Writing a world-class web design proposal can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. After all, you got into freelance web design to spend time designing great websites, not to spend all your time on sales.

Proposals give you the opportunity to convince clients you understand their business and their needs and to make your case for why you’re the right person for the job.

Creating a professional proposal doesn’t have to be difficult. Here’s how you can put together an irresistible web design proposal that wins clients, and present your proposal to maximize your chances of success.

Related: 14 project estimate mistakes that freelancers make (and how to fix them)

The 3 essential components of effective web design proposals

When clients ask for a proposal, a lot of web designers put together a short list of features, along with a guess at how much time it will take and how much it will cost. This approach might work for quick-and-dirty projects, but landing high-value web design clients takes a bit more work.

Your proposal needs to persuade clients on the business benefits of working with you.

While each website design will be different, every proposal you create should follow the same simple structure. The most effective web design proposals are broken into three parts (click each link to jump straight to that section):

1. The problem statement. Why are you here, and where do you want to be?
2. The proposed solution. How will we solve the problem?
3. The project details. How long will this take, and how much will it cost?

Let’s take a look at each section in more detail, starting with the problem statement.

1. Problem statement: Why are you here, and where do you want to be?

Every web design proposal needs an introduction—but many freelancers make the mistake of focusing their introduction on the details of the project itself.

Instead of preaching the benefits of the work you’re proposing, start by emphasizing the pain you intend to resolve for your prospect.

Why focus on the pain your prospect is experiencing instead of the project?

Your prospect doesn’t really want to spend money on web design — but they are willing to spend money to avoid pain. Loss aversion is a classic copywriting technique, and it can do wonders for your close rates.

Your introduction should focus on the pain points your potential client is experiencing:

• What are they struggling with?
• Why did they come to you for help?
• What would it feel like to have that pain go away?
• What could tomorrow look like for their business?

By this point in the sales process, you’ve most likely discussed much of this on a call or meeting with your prospect, so this may feel a little repetitive — but a little repetition goes a long way toward building trust and convincing your prospective client you understand their problems.

Let’s assume you’re proposing a new website for the fictitious hardware company Tim’s Toolshed. Here’s a short example of an introduction section:

Tim’s Toolshed is primed for growth — you’re attracting some local traffic from Google, and you’re keeping your audience engaged with a monthly newsletter. But while growth is good, sales could be much better. You’re currently making most of your sales through retail, but you’d like to attract more home improvement businesses and contractors for partnerships since margins are higher.

While you’re getting the occasional partnership inquiry, your current website is holding you back. The current design isn’t mobile-friendly, and the content has been neglected. A lift in sign-ups of just 10% could bring Tim’s Toolshed an additional $10,000 per month in revenue, attracting new partners and positioning your company as a thought leader in the tool industry.

Note how this example focuses on the pain (low sales and slim margins) and only briefly mentions the solution (a refreshed website).

By focusing more on the pain you’ll resolve than the work you’ll deliver, you’ll instantly set yourself apart from the pack and prove to clients that you have their best interests in mind from the beginning.

Related: How to package intangible services and why you should

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2. Proposed solution: How will we solve the problem?

Next, your proposal should cover how you’re actually planning to solve the problem you outlined in the first section. This is where you get to flex your creative muscles and dive into the details of how you’re going to help your prospect achieve their goals.

How will you get your client from where they are now to where they want to be?

Your job in this section is to provide a clear and obvious solution — without confusing your prospect. For example, you might be tempted to include a section like this in your proposal for Tim’s Toolshed:

The new website will include:

• A full-featured blog with categories, tags, authors, and taxonomies
• Responsive, jQuery lightboxes for videos and images, and
• Email pop-up forms so visitors can download project how-to guides

Focus on your prospect’s pain – not the features and tools you’ll use – to prove you care about their customers.

Explaining the features and tools you’ll use for the project might sound professional to your ears —  if you and I were chatting about this project at WordCamp, this would make perfect sense and would be a meaningful conversation.

