When it comes to email marketing success, there are a number of factors to consider. The quality of your written content is obviously high on the list, yet it’s equally important to make sure your layout has a clear, pleasing aesthetic. The best way to ensure that aesthetic remains consistent from one email to the next is to use a template.

Finding readymade email marketing templates is easy enough. In fact, all of the major email marketing platforms come with their own templates built in. But while using these cookie-cutter templates can be tempting in the short run, generating something more custom and bespoke can be better over the long haul.

No matter where you are with your email marketing templates, here are a few steps that can help you take things to the next level.

Steer Clear From Standardized Templates

First things first: Whenever possible, we really do recommend generating your own, brand-specific email marketing templates.

Consider this illustration. You run a financial services company. You sign up for an email marketing platform and start browsing their library of templates. You come across one that’s absolutely perfect for your industry, conveying the standards of trustworthiness and professionalism that are so important to you.

There’s just one problem: If it’s that obvious to you, then it’s equally obvious to every other financial services company in the world. So, what seems at first like the perfect template may ultimately cause your business to look generic, or simply indistinct from your competition.

By choosing a bespoke template, you have a lot more freedom to use colors, CTA buttons, and other design elements in a way that helps your business to stand out. Not only can this increase email engagement, but it also subtly underscores the sense that your business is a bit more serious than your cookie-cutter competitors.

Incorporate Animation (When Appropriate)

When developing your email marketing aesthetic, you naturally want things to pop. As you consider different ways to make your emails more attention-grabbing, don’t overlook the value of a good animation, specifically in GIF form.

While you won’t necessarily wish to include GIFs in every email, they can provide a great burst of color and movement to accompany certain topics. And assuming they are relatively simple and straightforward, they will support, rather than distract from, your main point.

Custom GIFs can be particularly useful if you want to highlight how a particular product or service works; embed quick animated “explainers” in your emails to illustrate what you’re selling.

Emphasize Legibility

You want your marketing emails to be attention-grabbing, but just as importantly, you want them to be legible. Choosing the right font is absolutely essential here.

So how do you know which fonts to consider, and which to avoid? It’s not as simple as offering a short list of approved font selections. Just as every brand has its own voice, every brand needs to find its ideal font, promoting readability while also capturing something of the brand’s aesthetic personality.

One thing to try: Use one font for titles and subheadings, then use a different one for your body content. Mixing more stylized headings with plain-and-simple text can be a striking way to deliver your message.

Be Careful With Your Colors

If fonts are hugely important, colors are equally consequential. The colors you choose for your email marketing template can potentially trigger powerful emotional responses that really shape consumer perceptions of your brand.

Some general tips for using color well:

• Simplicity is key. The last thing you want is to give readers a headache by presenting them with a garish rainbow of hues.
• Consider A/B testing emails that use different colors for different elements of the email, such as CTA buttons, to see which shades get the best response.
• While splashes of color can be helpful, there’s also nothing wrong with having sections of your email that are plain black-and-white. Remember, legibility is key!

Seek Balance

A final tip for developing email marketing templates: Always strive for a sense of balance.

Simply put, an email that’s cluttered and congested is going to turn readers away. It can also cause important pieces of information to get lost.

By contrast, the most effective email marketing templates use plenty of blank space, bullet points, and subheadings, making it easy for readers to skim, read, and absorb information.

Questions About Email Marketing Excellence?

An effective email marketing campaign requires several moving pieces, all working together in tandem: Content, targeting, list segmentation, even optimized send times. Of course, the template itself is a crucial piece of that puzzle.

To help you bring all of these pieces together, make sure you’re working with a trusted email marketing team. To talk with our strategists here at enCOMPASS Agency, reach out at your convenience.