Table of content
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Begin with a master template
- 3. Plan your CTAs
- 4. Make your emails work well on phones
- 5. Personalize your content
- 6. Show your brand's character through design
- 7. Always include an unsubscribe link
- 8. Make emails accessible to everyone
- 9. Make emails look good in dark and light modes
- 10. Make sure the email is performing best
- 11. Conduct A/B testing on your emails
- 12. Use preheader text
- 13. Accelerate your email design process with Kasplo
- 14. Conclusion
People claim email marketing is finished. Yet why do 7.9 billion email accounts exist worldwide?
It turns out email continues to be a key communication channel for most businesses, and email marketing remains a powerful way to connect with customers. But with inboxes full of messages how can you make your emails grab the attention? The answer lies in crafting compelling marketing emails that inform, look great, and easy to understand.
This guide explores essential principles to design emails that strike a chord with your audience and help you reach your marketing goals.
Begin with a master template
Using a premade template makes creating emails easier and keeps your brand looking the same. Your template should have key parts like your logo, header, footer, and colors. This doesn’t just save you time; it also helps people remember your brand every time they get an email from you.
Here are some extra things to think about for your template:
Hero image/banner
An eye-catching picture at the top of your email can catch people’s attention and set the mood for your message.
Content sections
Split your email into clear parts to make it easier to read. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to divide
the text.
Social media buttons
Give subscribers an easy way to connect with you on social media sites.
Keep in mind that your template should be flexible. While keeping a basic design, you can change things like the hero image and content sections to match the specific message of each email campaign.
Plan your CTAs
A Call to Action (CTA) is the core of any marketing email. It tells your subscribers what you want them to do next, whether it’s checking out your website, buying something, or getting a whitepaper.
Here's how to create CTAs that have the biggest effect:
Being clear matters
Pick strong words and plain language that leaves no doubt. Some good examples are “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Download Today.”
Make your mark
Create your CTA button using a color that stands out to catch the eye.
Smart positioning
Place your CTA button where it’s easy to spot in the upper part of the email (visible without scrolling) or right after your main message ends.
Try different options
Feel free to play around with various CTA wordings, positions, and button styles.
A/B testing helps you figure out which version works better and fine-tune your CTAs to get more people to click.
Make your emails work well on phone
Because so many people use smartphones now, it’s essential to create device-responsive email templates. Here are some tips to make your emails phone-friendly:
Responsive design
Pick email templates that change their layout to fit the screen size.
Single-column layout
A one-column layout makes reading easier on small screens.
Concise content
Write short and clear email copy. Don’t use big chunks of text.
Large buttons
Ensure your CTA buttons are large enough to tap on a touch screen.
When you focus on making emails mobile-friendly, you make sure your message reaches people, no matter what device they use.
Personalize your content
Run-of-the-mill emails often get buried in the inbox. Adding a personal touch gives your message a chance to shine and connect with your readers on a deeper level.
Split your email list into groups based on what people like, who they are, or what they’ve bought before. This lets you send emails with stuff that matters to each group.
- Greet by name
- Speak to their interests
- Recommend with care
Show your brand's character through design
How your email looks plays a big role in showing off your brand’s personality. Here’s how to use design to leave your mark:
Brand consistency
Make sure your email design matches your overall brand identity. Use the same colors, fonts, and logos you use on your website and other marketing materials.
High-quality images
Get professional-looking pictures that support your message and make your emails look better.
Whitespace is your friend
Don’t pack your email with too much text or too many images. Use empty space to create a neat and clear layout that’s easier to read.
Always include an unsubscribe link
Including an unsubscribe link isn’t just a guideline to follow – it shows your readers you care about their time and inbox space. This openness builds trust, which leads to people seeing your brand in a better light.
Make emails accessible to everyone
Not everyone experiences emails the same way. When you design emails with accessibility in mind, you make sure more people can get your message.
Here's what you can do:
Alt Text for Images
Add text descriptions for images. This lets users with vision problems or those using screen readers grasp the image content.
Color contrast
Keep a good contrast between text and background colors. This helps people with sight issues read.
Clear hierarchy
Use easy-to-spot headings, subheadings, and bullet points to organize your content. This helps users with thinking difficulties navigate the email.
Make emails look good in dark and light modes
Many email platforms and devices offer a dark mode option. To give a smooth experience across all interfaces, think about how your email design looks on both light and dark backgrounds.
Background colors
Pick background colors that look good in light and dark modes. Stay away from pure white or black backgrounds, as they can be hard on the eyes in either mode.
Text color
Change text color to make it easy to read in both light and dark themes.
Button design
Make sure buttons have enough contrast and are easy to click in both light and dark modes.
Make sure the email is performing best
It’s not just about designing the right email; it’s about ensuring it performs at its best.
Conduct A/B testing on your emails
A/B testing lets you compare different versions of your email to see which one does better. You can test different subject lines, CTAs, or design elements.
A/B testing works like this:
Make different versions
Come up with small changes to your email design or content. This might involve testing different colors for buttons, ways to word subject lines, or choices of images.
Sort your audience
Send each version of your email to a random group from your subscriber list.
Look at the results
Keep track of things like how many people open the email, click on links, and make purchases for each version.
Make improvements based on facts
Use what you learn from the A/B test to figure out which version of your email works best. Add the winning design elements to your future email campaigns.
Use preheader text
We worry about subject lines but don’t pay much attention to preheader text. The preheader text is a short bit that shows up next to the subject line in many email providers. Though people often ignore it, it has a big impact on catching eyes and getting folks to open your email.
Keep it short
Make your preheader text brief, try to stay under 50 characters.
Spark curiosity and inform
Use the preheader text to get the reader interested and give a quick idea of what’s in the email.
Match the subject line
Make sure the preheader text fits with and adds to what you say in the subject line.
Accelerate your email design process with Kasplo
To simplify your email creation process, take advantage of Kasplo’s drag-and-drop builder and HTML templates editor. The pre-built template library has a wide variety of professionally designed email templates, making it easy to create eye-catching emails without needing coding skills. These templates provide a great starting point, allowing you to personalize and match your emails to your brand.
Additionally, Kasplo’s support for AMP emails lets you create interactive messages that load quickly and engage your audience. With these tools, you can design emails that look great and perform well, helping you connect with your recipients more effectively.
Conclusion: Design with a goal
Keep in mind good email design is more than just looks; it’s about making things easy for readers in a way that clicks with them and gets them to act. When you put together a well-crafted email campaign, you can build better ties with your customers and hit your marketing targets.
Try Kasplo to streamline the process, ensuring your emails are not only visually appealing but also highly functional and effective. Simplify the creation of attractive, interactive, and responsive emails, helping you connect with your audience more effectively and drive better results.
