| Email
newsletter marketing – how to design an online newsletter
Newsletter and email campaigns are
a proven way to not only stay in touch with existing
clients, but recruit new ones. A well-designed, eye-catching
email newsletter is going to pay dividends in any marketing
campaign as it will present your message in the best
light and draw traffic to your website.
Good design also helps people scan
the email to find out what is of interest and find what
they are looking for. I usually design the look and
feel of your marketing email to fit into your wider
communications such as your website and offline materials,
eg direct mail, brochures etc.
Here are my top tips for the design
and layout of an email newsletter campaign:
1. Newsletter
title: An email newsletter should have
a descriptive title followed by an easy to use hyperlinked
table of contents.
2. Bulleted
lists: Use bulleted lists instead of
paragraphs of text, make the newsletter scannable. Explain
main points following a short (one or two sentence)
summary by using a short bulleted list.
3. Keep
it simple: Keep writing simple and to
the point. Follow the 80/20 rule – 80% information
and 20% marketing. Don't try to cram as much material
as you can into each email newsletter issue, five main
articles (or topics) per email newsletter is a good
rule of thumb. It allows people to scan quickly to find
what interests them, without getting overwhelmed.
4. Use
links extensively: One way to present
longer articles in an email newsletter is to provide
a 'synopsis' or 'executive brief' on the home page that
clicks through to the full article. They should each
be 35 - 45 words long. This caters to the scanners and
will also provide increased statistical information
from any click-throughs.
5. Images:
Consider the selective use of images. They should be
compressed without sacrificing quality and be hosted
on a server – not sent as attachments. Images
have proven to add visual appeal, a personal touch and
helps break up the text in the layout.
6. Content
ideas: Product and services information.
Contributions by industry experts. Case studies, quotes,
humour and competitions. Industry news, product usage
tips, white papers and helpful links.
7. Promote
your brand: Design the look and feel
of your email newsletter to fit into your wider communications
such as your website and offline materials, eg direct
mail, brochures etc.
8. Newsletter
template: Create an email template that
can be used regularly to cut down on time consuming
email re-designs.
The next step...
I would be happy to discuss your
email newsletter
design requirements with you in more detail. For
more information, a competitive quotation, newsletter
design costs, prices or freelance graphic design rates,
please call me on 01634
880754 mobile 07979
286437 or email info@danieldesigns.co.uk
with your request.
© Daniel Lowton 2000-2008.
All rights reserved. |
