 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Harry,
 This month's issue focuses on two different, yet related, areas: branding and design. In the Hints & Tips Readers' Survey we conducted last fall, respondents ranked these topics highest. So this month, they get the spotlight.
Establishing a strong brand identity isn't just for big companies; it's equally as important for small businesses and nonprofits. In her article Branding is Smart Business, Gina Watkins covers the basics of branding and finishes with tips to help you effectively communicate your brand through your marketing emails.
In our second article, I interview two of our design experts (with 40 years of experience between them!) on what design tips to keep in mind when creating your email campaigns. Get expert advice on how to use colors, fonts, and images, as well as ways to support your brand through design.
Want to see some great email examples of branding and design? We've got them for you in the success stories section below. Plus, get "how to" tips that will help you put all this advice into practice right away.
Oh, and when you are done reading, please let me know if you found this issue helpful.
Best wishes,
 Amy Black Editor, Hints & Tips e-Newsletters
|
|
In This Issue of Hints & Tips
|
 Branding Is Smart BusinessWhy and how to build a strong brand for your biz
By Gina Watkins, Regional Development Director, D.C. Metro Area
Picture this: A prospective customer sees your logo, your email newsletter, or your ad, and in a split second thinks, "Oh! There's that great company again. They have just what I need. I'm going to buy from them today."
Sounds good, right? It's what every company wants: brand recognition. And with a little effort, you can build it for yourself!
Branding your company, and then reinforcing that brand in all of your communications, will help customers recognize and choose you over all the competition.
Read more about branding and email marketing |
|
Elements of Email Design
An interview with the design experts at Constant Contact®
By Amy Black, Editor, Hints & Tips e-Newsletters
Don Lutkus and Sally Moren work together on Constant Contact's marketing and advertising creative. Combined, they have more than 40 years of experience in design and creative strategy. Who better to ask about email design? In a recent interview, I asked them to answer some questions about the key elements of design.
A: How would you describe a well-designed email campaign?
D: It's easy to read, it's simply designed, it's scanable, and it's professional looking.
S: It should be inviting and professional, represent your company, and show your customers that you value them.
A: You hear a lot about white space. What is it and why is it important?
D: It's a resting place for your eye. It's a part of the design and it helps the reader. If your email is completely filled, it's just visual noise; the person experiencing the communication doesn't know where to look. You use white space to create pauses between different elements on the page
Get more tips from the design experts
| |
|
|
Learn how to create marketing emails that stand out in the inbox and get readers to take action. Get tips on layout, copy, and design.
|
On ConnectUp!
Follow discussions that relate to the theme of design.
|
New to Hints & Tips?
|
|
|
 |
|
Way to Represent Your Brand!
Three examples of good email marketing branding and design
The following Constant Contact customers are doing a great job with the branding and design of their email campaigns. For each of these email examples, the creators customized a basic template in their Constant Contact account (template names given below) and got great results. Make sure to click on the images to see the full size email and visit the websites to get the full effect!
KangaZoom
www.kangazoom.com
You can tell right away by looking at the photo in this email campaign that KangaZoom of Atlanta is a place where kids can be kids. This email represents the brand well and does a great job of selling the special offer. All the colors used are from the company logo, the headlines draw your eyes, and there's enough white space for the email to breathe. Plus, look how well it goes with their website.
Template: PromoBirthday
Grant Marketing
www.grantmarketing.com
It would make sense that a company that sells themselves as "B2B brand specialists" would have a good handle on how to build their own brand. If you take a look at Grant Marketing's website, you will see that its colors are represented in the newsletter and the same header is used in the email and on the website. Plus, they use white space in a way that makes their newsletter easy and pleasant to read.
Template: NewsletterCrisp
Squashed Tomato
www.squashedtomato.co.uk
The Squashed Tomato, a greeting card company in the UK, does a nice job with their promotional emails. This campaign is a great example of using the colors of the brand. The reds and pinks are the same as those used on their website. The message is simple and, while a number of different cards are featured, the images are easy to see and read. You also get a feel for the brand from the tone of the copy (which is the same on the website) and the personal touch of the signature is a nice way to close the email.
Template: PromotionsContemporary |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back to newsletter list
