Do you use email marketing messages to communicate with your existing customers or to acquire new customers for your business?
One of the most important marketing methods today is email marketing, where you can send advertising and promotional content to your target customer with the distinctive products in your store. Therefore, the targeting is very precise and the results are excellent if the content of the marketing messages is properly organized and able to persuade the customer to buy or subscribe. the service.
In this article, we will provide you with important recommendations and advice that will help you launch email campaign messages specifically designed to attract the customer’s attention and encourage him to make the decision to purchase or subscribe easily.
The article will be divided into three main parts, where we begin with advice on designing the letterhead of the email message, followed by the part on the content of the message itself, then recommendations on designing the footer or the part at the bottom of the email message.
The explanation will be supported by some realistic examples of marketing messages from famous companies and institutions. At the end of the article, we will also provide you with some programs that you can rely on to design marketing messages aimed at selling.
Email Header Design
The email header, or what is called the header, is the first part of the email message that appears in front of the potential customer. The goal of the email header is basically to give a brief idea about the content of the email message as a threat to move on to reading the entire content of the message.
In the following paragraphs, you will find the most important recommendations regarding designing the upper part of your email message to attract customers’ attention and deliver the marketing message to them professionally.
Make the header design simple and uncomplicated
As we mentioned previously, the function of the header is only to introduce the subject of the message, so it is better for the header to be simple in its design and content so as not to distract the reader from the most important part, which is the content of the message itself. Therefore, you will find most marketing messages in which the header part is very simple to the point that it is possible It should contain only the logo, as is the case in Khamsat mailings. You will find the logo only inside the upper part and nothing else besides it
Likewise, the famous Quora website, in its marketing messages, finds that the upper part contains only the site’s logo, in order to introduce the site’s identity and encourage the reader to focus on the important parts within the content of the marketing message:
Encourage the reader to browse the entire message through the header
One of the important functions of the header part of an email message is to encourage the reader to complete the message and browse it in its entirety, by adding some elements or words that draw the reader’s attention and encourage him to complete the subject of the message.
Souq used to do this in its marketing messages, as it would inform the reader in the header part of its marketing messages that it provides them with shipping services, a free return service, and payment upon receipt, which encourages the reader to continue browsing the products displayed in the email message.
Although the header may include some encouraging texts for the reader, it may cause the message to be closed and even unsubscribed if it contains a lot of texts and elements that make it difficult for the reader to reach the most important part of the message’s content.
Therefore, use the header part to encourage and motivate the reader, but without exaggeration.
Make header content reflective of trending events
One of the elements that the header of a marketing message can contain is to draw the reader’s attention by asking a question or offering a solution to a problem or event that is common among people.
For example, in the following image from within one of the marketing messages for an Arab website that provides SEO services, and it was specifically on the day that Facebook was subjected to a major attack that led to an outage of service around the world, as the marketing message began with a problem that everyone in almost all parts of the world is talking about.
As you noticed, the message began with the question (Facebook is down?) Then immediately after that, in the header, the marketer provided a brief answer to the question (You can rely on Google), which prepares the reader’s mind that this marketing message contains a solution to a problem that he is already suffering from, and thus it can Consider this marketing message successful and effective.
Choose a design that matches your business identity
We can say that choosing colors, backgrounds, text sizes and types, images, logos, and other elements that can be added to the header part of the marketing message is considered one of the things that you should pay great attention to because the header part is like the title of the marketing message, which must draw the reader’s attention and encourage him to complete the rest of the parts. Important information inside the letter, and here are some tips on formatting the upper part of the mailing letter:
- It is important to place your logo at the top of the marketing message, but do not make it large in a way that annoys and distracts the reader.
- It is useful to use some colors, but try to stick to the official logo colors so as not to use too many colors that might distract the reader’s attention.
- Make sure to design the header so that the width and height are appropriate for the size of the content as well as the size of the screen so that it is not displayed in an extended way to the right and left of the screen and makes it difficult for the reader to view it well and clearly.
- If you have some unique features that you offer to your customers, you can put them in the header, such as the phrase (We provide free shipping) or (Delivery within 24 hours), but do not exaggerate with the many texts inside the header.
- It is not useful to crowd elements within the header section and focus on the important things within the content of the marketing message.
- If you are not sure of the effectiveness of the elements you are adding inside the header, just place the logo inside it, and focus on your marketing message in the content of the message.
- Always pay attention to experimentation, try more than one design, test the result for each of them, and focus on the design that most interacts with customers.
- Avoid annoying words within the header or even the title of the marketing message, such as the words (last chance – very big discount – donate now – finally – immediate solution…).
Tips and recommendations on designing the email body content
The content of the marketing message is the part in which most of the time is spent writing and presenting the content of the message to the reader in a way that can provide him with great benefit and encourage him to make a decision that is in the interest of your business or activity.
In the following paragraphs, we provide you with some important recommendations for writing the content of the marketing message in a manner that provides you with the greatest benefit and achieves wide dissemination.
Start your marketing message with an attention-grabbing sentence
It is not useful to start the message with routine words such as (Hello, we are a company… We provide you with a service…) because those introductory or routine sentences are not useful at all, especially if the person is hearing about you for the first time, because he is more interested in the service you provide than he is in knowing information about you.
Notice the marketing message of the Mustaqil website (the famous freelancing platform), which sends marketing messages to freelancers informing them of the latest projects that have been added and which are likely to interest them:
Use the question method at the beginning of the marketing message
One of the important and effective methods in marketing messages is the use of questions, as it arouses curiosity in the reader and makes him look forward to getting the answer he is waiting or expecting.
