3 Ways to Accessorise Your Emails

Getting through the mountain of messages we receive each day isn’t getting any easier. The number of emails sent last year rose 10%. Copywriters and designers have long known that a small block of text or an icon can attract a busy reader’s eye better than a big chunk of prose.

To make email marketing engaging you need a compelling subject line and a solid call to action. With reports that email open rates on smartphones have risen by 34% so far in 2012, we also all know that to grab readers’ attention, email campaigns have to display properly on all screens. But there are many other tricks smart marketers are using to engage their email audience more effectively.

To make your emails stand out this season, consider dressing them up with the following accessories.

1. “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG)
This is a single sentence used as a headline within the email telling the reader exactly what they can expect to find. If it takes a reader too long to work out what you’re going on about, they’ll abandon your campaign to the inbox compost heap. By creating really compelling WYSIWYGs, you’ll lure prospects into reading the entire email.

2. Social Sharing
Just sticking social sharing buttons in your emails won’t get you results. You need to understand what you want to achieve and play with your content to see what gets the most shares. Take a look at what messages you post on social sites that enjoy the most love. As with all new social media tools, and marketing as a whole, it’s a long-term cycle of watching, learning and adapting until you get the optimum results. For some solid examples, check out MarketingSherpa’s article on the subject.

3. The P.S.
In emails from friends, we all know the P.S. is where you are going to find the most interesting tidbit, and probably the real reason for getting in touch. It’s not an afterthought, but tool for grabbing attention. It’s often the first thing scanners read, and can be used to make an important point appear prominent. Consider replacing calls to action with a P.S. that they just can’t resist clicking.

P.S. If you want to learn more about email marketing and how to get the most out of it, join us on a journey through the Marketing Cosmos.