Selling savvy: 8 great ways to improve your sales email layouts
Despite some opinions to the contrary, your sales email layouts are just as important as your subject lines or copy. A visually appealing, organized, and clean email layout can draw customers into reading more, visiting your site, and spending their hard-earned dollars in your online (or brick and mortar) store.

So, how do you make your sales and product emails jump out from a sea of other ones -- all competing for your customer’s attention? Just keep reading:
 

When you design your layout, assume that a) no one will scroll down and read to the bottom, and b) that you only have a few seconds to get your message across. Keep your marquee items - new product pics and sale announcements -- "above the fold" (or scroll line) in your email. If you can’t put everything above the fold, use that space to entice readers into scrolling downward.

Vibrant and heavily contrasted colors in email layouts work, period. Use contrasting color in your header, sidebars and links to make your layout "pop" when your customers open it.

Long paragraphs tend to turn the reader off. If you must have paragraphs, do what you can to break them up. This gives the reader the illusion that they're doing less work. Think two sentences to a paragraph, maybe three if the sentences are very brief.

Bullet points are extremely effective at grabbing the eye of the reader. Of the two next examples, what would be more likely to grab your attention and keep it?

Our travel agency specializes in trips the Greek Islands. These island tours include trips to Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodos, Imia and Delos.

or
The Greek Islands are our specialty. Tours include:
Santorini
Mykonos
Rhodos
Imia
Delos

Go beyond the usual strategy of linking back to your home page. Create sub-categories and tabs that take recipients right back to specific pages on your site. For instance, if you sell camping products, make sure you include a tab or link with the word "tents" that takes customers to that very section of your site. The key is to make the experience as targeted as possible.

The average email inbox displays a width of 65 characters. Anything wider can distort your email or force the reader to stretch out their window to see everything. Don't let this happen. Keep your emails no wider than 65 characters.

Inventory info, shipping terms and other fine (boring) print should sit beneath your colorful capsule layout. For instance, if you're selling shirts at 50% off, your dynamic photos, "look at me" sales copy and large-scale text announcing a hefty discount should all fit neatly in that capsule. Underneath this contained, eye-popping space, put your unsubscribe link and other miscellaneous items. Click here to view an example.

There’s no reason whatsoever to put an expanded (or even condensed) version of your terms of use or detailed shipping info in your email. Instead, create pages on your site that feature this info and use links to send customers there if they want to see more. These links should open an entirely new window. Thanks to the widespread use of blockers, avoid pop ups whenever possible.

Warm Regards.

Jennifer
Benchmarkemail.com

Click here to view back issues of Benchmarkemail

I hope you have found the above information helpful. You can email me at jennifer@bmesrv.com or visit me on the online chat between 9:30-4:30 EST.


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