Unfortunately, technical jargon and a lack of clear benefits will only confuse your prospect and make them wonder how the design work you’re proposing will actually help their business.

Instead, try to reframe your solution in terms of the needs of your clients’ customers. Here’s the same example, listed in a way that will make sense to your prospect:

The new website will be designed to let DIY customers and partners:

• Research project-specific information and learn new skills,
• Watch video tutorials to help choose the right tool, and
• Join the email list and download project how-to guides

See the difference? The latter proves to your prospect that you care about their customers — the people who will judge the ultimate success (or failure) of the project.

It’s also important to be specific about the benefits and results your solution will provide. What are the specific business outcomes you’re working to achieve? Most clients tend to value three things:

• More sales/clients/traffic
• Reduced costs
• Insurance against potential revenue loss

Most web designers will concentrate on the first benefit: using your design skills to bring in more sales, leads or sign-ups for their clients.

Get specific here: how will your clients’ business look when you’re done? Say you can bring in 50% more partner registrations for Tim’s Toolshed: how will this affect their revenue?

By clearly outlining the potential outcomes of the project, you’ll be able to anchor the costs of the project against the dollar value of the benefits your prospect will receive from the project, improving the chances of your client accepting your proposal.

Of course, this also requires framing the details of the project correctly — let’s take a look at the project details.

Related: How to create a web design contract that converts new clients into long-term customers

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3. Project details: How long will this take, and how much will it cost?

At this point, your prospect should be very excited about the prospect of working with you. Now it’s time to set expectations about how much the project will cost your client and how long you expect the work will take.

Take one look at the variety of tools on offer in Tim’s Toolshed and you’ll immediately see how much people prefer being given options.

Your web design proposal should do the same; always give your prospect at least two potential packages to choose from, at different price points.

By offering multiple packages, you’re competing against yourself instead of competing against other web designers.

Every proposal will be different, but most web design projects can benefit from one of two packaging options:

• Offer a quicker package with a limited set of benefits alongside a pricier “premium” package with all the bells and whistles.
• Offer a fixed-price package with optional extras for clients who want to invest more.

Both of these packaging strategies let potential clients choose an option that meets their budget and still gives them the business results they’re hoping for. You’ll also end up maximizing your profit with clients who are willing to pay for the more premium option.

Here’s an example of two packages you might offer Tim’s Toolshed:

Option 1: Website Refresh

We’ll go through your current website, patching the holes that are holding back conversions and optimizing the site for partner sign-ups. If we were to boost partner sign-ups by 10%, that would mean a monthly lift of $5,000-10,000 in revenue. This package will take roughly three weeks to complete and will cost $8,000.

Option 2: Website Redesign

We’ll redesign your website with a custom WordPress theme, rewrite all the copy on your site, and implement a new partner portal to make it easier for partners to register with your business. This should boost partner sign-ups by an estimated 30-50%, bringing an estimated revenue lift of $20,000-50,000 per month. This package will take roughly eight weeks to complete and will cost $18,000.

Notice how each package mentions the potential benefits before the cost? By anchoring the project fee against the potential business benefits that you explained earlier in the proposal, you’ll position your work as an investment and dramatically improve your chances of closing the sale.

By this point, your client should be convinced and ready to sign on the dotted line — and you want to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. Let’s take a look at how you can present your proposal in a way that your prospect can’t help but accept.

Related: How to productize services as a web designer or developer

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Building a repeatable and efficient web design proposal process

Many clients haven’t worked with freelancers before, so they might not be aware of the process around presenting and accepting a proposal.

You’ll need to walk them through every step, clearly outlining what needs to happen once you’ve delivered the proposal and how your prospect can accept your offer or negotiate terms.

A few suggestions on how to make this process easier on your prospect:

Create a sense of urgency

You want to present your proposal to prospects within 24 hours of completing your initial discovery call.

You don’t need to recreate the entire proposal every time; instead, save some time by developing a proposal template you can quickly duplicate for each prospect. Your template should include subheadings for the three main sections listed above, along with any standard packages or options you offer most prospects.

