6 Elements of Successful Email Marketing Design

When it comes to Email marketing, there is always room for improvement. Year on year Email marketing reinvents itself according to the demands of the market and the competitiveness of the industry. In 2017, global email users amounted to 3.7 billion users (Statista, 2019). This figure is set to grow to 4.3 billion users in 2022 (Statista, 2019). That’s half of the world’s population. This statistic clearly shows that the opportunity for Email marketing is huge, and should not be missed out on as part of your digital strategy.

We’ve highlighted six key features of great email design and some of the brands that have incorporated them into their marketing emails.

1. Rich Media

Rich Media elements, like GIF, Cinemagraph and Video can transform a simple plain text message into an amazingly vibrant email. According to Email Monks, including video in Email increases open rate by 19% and click-through rate by 50%. This email by Harry’s is all about the GIF, and it’s used in a clever way to tell a story about their product. Subscribers are immediately drawn in and the captivating copy entices them to click to read the extended article.

Video is an engaging way of showing your customers how a product works and can effectively convey a complex message without having to overwhelm (or bore) users with a wall of text. As email clients and ESPs are now supporting animation in email, rich media has a bright future in.

2. Hyper-personalisation

Personalisation allows you to strengthen customer experiences by sending the right content to the right people at the right time. It helps your brand get noticed in the inbox as one with highly relevant emails, in these, in turn, are more likely to be opened and clicked. A survey by Cloud IQ found that 64% of respondents now expect an individualised experience, while 83% think of an individualised experience as important.

One company that takes personalisation seriously is thread.com. As personal shoppers, they deliver a link to a curated list of items alongside a personal message from your stylist straight to your inbox. These impressive emails are made by utilising a machine learning algorithm called Thimble to help make recommendations tailored to you as an individual. Stylists and Thimble work together to deliver hyper-personalised emails to users.

3. Imagery and colour

According to Brafton, 82% of marketers agree that visual elements make their content more attractive and more prone to be consumed by the masses. When used effectively imagery will always stand out. It can drive emotional engagement and response more easily than mere words alone. Plus visuals will help recipients quickly understand what the point of the email is. Stolen Girlfriends Club uses a black background, colourful imagery and white numbers to create a striking contrast. The top to bottom content makes it easy for the reader to navigate the path and follow the story they are telling, which ends in a free gift with a purchase.

4. Minimal Design

The mobile phone is the most common place to view Email in 2019, so it is important to design for these users. Simple content with a clear call to action is much easier to consume on-the-go and will look better on mobile devices. This email from Rifle Paper Company promotes its new collection though paper cut out typography. The crafty look and feel ties in perfectly with their brand, and also subtly gives a sneak peek of the new collection colours and style.

5. AMP in emails

At the beginning of 2018, Gmail announced the addition of native support for dynamic and interactive emails powered by AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). Product Manager of Gmail and Chat, Aakash Sahney, calls it, “a powerful way for developers to create more engaging, interactive, and actionable email experiences.” AMP for Email offers a variety of components, such as carousels and accordions. Further interaction can be encouraged through forms that can, for instance, allow email recipients to perform actions such as respond to questionnaires and RSVP for events without clicking on a link to visit an external website.

6. Interactive Design

With thanks to AMP, the advent of Interactive Design for Email means that your subscribers can now take action within their inbox. Interactive emails can include sliders, ecommerce checkouts, surveys, search bars, image galleries and more. Subscribers will no longer be redirected to external sites to complete an action such as filling in a survey or even making a purchase. This kind of interactivity may require more sophisticated data or infrastructure than a standard email. But this type of innovation can provide real value to customers and keep you one step ahead of the game.

Speaking of games, the implementation of gamification in Email is a way of creating a new realm of interactivity. Super Mail Quest is a great example of a retro RPG that you can play right in your email. This gamification could potentially be used for user-engagement,

by rewarding customers who play the game with incentives and discounts. The possibilities are endless.

It’s important to note that these are just six features of great email design. There are many more components which make a great email, including:

• Subject line

• Pre-header text

• Email Layout Patterns

• Typography

• Whitespace

• Mobile Optimisation

• CTA Design

• Text CTA Ratio

• Copy

• Voice & Tone

• Footer Finish


Kick start your email marketing strategy

Need help incorporating these key elements into your email marketing strategy? We can help. Get in touch to start engaging with your customers through email today.