I get a lot of marketing emails.
I also write a lot of marketing emails; it’s my job. That said, I’ve seen my fair share of emails — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The ugly must stop!
Most marketers understand the importance of an email list. The quality and size of your email list is inextricably linked to the health of your online business. We all know the mantra:
“The money is in the list.”
If the money is in the list and the whole idea of growing a healthy email list is to build rapport with your customers, why shoot yourself in the foot with a design that looks like a rainbow went into a berserker rage?
Behold, rainbow rage email:
The above screenshot is from an old email my company sent out before I took the post as CMO. I was aghast. No wonder these emails rarely resulted in business! I love (and use) MailChimp, but it’s greatest strength is also it’s biggest weakness — it has too many design options for the average user. This often results emails not unlike that Frankenstein-ish creature up there.
Poorly designed email doesn’t get read — can you even read black copy imposed on dark green and red?
In my humble opinion, the solution is simple: strip away as many of the design elements you can. Less is more.
(Think about it: when was the last time you received a text-based email from someone’s Gmail account and got something looking like that thing above? It doesn’t happen, simply because the design elements have been intentionally minimized.)
Follow this screencast once, save the layout as a template, and make email work for you.
So here’s a free screencast that shows you how to format emails in Mailchimp. Do this once, save it as a template, and concentrate on writing great copy. Your email marketing will be that much more effective.
Remember that in marketing, excellence builds trust. Let’s say no to rainbow rage emails, and say yes to higher open rates, click-thrus, and engagement.
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