Deliver your proposal via email to let clients review it on their own time, but build a sense of urgency as well — hint that because you’re working with other clients, your time may get spoken for if they don’t accept your proposal right away.

Deliver your proposal via email. Letting clients read your proposal on their own time can be less intimidating than going through it for the first time on a call with you. In your email, include a quick recap of the project and a link to the digital version of the proposal (we’ll cover tools you can use below).

Finally, build a sense of urgency. Hint in your emails how clients are losing money by not moving forward with your proposal — that you’re also working with other clients, and your time might get spoken for if they don’t accept your proposal right away.

Related: How to create CTAs that drive the right moves

Use an electronic contract system

Using an electronic document management system like Bonsai or DocuSign (included in the Business Premium tier of Office 365 from GoDaddy) lets you send proposals via email, and prospects can provide comments online or accept your proposal with a single click.

Keeping everything online also means your proposal (and subsequent contract) will always be available for both you and your clients to refer to later. Most electronic proposal tools also include professionally designed templates you can use to make your proposals look great.

Lay out the next steps (always!)

Make sure you give clear instructions on how clients can move forward with the proposal.

Schedule a follow-up call for a few days after you deliver the proposal to talk through the scope and budget of the project and answer any questions your clients might have. A live call also gives you the opportunity to showcase your expertise and further convince clients that you’re the best person for the project.

Related: How to close a deal successfully with a better proposal process

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Land more clients with irresistible website proposals

You might not have become a freelancer because you love sales, but creating effective web design proposals shouldn’t be difficult.

Landing high-value web design projects boils down to having an understanding of your potential clients’ needs and communicating that understanding —along with how you plan to solve their problems — through your proposal.

If you implement these essential elements in your web design proposal and make it easy for clients to make a decision quickly, you’ll find yourself closing more contracts — and building a sustainable freelance web design business.

After your client has accepted the proposal, you can deliver your contract and invoice for your deposit. Then, you’ll be ready to begin the project!

GoDaddy Pro is free to join, with a single dashboard to make managing all your clients and web design projects a breeze. Save time with free tools and resources for web designers and developers — join GoDaddy Pro for free.

This article includes content originally published on the GoDaddy blog by the following authors: Robin Walters and Troy Dean.

The post How to write irresistible web design proposals that win clients appeared first on GoDaddy Blog.

The email newsletter is considered to be one of the best, most effective ways of reaching your customers. Unlike most other forms of advertising and marketing — broadcast advertising, billboards, online display ads — email marketing is one of the few methods where the customers have given you permission to contact them. This is why creating a newsletter has become an integral part of any great digital marketing strategy.

How many of us actually watch all the commercials on TV? How many of us use an ad blocker on our web browser, or curse the websites that overload their pages with so many ads we can barely see what we actually came for?

But with email newsletter marketing, the customer has given you permission to contact them.

They have said, “Yes, I want you to send me things to my personal, private email inbox.” Of all the marketing that’s going on around them, they have said, “You! I like you. Yours is a message I want to receive.”

(This should give you a warm, squishy feeling inside.)

With email marketing, you can easily reach customers who have already said they liked you, have shown an interest in your product, and have agreed to receive future messages from you because they think you’re going to be interesting and valuable.

9 email newsletter best practices

So, if you’re going to do this successfully, there are nine email newsletter best practices you should follow to make the most of your newsletter campaigns.

1. Create interesting, engaging content.
2. Take subject lines seriously.
3. Be consistent in your voice.
4. Use clear branding.
5. Use images wisely.
6. You need a call to action.
7. Include contact information.
8. Link to social media.
9. Schedule your mailings.

Let’s get started.

1. Create interesting, engaging content

The most important part of an email newsletter is what you actually put into it, but that all depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

What does your company do? Do you rely more on photos or on written copy? What do you want to accomplish?

For example, if you run a corporate IT business, you probably need to write some copy about the different issues your clients might be facing. But if you sell art, you don’t need to focus so heavily on the copy and should focus more on the visual elements.

