Design for success: email marketing is not a redheaded stepchild

Marketing is as much a science as it is an art, particularly given the volume of media and platforms marketers need to consider when attempting to influence opinion or induce a buying decision. Whereas the art lies largely in the visual, the science forms the backbone of any marketing strategy and is central to correctly targeting an audience. With this in mind, it's surprising that many email-marketing campaigns still ignore these basic principles when adding this powerful, targeted medium to the marketing mix.

The Email Design Bible addresses both the science and art of email marketing, emphasising that it deserves the same commitment to detail as other elements of a campaign. Without understanding what you want to achieve, and how to formulate the message and design to achieve these marketing goals, your return on investment is always going to be below expectations.

There are many reasons to employ email design guidelines, especially considering that a campaign is likely to fail if it's not optimised for the format. This means that all the energy and resources invested in building or buying a credible email database are wasted if the proper guidelines are not employed. It's like booking an advertisement and neglecting to submit any material for the booked space.

One of the most common mistakes marketers make is believing they can simply copy and paste creative, messaging or branding elements from other mediums into an HTML mailer and expect a favourable response. With many campaigns now comprising multi-platform media, it is essential that continuity in the campaign's brand and messaging be maintained, which requires more effort than simply replicating a look and feel.

The science of email marketing encompasses the strategic intent, target audience, language, tone and branding considerations. Every element that makes up the email message - from the subject line, the choice and colour of font, and avoiding words now universally flagged as spam - needs to be chosen with care to ensure success.

The art of email marketing is equally important, but for slightly different reasons. Just as the layout of a print ad is designed to accommodate the medium, so too is the visual aspects of the design essential to take advantage of the user interface. Email has many unique characteristics in this regard, with seemingly obvious practices often ignored, such as a design where your key message or call to action is visible in the email client preview pane.

The purpose of clear, simple and attractive design is to get the recipient to open the message and take whatever action the campaign is designed to evoke and achieve. It therefore works hand-in-hand with the science of the medium by provoking an action from the recipient who has received a successfully targeted email.

The Email Design Bible is currently available as a free-to-download PDF on the Demographica-owned website www.emaildesignbible.com or from Bizcommunity's Reference section.

About Demographica

Demographica is South Africa's largest digital email and mobile advertising company. The company uses email and mobile marketing as part of branding, marketing, advertising, customer acquisition and sales strategies for their customers. More information is available at www.demographica.co.za.