According to management consulting firm, McKinsey, an average full-time worker spends more than a quarter of the workday reading and responding to email. They also estimate that each worker receives around 120 emails daily. Each of those emails is competing for limited attention. Here’s an easy way to make your message stand out: design your emails.

Other than improving your email message’s readability and digestibility, here are some more simple, yet effective ways to take your email digital marketing game to the next level. 

Design Email

How to Design Your Emails

  • Pay attention to first impressions.
  • An average person’s attention span is only 8 seconds. You need to wow within that short window. You can do this by making sure the sender, subject line, and email preheader are appealing and compelling. For instance: 

    • Sender: Good: [email protected] vs. Bad: [email protected] (what’s even worse is [email protected] or @generic email address. Make sure your emails are correctly branded!)
    • Subject Line: Good: Prospect Name: Last Reminder! Up to 90% off our best-selling products vs. Bad: Special Offer Inside
  • Try the Pyramid Scheme.
  • No, it’s not the illegal pyramid schemes of multilevel marketing companies. It’s structuring your emails like an inverted pyramid; just like the structure of digital marketing websites

    Digital Marketing Work

    Here’s how it works: 

    • Top: A strong, succinct, attention-grabbing headline to highlight the key message
    • Middle: Supporting info and visuals
    • Bottom: A clear call to action button to tell the audience exactly what to do next
  • Don’t just put it all out there.
  • Arrange your content so it makes sense to the reader. Your content must be:

    • Clear – Effective emails have a clear and often, singular message. 
    • Concise – Keep it short and simple. 
    • Coherent – Ideas should flow smoothly with the most important info first.
    • Chunked – Ideas should be divided into headings using bullets so they’re easy to digest. 
    • Clever – Use links if your need to convey more detailed information. Be careful not to go overboard, though, because too many links are distracting.
  • Make it pretty.
  • As a general rule of digital marketing, visually appealing visuals sell. 

    • Color – Choose a clean and complementary color palette to prevent distractions.
    • Font – Keep it legible by using a web-safe font face. Also, make sure the letters are within the 14-16px range on the body. 
    • Images – Make a statement with relevant and attractive photos. I
  • Optimise. 
  • By some estimates, more than 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices. If you fail to design your emails for the preferred device of your readers; you are missing out. Ensure that your emails display responsively on different devices. 

  • Stay on brand.
  • Email is an extension of the brand. Therefore, email campaigns must match the fonts, colors, and other visual branding elements (I.e. logo, etc.) across all customer touch-points.

  • Don’t forget standard email etiquette rules. 
  • Emails, sometimes, are the first, or only, point of contact you have with your prospects or existing clients. Remember and practice the social rules crucial to any medium of communication to make a great impression. These include:

    • Include a signature to let the the recipient know who you are.
    • Use use a professional salutation.
    • Try not to use humor.
    • Proofread your message. Again. And again. And again. 
    • Always reply to emails addressed to you and follow up diligently. 

    Design your emails well and it becomes one of the best form of digital marketing. Follow these 7 simple steps and you’ll take your email campaign, and your conversion rate, to the next level.