Telling a 300-word story about a piece of art isn’t nearly as compelling as a single photo. (You need about 700 more words to do it justice.) But a photo of a laptop with a virus doesn’t tell as much as a 300-word article on how to avoid malware.

In other words, pick the content that suits your audience the best.

The purpose of the newsletter also dictates what you should be sending out.

Are you trying to just get clicks to your websites and downloads of coupons or move new products? Or are you trying to educate and persuade? That will determine whether you need more photos and less text, or if you need to focus more on well-crafted copy created by experts.

Finally, try to focus on a single topic per issue. Don’t treat it like a newspaper and cram it full of every story imaginable.

Pick two or three stories, but stick with a single theme. It could be centered around one issue, it could be for a seasonal product, or it could be around a particular milestone.

Related: Seasonal vs. evergreen content — How to tailor your content for Valentine’s Day and beyond

2. Take subject lines seriously

Your subject lines need to be creative, but informative. Don’t treat your subject line like a punchline that requires someone to read the actual newsletter to get it.

If people don’t know what your newsletter is about by looking at the subject line, they’re less likely to read it.

Your newsletter headline is just like a newspaper headline: short, to the point, and tells the reader everything they need to know about what’s inside.

But be careful of certain keywords favored by spammers. They’ll only get your email newsletter blocked by spam bots. Anything to do with money, days of the week, any superlatives (Amazing! Outstanding!), anything to do with sex, or the words “free” or “earn” should be avoided.

3. Be consistent in your voice

What is your brand voice? Are you fun and delightful? Or are you serious and secure?

A toy store can have a newsletter that’s bright and full of whimsy, but a wealth advisor cannot. Conversely, a toy store shouldn’t talk about the ROI of childhood and how to maximize the benefits of fun, but the wealth advisor absolutely should.

Make sure your imagery is also consistent.

Put the logo in the same place, use the same number of photos with each issue, and keep the length of the stories the same. If you cut off each story after 100 words with a “Read more …” button in one issue, don’t publish a full story in the next issue.

Finally, be sure that you’re designing with mobile users in mind. Mobile traffic can be as high as 50% for some websites, and the email results won’t be that far off either. Of course, your results may vary, so don’t ignore mobile users.

Related: What’s your brand personality? 

4. Use clear branding

Omni-channel marketing is primarily a retail concept where customers receive the same experience in the store that they do on the website, in the mobile app, and even in the shipping packaging.

The omni-channel also extends to your email newsletter campaigns: the same colors, same fonts, same logos, same style of images, and even the same voice for your copywriting.

When a reader opens your email newsletter, they should absolutely know that it’s from your company — that you’re the one sending it, and that your readers can trust you.

This is not the place to experiment or try something new. Too many spammers and scammers try little tricks like creating phishing emails that are almost-but-not-quite-unlike an actual branded email.

You don’t want people to think your little experiments are a scam, which means you need to stay consistent in your branding and make sure it’s prominently displayed.

Related: How to use omni-channel marketing to grow your small business 

5. Use images wisely

Use images to break up your newsletter, especially if it’s a long one.

If it’s just a 750-word article embedded in an email, people are less likely to read it unless you follow some basic design principles.

Short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs, of course. Also, break things up with subheads, and use a couple images to visually support the text.

I recommend using photos that are no bigger than 900 pixels wide (or tall if you’re using a vertical photo), and 100 dpi in resolution. Then, set the photos so they are no bigger than 300 pixels wide when displayed.

Photos this size will load quickly and easily, and won’t chew up a lot of your readers’ bandwidth or cellular data. Plus they’ll load so quickly that your readers won’t get upset at you.

Related: How to optimize images for the web

6. You need a call-to-action

Every newsletter needs a call-to-action (CTA), regardless of what you do.

If you want them to buy things, the CTA needs to be a “Buy Now” button. If you want them to stay in touch with you, give them something to respond to. And if you want them to visit your website, only send out snippets of articles and stick a “Read More” button at the end of each one so they’ll follow it.

