Time. Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a little more? What would you do with an extra hour in the day? Would you…
A.) Spend it with your best friend?
B.) Take a walk in the woods?
C.) Get lost in the latest bestseller?
D.) Dine at your favorite restaurant?
E.) Read more email?
Call me crazy, but I’m guessing that option “E” wouldn’t be at the top of your list. It’s not at the top of mine, either.
So, email marketers and designers, what should you do to grab a little piece of my time? Engage me. Immediately.
Like the average email reader, I’m only going to give you a few seconds before I hit the “delete” key. (No offense.) But if you create an email that is instantly recognizable, renders correctly, and catches my eye, I just might spend a little time with you. (And trust me—I’m a marketer’s dream. My husband will attest.)
Take for instance, an email I received from “Life is Good” yesterday. It was clean, simple, and instantly recognizable. The subject line read, “Here comes the sun. See what Life is Good has in store for Spring.” On a damp, dreary Indianapolis day, I couldn’t get my finger on that “download pictures” button fast enough. And, oh! What a delight when I was greeted with a fresh palette of pastel colors and a graphic titled, “Here comes the sun.” Aaaahh. I clicked through to the website, bought a couple of shirts (I told you I was a marketer’s dream), and am anxiously awaiting the FedEx arrival.
So, what’s the moral of the story? The email I received was designed with rendering in mind. My images were automatically turned off, but when I read the subject line and the text, I knew exactly what was waiting in store for me behind those little black letters.
Rendering for different email clients is a tricky proposition. If it’s a concept you’re struggling with, be sure to check out our latest whitepaper on email design. It’s loaded with practical tips for both email marketers and designers. Then you, too, can entice me with your tempting text and your promises of what’s to come. Just like my friends at “Life is Good.”
Dear Friends, you had me at “Spring.”
Warmest Regards,
Katrina Willis
Copywriter
