How many emails do you send out a day?
As a preferred method of communication in both the personal and business world, there are a staggering 122,500,453,020 emails sent every hour. Crazy, right?
While some emails are text-based notes sent to a boss or a friend, a growing number of businesses use email marketing to attract and retain customers. For those emails, an electronic letter just won’t do.
Emails that promote a business need a little panache. They should dazzle the subscriber visually, while offering a tailored message that’s engaging. How can you accomplish that? The answer: Email templates.
Email Templates 101
Email templates are pre-made emails that have a sleek design already in place. All a business owner has to do is add his or her branding and message.
What’s the advantage of using templates? For starters, you don’t need any design or coding skills, which most businesses assume are needed to send commercial emails.
Specific templates are designed for specific goals. For instance, if you want to send a newsletter, there are special templates designed for that purpose; it goes for events, announcements, and promotional offers too.
Templates are created to look great on any device, which is important in this mobile-obsessed world. Research shows 66% of emails are opened on a smartphone or tablet, so templates that are mobile-friendly are crucial to success.
Finally, drag-and-drop email tools make personalizing an email template a snap. With a few clicks, a business can create an email that they’re proud of and that subscribers will benefit from.
Now that you’re feeling the template love, let’s look at six email templates that will rock your email marketing world.
1. Deal Email Template
Email marketing provides a great way to send promotions, deals, or coupons to customers. By providing an incentive to customers, you can give your sales a bump.
You can customize deals for certain segments of your audience. Give your most loyal customers a VIP coupon, or enable new customers to claim a free gift with their first purchase.
With an email template, you can use it again and again; just tweak the deal as needed.
Here’s a great example of a deal template:
Why is this email template so effective?
• Reservation feature
Not only does this email include a deal, but it also allows subscribers to make a reservation on the spot.
• Map included
For customers who aren’t sure where this restaurant is, there’s a handy map along with a phone number to assist them.
2. Event Email Template
Have an event coming up? Whether you’re promoting an upcoming customer appreciation sale, a webinar, or a conference, using an email template to send event invitations is a simple way to boost your guest list with a minimal time investment.
Here’s a great event email template:
Why is this email template effective?
• Well-organized
At a glance, the subscriber can tell what the event is about, see a schedule, and RSVP. The organization of this email is one of its most effective features.
• Ease of reservation
Subscribers can register for the event with a click of a button. It’s a win-win. Participants have a hassle-free way to sign up, and the business has a simple way to rack up RSVPs.
• Great color scheme
With a black background and white text, this email will pop when a subscriber opens it. Color schemes like this are easy to create in templates.
3. Newsletter Email Template
One of the most common emails for businesses to send is a newsletter. By sending a weekly or monthly newsletter, businesses are able to keep subscribers engaged and informed.
The content that you can include in a newsletter is unlimited. You can talk about upcoming business projects, highlight employees, generate interest in events, share product news, tell subscribers about recent awards, encourage customers to provide feedback, or offer a special promotion to loyal readers. Just about anything can go in a newsletter.
And, here’s the best part, subscribers love them. When consumers were asked how they’d like to receive updates from a company, 90% of them chose newsletters.
Here’s a great newsletter template:
Why is this email template effective?
• Easy on the eye
The layout of this newsletter is easy on the eye. It’s clear that the newsletter has several different topics that subscribers can read, but they’re not overwhelmed by a wall of text.
• Drives traffic to the website
If a subscriber is interested in reading a particular article, they can simply click on the call to action buttons. This directs subscribers to your website, which is a great way to drive traffic.
• Great imagery
The images steal the show here. While newsletters are often more text-heavy than other emails, this example shows that great images should always support text.
4. Birthday Email Template
A birthday email is a great way to personalize your email marketing. What’s so great about personalization? It’s a great sales motivator. Personalized emails deliver transaction rates that are six times higher than non-personalized emails.
A birthday email not only shows customers that you’re taking an active interest in their life, but when it’s combined with a special promotion, it can result in increased business too.
Here’s a great example of a birthday template:
Why is this email template so effective?
• Great promotion
Everyone loves a good deal, so combining a birthday wish with a promotion is an effective way to engage subscribers.
• Excellent color selection
The gold in the champagne bottle complements the gold text and the call to action button. Again, the template helps businesses make a visually appealing email.
5. Feedback Email Template
Collecting feedback from customers is an invaluable tool for business. By listening to customers, businesses can improve their products and customer service.
Seven in ten customers say they’re willing to spend more money with a company they believe provides excellent customer service, so any pointers you can get can go a long way.
However, a lot of businesses find it tough to collect feedback. Your customers are busy, so they require a convenient way to review your product, leave a comment, or take a survey.
Using an email template, a business can invite customers to take an online survey at their convenience.
Here’s a great feedback template:
Why is this email template effective?
• Simplicity
The email has a clear point. It’s asking customers how the business can improve during its remodel.
• Clear call to action
The red, “Take our survey” button offers a clear call to action. Even if customers didn’t read a word of the email, the call to action tells readers exactly what they should do. Buttons like this are readily available with templates.
• Relevant image
We’ve talked about the power of images, but this email doesn’t just offer an attractive picture, it offers a relevant image that’s directly related to the business.
6. Contest Email Template
Contests are a great way for businesses to create a buzz about a new product, engage subscribers, or increase brand awareness.
While social media has become the “contest darling” of the digital age, you can create contests through email too. Or, you can use email to support a social media contest by inviting subscribers to participate in a Facebook contest, for example, via email.
Here’s a great example of a contest template:
Why is the email template so effective?
• Feature headline
This template has a great space for a feature headline right at the top. It lets the business promote the contest immediately.
• Social media buttons
Most templates have social buttons, but they’re especially effective on contest emails that could be promoting a giveaway on a social site.
Wrap Up
You can use any of the templates that we mentioned in this post by clicking on the links that describe each one, or check out the full email template gallery over on Campaign Monitor to get started.
You’ll find that using email templates is an easy marketing method that allows businesses to communicate with customers without spending a lot of time or money.