Other CTAs can be “sign up now,” “schedule a free demonstration,” or even “download your free report.” They can be whatever you need them to be, just remember to make it exciting.

Be sure to assign different UTM information to each of the links so you can see which of your CTAs got the most action.

Consider A/B testing some of the CTAs to see which ones perform the best. Play around with the positions within the newsletter or the wording of the buttons.

Related: How to create CTAs that drive the right moves

7. Include contact information

Don’t assume that people will always click through to your website to find your contact information.

If you want people to place an order, put your phone number and website in a few places throughout each newsletter.

Similarly, make sure the unsubscribe information is easy to find, so you don’t get angry emails from people who forgot they signed up for your newsletter and demand — DEMAND, I SAY! — that you remove them from your email list.

If you want them to do all the work, make your unsubscribe button easy to find. If they don’t want to stay subscribed, don’t send them on a treasure hunt to find the unsubscribe button hidden at the bottom of the email. Otherwise they’ll just mark you as spam and be done with it.

8. Link to social media

Don’t forget to link everything to your social media accounts. People can click the links and be taken to your Twitter page, Facebook page or LinkedIn profile from within your emails.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve clicked a social profile only to be taken right to Twitter’s front page; further investigation revealed that the company had no Twitter presence whatsoever.

Related: A beginner’s guide to social media for small business

9. Schedule your mailings

I’ll tell you a secret about email newsletters: there is no one best time to send out a newsletter. Oh sure, there’s all kinds of research that says “Fridays at 3 p.m.,” and “8:37 a.m. on Tuesday,” but these are usually incorrect for a couple of reasons:

1. The research sample is often limited: Unless it’s a large email service provider that’s looking at hundreds of thousands of messages over many months, it’s usually one email marketer looking at their own data.
2. It’s always changing. Always, all the time, changing. The problem is that people see the latest “best time” research — Fridays at 3 p.m. — so they start sending their newsletters on Fridays at 3 p.m. As a result, customers get so many newsletters on Fridays at 3 p.m. that they start to ignore the newsletters and stop opening them. But, let’s say they don’t feel so annoyed on Tuesdays at 8:37 a.m., and they open their newsletters. Except there’s more new research that says there’s a new “best” time, and everything shifts again, and the process starts all over again.

If you want to figure out when to send your newsletters, I always recommend sending them out earlier in the week rather than later, and earlier in the day rather than later.

However, this is because I’ve always sent out my newsletters at that time. I’m always pleased with the open rate (20% and higher), but I don’t have a giant mailing list to make that valid data.

If you’re really curious, do some A/B testing and send out the newsletter to two groups at two different times. See which one does better and switch to that time. Then, pick a new time and test it.

See if you can improve it a little bit, but don’t knock yourself out trying to find that one perfect send time, because it’s always going to change. Once you settle on your ideal time, check it again every four to six months to be sure.

Conclusion

Of course, as you’re figuring out how to design and execute your email strategy, it’s vital that you test and retest every decision you make. Whether it’s the font you use, the length of your article snippets, or even the times you send out the newsletter, you need to use A/B testing to refine your results, and keep going until you have what seems to be the perfect email newsletter.

Make sure your branding is clear and consistent, that you create interesting content that meets your audience’s needs, that you are consistent in your timing, and that you always include a strong call-to-action.

With a solid email newsletter marketing strategy, you can reach exactly the customers you need to reach: the ones who actually told you, “Yes, I want you to contact me again in the future.”

Put your best practices to use with GoDaddy Email Marketing today!

This article includes content originally published on the GoDaddy blog by the following authors: Emma Wilhelm and Sally McGraw.

The post 9 best practices to follow when creating a newsletter appeared first on GoDaddy Blog.

Email is one of the primary and most successful marketing tools available to small businesses and entrepreneurs. But what most of us struggle with, being we are not “designers,” is how to create an attractive email design. What do you need to consider and what will work best?

We want to make sure our emails are not only visually attractive, but that they produce results.

