Email is especially important in times of emergency. It is
practical: it's a robust and mobile-accessible channel, perfect for
emergency communications. But it's also personal: when Hurricane
Sandy hit around October 30th, 2012, we saw a humanization of
brands through this channel that is rarely seen.
I live in Cambridge, MA, which, for the most part, was just outside
of Hurricane Sandy's reach, but close enough to receive many
geo-targeted emails. Looking at my inbox for the last week, if
Sandy taught me one thing, it's that every business should have an
ad hoc letter template and the...
Email Design
Why Pinterest?
You probably know what it is by now, but if you don't, find out here.
- It's big: With 20 million unique users already, it's the fastest growing social network in history. (comScore)
- It's connected: It drives more referral traffic than Twitter, and more than Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined. (Shareaholic)
- It's viral: 80% of pins are re-pins - only 1.4% of tweets are re-tweets. This shows a highly engaged, self-sustaining user base and stream of content. (HubSpot)
- It's sticky:Users spend an average of 88.3 minutes on the site. (MarketingProfs)
- And most importantly, it converts: 21%...
As marketers, it's difficult to push engaging, relevant, timely
content in every single email you send. When you start to see those
open and click rates dip, it may be time to wake them up with a
re-engagement campaign.
After pouring through various marketing email examples, we've compiled a few of the reoccurring tactics marketers use to get a subscriber's attention.
Education:
The main message of this tactic is to encourage subscribers to make the most of their subscription. Give instructions on how subscribers can get the most value from your emails. Unengagement may mean they have a lack of...Read More »
After pouring through various marketing email examples, we've compiled a few of the reoccurring tactics marketers use to get a subscriber's attention.
Education:
The main message of this tactic is to encourage subscribers to make the most of their subscription. Give instructions on how subscribers can get the most value from your emails. Unengagement may mean they have a lack of...Read More »
Florida Power & Light's Marketing department is deliberate and
strategic about the way they integrate social media into their
content. Here are some steps ExactTarget Design Solutions recently
took to work with them on refining social and sharing opportunities
in their monthly email newsletter.
Phase one: placement test
First we tested the location of the sharing icons. Half of the subscribers received an email with the sharing icons at the top of the email, and the second half of the subscribers received the icons placed after each article.
We saw a 42% increase in click rate after sharing...Read More »
Phase one: placement test
First we tested the location of the sharing icons. Half of the subscribers received an email with the sharing icons at the top of the email, and the second half of the subscribers received the icons placed after each article.
We saw a 42% increase in click rate after sharing...Read More »
Adding a survey to an email can increase subscriber engagement, and
provide a forum for feedback. The code behind a survey is called a
form. Form support varies by email client.
Form Support in top email clients
When including a form in email, make sure to include a link to view the email as a webpage, as form support for browsers is universal, and your subscribers will be able to fill out the form when viewing the email online.
One alternative to using forms is including a button to an external survey.
Another option is using images as the survey answers, linking to a survey confirmation page,...Read More »
Form Support in top email clients
When including a form in email, make sure to include a link to view the email as a webpage, as form support for browsers is universal, and your subscribers will be able to fill out the form when viewing the email online.
One alternative to using forms is including a button to an external survey.
Another option is using images as the survey answers, linking to a survey confirmation page,...Read More »
At ExactTarget, we design emails for success. Part of that process
may include putting a few design variations up against each other
in a test.
In September, ExactTarget hosted the Extreme Makeover: The Email Design Competition as a highlight to Connections '09. Read up on an overview and results here.
On January 13th, MarketingExperiments, the researchers who partnered with ExactTarget to analyze the data of the tests, will hold a webinar exploring the results.
The ExactTarget Design Solutions team will be logged in, watching the results unfold with you! We're excited to see the data of...Read More »
In September, ExactTarget hosted the Extreme Makeover: The Email Design Competition as a highlight to Connections '09. Read up on an overview and results here.
On January 13th, MarketingExperiments, the researchers who partnered with ExactTarget to analyze the data of the tests, will hold a webinar exploring the results.
The ExactTarget Design Solutions team will be logged in, watching the results unfold with you! We're excited to see the data of...Read More »
Our previous blog,
Connections Extreme Makeover: The Email Design Competition
Results, covered the Design
Solutions teams’ redesigns for AAA Ohio, Pier 1 and
MarketingExperiments. Let’s take a deep dive into the design
strategy that led the MarketingExperiments’ email to increased
engagement.
MarketingExperiments is a research laboratory whose researchers are tasked with discovering what really works in optimization. The communication MarketingExperiments identified for redesign was their Journal Newsletter, which features an on-demand webinar, upcoming live webinars, and live on-site training...Read More »
MarketingExperiments is a research laboratory whose researchers are tasked with discovering what really works in optimization. The communication MarketingExperiments identified for redesign was their Journal Newsletter, which features an on-demand webinar, upcoming live webinars, and live on-site training...Read More »
Connections is less than a week away, and the Design Solutions team
is anxiously awaiting the fanfare, fun, and finale. Here's how to
make the most of ten designerly highlights of Connections from the
Design Solutions team.
10. Grab some Design Solutions Schwag at the Design Solutions booth in the Expo Hall. No boring pens or notepads here; we're outfitted with fun, unique, pilfer-worthy schwag and design resources.
9. Mingle in the Expo Hall: Dig up plenty of those business cards, pop a tic tac, and practice being a social butterfly in the Expo Hall. You have something in common with everyone...Read More »
10. Grab some Design Solutions Schwag at the Design Solutions booth in the Expo Hall. No boring pens or notepads here; we're outfitted with fun, unique, pilfer-worthy schwag and design resources.
9. Mingle in the Expo Hall: Dig up plenty of those business cards, pop a tic tac, and practice being a social butterfly in the Expo Hall. You have something in common with everyone...Read More »
A
subscriber’s inbox is a noisy place, filled with the clutter of
messages, folders and other distractions.
Due to the unique landscape of email, subscribers open and engage
in five separate stages, judging each one individually before
deciding to move on. The design, therefore, is a building view –
not a static page view. Considering the following stages when
approaching your next email design will not only be helpful in
formulating a strategic email-building thought process for your
brand, but also in delivering relevant content to your
subscribers.
1.
From Name
Deliver trust with recognizable...
Most major email clients feature a preview pane by default. This
week’s tip focuses on the importance of optimizing for the visual
restrictions the preview pane presents.
Here are the results after sending a Northern Trail email to the following major email clients. Results are based on default preview pane settings in a 1024x768 px (pixel) environment.
*Default Outlook positioning
Click image to view actual size
Our recommendation? Place as much important information as you can in the preview pane within reason. That comes out to roughly a 400 x 300 px upper left slice of common area....Read More »
Here are the results after sending a Northern Trail email to the following major email clients. Results are based on default preview pane settings in a 1024x768 px (pixel) environment.
*Default Outlook positioning
Click image to view actual size
Our recommendation? Place as much important information as you can in the preview pane within reason. That comes out to roughly a 400 x 300 px upper left slice of common area....Read More »
