I like Edith Mumford’s quote: “Contentment: The smother of invention.” Contentment won’t grow email marketing revenue.
So why do I see companies continue to hold on to unhealthy email design habits? I hear marketers state that email is so inexpensive, it is enough to just be in the game—with any repurposed creative. Unfortunately, that program is destined to perform like a car that only gets an oil change when it chokes and quits. This highly personal medium can actually cause relationship damage if it doesn’t emotionally engage through message and design. After all, there are plenty of other emails in the inbox to open!
A regular top to bottom inspection of email design can result in significant performance shifts. These are my top “DOC” recommendations, from head to toe:
- Pre-Header: Is there a design for this zone? Is it clean and clear to entice an open?
- Header: Is the branding part of the same gene family as the website? Are the graphics still relevant, or is a refresh in order?
- Preview Pane View: The brain of the email – it drives subscriber responses since most subscribers drop off at this point. Is the design delivering a clear message?
- Opened Email, “Pre-scroll”: How is your eye-tracking vision? Does the design weave the eye in an intentional way to the primary call-to-action graphic? Do design elements still drive engagement? Have you conducted some A/B tests lately? Try new elements and eye-tracking patterns and test. Include a rendering test as well across the major email clients and readers to validate and refresh HTML code.
- Footer: Are all links, copyrights, and disclaimers current? Is this a “bottom feeder” for stuff you don’t want to get rid of to appease internal audiences? Is there design delight for those deep-dive readers who make it to the bottom?
The beginning of the year is a good time for a creative refresh, building test plans with these design refreshes. Tangible results can then be incorporated into next year’s annual marketing plans. Quarterly check-ups can also align with quarterly business reviews to keep design audits scheduled throughout the year.
When’s your next design optimization check-up scheduled?
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