If you're like most marketers, you probably spend the majority of your time trying to find creative ways to get your message across to your audience. And when it comes to email marketing, there's no doubt that responsive design is essential to getting your messages seen by as many people as possible.
So you spend a lot of time and effort creating your email campaign, making sure it looks great on any device your client uses. But responsive design can be tricky... What are the best practices for creating a responsive email? Read on to find out!
What is responsive email?
A responsive email design is the practice of HTML integration of an email that displays and adapts perfectly and automatically (computer, tablet, smartphone ...). In other words, responsive email design allows emails to be "beautiful" on all devices!
This is especially important nowadays, as people are increasingly using their smartphones to check their email. The responsive email design ensures that your message will be displayed correctly which allows for a better overall user experience.
According to Alioze's internet & mobile 2022 trends and figures, there are more mobile internet users than desktop internet users. Last year, global Internet traffic via desktop accounted for less than 43%, compared to 55.35% for mobile devices (+11% compared to 2020). By 2022, mobile is expected to reach 59% of global Internet traffic.
Use HTML format
If you're like me, you'll prefer to turn to the HTML format with its images, graphics, color elements and countless other customization options. Moreover, with most emailing tools, a "plain text" version of your campaign is automatically generated each time you create a campaign in HTML format.
However, this format has a few drawbacks that you should be aware of before committing to using it. First of all, it can be difficult to format the HTML code correctly, which can make your emails look messy or even block them with some email providers. Also, HTML emails tend to be much larger than plain text emails, which can increase your chances of being considered spam. So while HTML has some advantages for your campaigns, it's important to carefully weigh the pros and cons before deciding if it's the right format for you.
Use the right software
So you wrote the most amazing email of all time. You reread it a million times, hit the send button, and then... BANG. Why? Because some software likes to add invisible special characters that break the display of your email to the recipient. The solution is simple: just use the editing function of your email tool instead of a word processor. This way you can be sure that your email will be displayed exactly as intended, no matter who you send it to. So the next time you want to address someone, make sure you're using the right software. Otherwise, you risk sending them a messy text.
Focus on displaying the email in the inbox
In the age of online everything, email has become one of the most trusted forms of communication. Whether you're sending a casual message to a friend or a mass email campaign, the content of your email is important. And, as it turns out, so does the sender's name.
A recent study found that emails with a sender's name familiar to the recipient were more likely to be opened than those from an unknown sender. Research has shown that we are more likely to trust someone we know, even if we only know them by name. So, if you're looking to increase your open rates, consider using a name your recipients will recognize. After all, inboxes are personal spaces - and we're more likely to let someone in if we feel like we know them.
The subject line is also essential to get people to open your email. But it's not just about making a cute pun or trying to be funny (although that can help, a fun subject line is always nicer). You also want to avoid using spam words that might trigger email filters and send your message straight to the junk folder. So how do you find the perfect balance? Keep it short and informative, and make sure your subject line reflects the content of your message. That way, you're more likely to get people's attention - and avoid the dreaded spam folder.
Promote a clean and readable email design
4 essential steps to have an email that works :
Prioritize the content
Let's be honest, you yourself are tired of scrolling endlessly through emails where the only information you are looking for is at the bottom... For your customers or prospects, it's the same! Grab your readers' attention by putting your most important content at the top of your email. For example, you can include a summary of your email in the header. Less important information can appear further down. Your subscribers want to be able to easily scan and select the information that is relevant to them. So make it easy for them by giving them what they want: content at the top, and less important information below.
Respect the graphic charter
If you respect the graphic charter of your company, you will not fail to insert your logo in the upper left corner in the template of your emailing. This is where the eye of your interlocutors will go first, and it will help them to recognize you immediately. In addition, they will be reassured that you are a professional company that knows what it is doing. So make sure you follow the rules, it will make all the difference in the world.
Optimize images in your newsletter design
Email campaigns are often overloaded with images in an effort to make them more eye-catching. However, this can actually backfire, as spam filters are likely to flag emails with lots of images. Also, your contacts may quickly lose interest if they have to wait for the email to load. Instead of overloading your emails with images, try to use a high quality image that will capture your reader's attention without slowing down the loading time.
Favour Safe Web Fonts
When it comes to designing your email template and optimizing it for your contacts, font choice is crucial. You want your contacts to be able to read your message, after all. But with all the font options available, how can you be sure that your email will display properly? The answer is simple: web safe fonts. These fonts are designed to display consistently on different browsers and email platforms. So whether your recipient uses Gmail or Yahoo, they will be able to see your message. Next time you design an email, make sure you choose a web-safe font - your recipients will thank you!
Add a CTA (Call to Action)
You know what they say: an email without a call to action is like a car without wheels. You can make it go, but it won't get very far. And let's be honest, even the most directionless email marketing is still better than no email at all. So if you don't know which CTA to include in your next email campaign, take your pick from the list below:
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Test, test and test
Before you press send on that all-important email marketing campaign, take a few minutes to test how it will display on different devices. In the preview mode of your email tool, you can see how your message will appear on desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone screens. And if you're really not sure, you can always ask a colleague to check for you. Just send them a proof and they can let you know if everything looks good on their end. No more worrying about whether your email will display correctly - with this method, you can be sure it will look great no matter what.
Bonus: You're doing your day job, sending out newsletters to potential new customers. But wait, why aren't any of them responding? You can check your email at mail-tester.com. This free tool makes it easy to improve the deliverability rate of your emails. Just enter your email on the mail tester website and it will automatically generate an email address. Then, simply send your email to this address and mail tester will analyze it for you. It's that easy!
Conclusion
So how do you make sure your email campaign design is perfect on all devices? Responsive design can be tricky, but with the right tools and careful planning, you can create emails that will perform well no matter what device they are viewed on. Don't hesitate to contact us for more help - we're always happy to share our expertise and best practices on email design! Here's the link if you want to request a demo.
To learn more about how to improve your deliverability rate, click here.
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