Email design 101: A guide to creating a beautiful email

With this guide, we’ll cover the email design principles and best practices you can put to work when creating your own unique email designs.

• Why email design matters
• Elements of effective email design
  • Email images
  • Font choices
  • Colors
  • Mobile design
  • Using templates
• A word about creating email content
• Email design mistakes to avoid

Let’s get started.

Why email design matters

You want to send emails that get opened and read, right? Of course you do! That’s why it is so important to not only be visually stunning, but to make sure that your emails are created to provide the desired results.

Results that can include an increase in subscribers who then follow through on your calls-to-action, which can lead to new customers. That’s how you build your business!

The word branding is thrown around quite a bit — and for good reason. I’ll reference this several times throughout this article.

Everything you do contributes to how your brand — your business — is perceived. Making the right choices and then using them consistently is how you build your brand awareness over time.

Related: A beginner’s guide to branding your business

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Elements of effective email design

There are five basic elements of every great email design and we’ll cover each in detail:

• Email images
• Font choices
• Colors
• Mobile design
• Using templates

Email images

The first image your subscribers will see is your banner image. The banner image is an integral part of your email design because it represents your business and the reason for your mailing. It has the power to draw your readers in, communicate your message, reinforce your brand and connect visually, as do additional images within your email.

Quality images are imperative to providing a quality professional presentation.

For images you can hire a professional or create your own.

Image formats depend on the content of the image you are going to use. The basic guideline is to use .jpg format for photographic images and .png format for images with text or that require a transparent background.

Related: How to optimize images for the web

Do-it-yourself design

If you are not into the learning curve that is Photoshop, there are a bunch of neat web-based image creation services available where you can create stunning professional looking images.

After trying several, I settled for Canva Pro for all my graphic creation activities.

You can choose from pre-established sizes or set the size you need, choose fonts, colors and save in any format you desire.

You can input your specific brand color hex codes and fonts so that you can apply them consistently across everything that you create. This level of repetition is important to building your business’s visual recognition over time.

For your email banner, you can upload a photo of your storefront and customize that or choose from the available images and templates. You can also resize your images to cross-promote your email blasts on social media.

Related: How to use Canva to create branded images in under an hour

Hiring a designer

There are times when investing in professionals who can do a better job than we can ourselves is just smart business.

If you feel you have hit a creative block, finding a graphic designer you can trust is worth the cost.

Just be sure that when working with a designer that you provide as much detail as possible for what you want them to create for you. Provide color codes, logo files, preferred font styles, and share the tone or personality you are trying to relay.

Related: What’s your brand personality? Take our quiz to find out!

Email image size

The primary banner image size should be determined based on the devices your market uses most. Over time, as you look at your statistics, you can determine which specific platform to target.

Whether it’s desktop or mobile, you want to make sure that your display resizes to be viewed on both platforms.

The general rule of thumb right now is 640 pixels wide (for desktop) that scales down to and 320 pixels on mobile. Consider a height of 90 to 150 pixels for your primary banner image. While you can go larger, be sure to run tests to ensure that you like the resulting display.

Always start out with an image size larger than what you need. You can always scale down an image and crop to a smaller size and not lose quality. However, if you increase the size of any image larger than the original, it will look blurry and not provide a good impression.

If you are purchasing images, you rarely need to purchase an image larger than 1500 pixels in width. The larger the image, the higher the cost, so no need to pay for more than what you need.

Including additional images peppered throughout your mailing helps to keep readers visually interested.

Choose images that relate to the topics you are discussing. For all images within your content you want to be consistent and create them all to be the same size.

Next, once you have your images created, you’ll want to compress them so that they load quickly with the smallest possible file size.

When we are talking about image size, physical and file size, both matter. Check out compressor.io for these efforts.

One last thing when it comes to images. Just in case your readers have images disabled, always be sure to include the ALT description. This is also a great way to make sure your images are understood by those with disabilities.

Related: Best image sizes for email newsletters

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Best fonts for email design

Before your readers actually read your email, they see it. Maybe even feel it.

