Email Marketing Clinic: The importance of subject lines and good design

Email is among the most flexible and cost effective tools at a marketers disposal. However, before diving in and sending emails to your customers and prospects, there are several things that should be taken into account. In this month's email clinic, email marketing experts Pure share their thoughts on a couple of areas that are often overlooked - the importance of appropriate and eye catching subject lines, and good design that is indicative of your brand.

Why is email design important?

• Usefulness - the email's content and purpose should be immediately clear and relevant
  
• Usability - users need to see they can quickly find what they want
  
• Desirability - do users actual want to read on - does it feel like a positive experience?

A well-designed, eye-catching email 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.

What should it look like?
Your design should be dictated by your brand - the look and feel of your email should fit into your wider communications such as your website and offline materials, eg direct mail, brochures etc.

As with all areas of communication, understanding your audience is critical when designing emails. You should consider the kind of design that appeals to your target users in the wider world and ensure your ideas fit within this.




What else can help?
Design is not just about look and feel, it is also about usability. You should use design to guide your readers through the email - leading them to a call to action. The email should be easy to scan so users can assess what they want to read.

Elements such as a contents panel or 'in this issue' panel will help users navigate. Well chosen pictures will underline the points made in the message.

Remember, your email is going to be seen out of context so you need it to reflect the style of your web site. Amazon.co.uk do a smaller version of their site where clicking on, for example, a book cover brings up the relevant page on the site.




Design checklist
Use your design to structure the page and make the information easy to scan:


• Design style should suit the audience
  
• Graphics should not iecrease download time so much that users don't bother
  
• Use design to lead readers through your email
  
• Help readers with a contents panel
  
• Integrate interactive content that downloads as you read
  
• Follow your brand's existing look and feel



Are there disadvantages to using graphics?
If an email takes too long to download, it's going to lose the recipient's interest, no matter how brilliant the end result. Try to keep any pictures small so as not to slow the download time. You should direct users to your web site for more content.




Give me an example
Lastminute.com's newsletter appeals to impulsive types and structures its promotional material around that image. Its colours are bright, its photography humorous and sexy and its language hip.

The layout may be too chaotic for some brands but their market is aimed squarely at young working singles and young couples with a good-sized disposable income who can travel at short notice.

Subject lines - why so important?

Unlike a newspaper headline or brochure title, the subject line is presented out of context with your email and website. Users cannot scan the surrounding information to help them get an understanding of what's coming.

Your subject line is also competing with other subject lines in an inbox. If it is dull or meaningless, it's not going to be opened. Unlike other marketing material, anything vague, cute or too clever by half is also liable to be dismissed.

What kind of subject lines work?
Internet usability guru Jakob Nielsen says web-users go to great lengths not to read long tracts of text. He suggests: 'Avoid teasers that try to entice people to click to find out what the story is about. Users have been burned too often to wait for a page to download unless they have clear expectations of what they will get.

'In print, curiosity can get people to turn the page or start reading. Online, it's simply too painful for people to do so.'

With only 40-60 characters - that's 6-10 words - to put across your message, any subject line needs to get straight to the point.




What should the subject line say?
A good subject line explains what the email is about in terms that appeal to and motivate the reader. It is a micro version of the email content.




Is there anything I should avoid?
Avoid words commonly associated with spam emails such as SEX, FREE, ££.




Are there any legal issues?
The EU states the sender must identify themselves clearly when sending marketing emails, so make sure you clearly identify yourself in the 'From' field.

Being upfront about who you are keeps you on the right side of the law. If you are cryptic your email is more likely to be treated with suspicion and dismissed as spam.



Give me some examples

• Online travel brokers Expedia.com get straight down to it with: Ski holidays from under £170
• Apple Computers offers: Priority information exclusively for you from the Apple Store
• Egg shouts: Loud & Proud. Your brand new statement from Egg
• New Media Knowledge asks: NMK News: Dude, Where's My Brand?

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