Email marketing can feel a bit like a heavy rainstorm for your customers with dozens of messages pouring into their inboxes daily. A seamless website to email user experience will help your emails stand out among the hordes of others waiting to be picked and clicked. The industry standard for open rate is 20% so that means that 80% of emails sent are never opened. How do you design an email in such a way that it stands above the fray, encouraging customer engagement as part of your marketing strategy?

Problem of Unopened Email Junkyards

A junkyard of brand new cars would be a strange sight – right? An email that was never opened in an inbox is not altogether different. Why are the unopened emails sitting in inboxes? There was probably a point in time in which one email from the sender was opened. At that point the addressee probably became disengaged. The content and design wasn’t consistent with the brand and the customer lost interest. Now brand new, unopened emails from that sender lie derelict in a junkyard awaiting the certain fate of being deleted to oblivion. This is a cautionary tale that you can avoid by taking a dedicated approach to improving the user experience with good content.

Good Content Increases Engagement

Why should your email be opened ahead of others? The key is to have consistent quality and engaging content inside your email. Email shouldn’t be just a catchy subject line with no follow through. It’s just like a good Honey Crisp apple – it needs to look good on the outside and back up the appearances with real nutritional value. You want your customers to grab another email from you because of the engaging content they experienced in the past. You need your emails to be a go to snack for their email diet—a diet that you enrich with quality, fulfulling content.

Graphics and Design

How many times have you walked into a grocery chain store in another state and still been able to find things? Most likely the reason was that its layout was similar and it had that same at home feeling. A well designed email should be no different. Its font, its tone and its graphic design should all look like it’s parent website. People should recognize that this is your company, this is your brand. If it is too different they may look elsewhere for another email to open and not consider opening your emails ever again.

Links Point Back to Your Page

Let’s boost the open rate even more by demonstrating to your customers that your email, website, and Facebook page are having a cohesive conversation. This is done through links to your website that increase traffic and boost your brand. Links should lead customers to find out more about the snippet you included in your newsletter by taking customers to the rest of a blog or expanded version of an article on your website. For links to a Facebook page, you need a brief snippet with a link that highlights an engaging post or contest. Make sure the pictures you use in your email are the same when linking to a blog or article. This will give your customer that “aha” moment where they see the continuity.

Don’t Underestimate Email

Email isn’t just an add-on or something that has to be done. It is a leverage device that can boost visits to your website and other online channels. Put some time into solid design that will run alongside your complete online strategy. Blueprint realizes the value of engaging emails. Our goal is to make all aspects of your digital presence work together towards the common goal of increasing your online footprint and helping you succeed as a company.

By: Caleb Longenecker