybrid approach – create a HTML email and use a few formatting tricks to convey the look of a text email.
2. Catch Attention with Tables
Tables are compatible with most email readers; when designing an email newsletter, use them to display the key components of your message. Combine these tables with the right background colors that ensure your text is visible clearly even if the images do not load for any reason.
3. Avoid Focusing on Rich Media
You may have a really great animation or video to get the message across, but putting it in your newsletter does not make for great newsletter layouts. Most emails that are embedded with rich media increase the size of the mail and this means people accessing the newsletter through their mobile phones (and there are quite many who do) will not be able to view them.
Moreover, rich media often do not pass through spam filters. A better option is to have the video or animation on your website and let your email carry a link to allow an interested reader to view it.
4. Keep Design Windows Narrow
Your email is quite likely to be viewed in the preview pane of the inbox, especially by those who're in a hurry. This means you need to use a design that is not more than 600 px wide, with the most significant content on the top left hand side because this is the part that most readers definitely see.
5. Keep it simple!
The best email newsletter designs are not always the most complex ones. A basic template with a link to view an image-rich email in an external browser works just as well, especially if you are unsure of the images loading correctly.
Most importantly, have a clear call to action that invites the reader to do something in response, even if they look at your mail for only a few seconds.
We will address spam filters, double-opt-in and other email marketing issues in a future blog. Contact Versio2 to discuss your Content Marketing requirements.
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