The following image is an example of one of the marketing messages of an Arab marketer, which began with a question that attracts the attention of his target audience and makes him look forward to reading the rest of the content of the message to get the answer to the question in a clear way:
Conclude the letter in a way that makes the reader excited to learn more
The conclusion of the marketing message may be as important as the content itself within the message, as the last sentence a person reads is the one he remembers best and makes his decision based on.
The following picture shows the conclusion of one of the marketing messages from Muhammad Al-Kuwaifi, in which he provided dozens of free advice and recommendations. Then in conclusion, he invited the reader to follow him on Instagram, so that this reader would not lose later and perhaps save money by sending him marketing messages in the future if he followed him via Instagram
Pay attention to the visual element within the message content
The visual element is considered one of the most important components of an email message, especially if it adds value to the content of the message and encourages the reader to make a decision in favor of your business.
The following image shows an e-mail message from one of the companies specializing in e-commerce, which informs users of their latest news, and an image has been attached that encourages the reader to stay longer within the content.
Although the visual element is one of the most important elements that can double the success rate of a marketing campaign, it may be unhelpful and produce counterproductive results if it is used in the wrong way or with a large number of images that cause discomfort to the reader and he may leave the message due to the large number of images surrounding it. Therefore, be careful to be moderate and precise in placing images within the message.
Focus on solving the problem and make your relationship strong with your customers
It is not useful to talk about the advantages of your business and the amount of success it has achieved, while it is useful to address the services that you provide to the customer or the distinctive products that you provide to him exclusively and completely unique from the rest of the competitors, as well as focusing on solving the problem facing the customer and how you can Help you by providing unique services or products.
Also, always make the customer feel that you are responsible for him and that you know well the problems that he suffers from, and at the same time that you have distinctive solutions to those problems, and thus the customer trusts you and continues to communicate with you and perhaps subscribe to your service or buy products from you.
Also, allow your customers to send you reviews or suggestions at any time via an easy and direct submission form, in order to strengthen your relationship with customers in the long term.
While focusing on the features of the service or product within the content is useful, too much unbalanced textual content may cause inconvenience to those browsing e-mail, so always try to describe the features of the service or product in the fewest terms and words possible so as not to consume a lot of the reader’s time.
Make your message as personal and specific as possible
Be as close as possible to your target customer, and try to make the conversation between you and him personal and first-class, and stay away from commercial or advertising talk as much as you can, because people trust more those who care about them and not those who sell products to them.
The following picture is one of the marketing messages from the Booking website. The message was sent to me after I entered the application and browsed the hotels and did not confirm the reservation of any hotel, so he sent an email containing my name after the word (hello) and then sent me a special incentive with a 10% discount if I made the reservation, and the message actually encouraged me to return to the application again to complete the reservation.
Easily motivate the customer to take action
Are you sending the email with the aim of selling a product or booking a service? If it provides an easy way for the customer to take the action he wants with ease, such as adding a clear volume button and clearly writing the action he wants to take on it.
The image shows the last part of the text of a marketing message for the Booking website, which is a button through which one can easily click and complete the required action:
Tips and recommendations for designing the bottom of the email footer
The bottom part of the marketing message, or what is called the footer, is the part with which we conclude our marketing message, and it is often the part that the customer remembers most, as people remember the last things they see most easily.
At the end of your marketing email, you must leave a good impact on your target customers, and it is not preferable to write any marketing texts in it. All marketing texts are within the content of the message at the top, while the letterhead contains some simple things that leave a positive impact after reading the email.
Notice the following invoice from one of the marketing messages for a business. You will notice a text sentence inside the invoice that expresses the business’s message, extending its interest in helping its customers, which leaves a positive impact on them that helps them remember this marketing message over others.
Also help customers communicate with you easily through your accounts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and other platforms on which you provide service to your customers:
It is also useful to allow the customer to easily unsubscribe from the mailing list, because if he decides to unsubscribe and does not find a direct way to unsubscribe, he will most likely place your mailing message in the trash or spam folder, which may affect the reputation of your business, and the rest of your messages may be flagged. Although it is annoying if a number of your message recipients repeat it:
Also, try to make the design of the invoice in general comfortable for the eye and tidy, and reduce the number of elements in it as much as possible so as not to cause distraction to the reader or the recipient of the mail messages. Here is a good example of the invoice:
The most popular programs for designing email marketing messages
There are many programs and methods for designing marketing messages. With just a simple search on Google, you will find dozens of programs and add-ons through which you can design email marketing messages with a modern and attractive concept and without prior experience.
One easy tool you can use is Canva to design your email marketing template, as it provides you with several ready-made templates that you can start with to get the design you want for your marketing messages.
You can also take advantage of the trial period provided by the Befree service to design email marketing templates in a few minutes, where you can explore all the features and designs that the service provides you during the trial period.
You will also find dozens of tools that we cannot mention, but you can access them by searching on Google. Try to choose tools that do not require complex skills to easily design your emails.
Read also: What is email marketing? And how to manage it on your site
Read also: SMTP explanation for delivering your email messages to users through your WordPress site
Read also: MailChimp explanation for launching a successful email marketing campaign
Conclusion
Successful e-mail messages primarily aim to build a bridge of trust with customers or users, so it is always preferable for your focus to be on the customer’s interest and always work to provide innovative and quick solutions to the problems he faces, and do not focus only on the sales process, and know that the sale will come spontaneously. The same if you succeed in gaining customer trust in the business.