Your choice of fonts will help to back up your brand and set the tone. Whimsical, serious, fun, educational? There are fonts that will fit pretty much any theme or personality.

Choose those that are in line with your business’s overall image. Then continue to use those regularly to continue to build your brand awareness.

Start with web-safe fonts

Web-safe fonts are those that are typically loaded on most devices.

Did you know that Windows, MacOS and Androids all have different font sets? This means that if a user doesn’t have the fancy-schmancy font that you selected on their system, their default font will be loaded.

You’ve just lost control of your email’s look and feel. If you want to use fancy fonts, integrate them into images.

Avoid whimsical, script or decorative typefaces within your actual email content

These types of fonts tend to work best for logos and your banner image.

You want to use fonts that are uncluttered and easy to read. Fonts like Arial, Verdana, Calibri and Times New Roman will work well for the content portions of your email.

Limit your email to one or two fonts that match the style of your brand

Serif fonts (those with lines at the ends of the letters) or sans-serif fonts can both work. Serif fonts, reminiscent of newspapers and typewritten letters, tend to feel more serious and scholarly.

Check out this article that has some interesting information on the science of fonts (and how they make you feel).

Try pairing a serif font for your headings with a sans-serif font for your body text (or vice versa)

You’ll want to make sure that the two fonts complement each other visually.

Use font sizes that are large enough

Start with 16 pixels. With so many people on mobile devices, the digital design world is moving toward larger type.

Stick with left alignment for most of your text

That is, unless there’s a compelling design reason to use justified or centered text.

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Choosing your colors

Colors are critical when designing your emails. Different elements of your emails need different colors (CTA buttons for example) and different colors convey different feelings.

I use several sites to create color palettes depending on the project: Coolors.co and Paletton.com.

Did you know color psychology and color association is a tool that you have at your disposal when it comes to your marketing efforts?

Color can have different associations across cultures, so it’s best to research your target audience when you look at your subscriber statistics.

Here are example colors and the associated meaning and emotions that are considered by marketers when creating presentations.

• Red: Power, energy, importance, intensity, danger
• Orange: Balance, warmth, vitality, enthusiasm
• Blue: Trustworthiness, order, security, loyalty
• Green: Environment, health, generosity, vigor
• Yellow: Optimism, idealism, joy, caution
• Pink: Feminine, caring, compassion, self-confidence
• Black: Power, sophistication, elegance, wealth
• Purple: Royalty, nobility, wisdom, transformation

These color descriptions are just examples of some of the positive meanings behind colors.

While there are no hard and fast meanings behind any color, developing your own palette based on what your business stands for and the culture you are creating is important. Then, translate that color scheme into your email design.

Color popularity

Contrary to the blue/pink stereotype of gender color association, KISSmetrics reports that blue is the favorite color for both men (57%) and women (35%). Blue is also a favorite with businesses like banks, as it suggests trust and security.

Can you see how you can use colors to your advantage?

Using your primary color in your banner and headings will help to create the impression you want. We don’t want to overwhelm your readers with everything being in a different color.

The colors you use in your emails can help increase your brand recognition significantly, so it’s best to do some quick testing and then stick with that color scheme. This is because your color choices will become powerfully associated with you and your brand.

Related: How to choose brand colors and use them on your website

How to use color for a call-to-action in your emails

If you want readers to click a specific link in your newsletter, try making the call-to-action link red or orange. Being red intimates urgency — it is more likely to be clicked on than a blue link or button.

Red is the most powerful color in the color spectrum, and it might even elicit a physical response.

It can increase the heart rate and possibly cause a short-lived increase in clicking speed and action. This is why you’ll see red being used for terms or actions that require attention.

Balance is very important though. Simple design always works best and provides a more trustworthy and professional appearance when compared to overly large, bright or flashing elements.

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Mobile email design

More emails are now opened on mobile devices than desktop computers. And, if an email displays incorrectly on a mobile device, it most likely will be deleted within seconds.

With these stats in mind, you can see how it’s important to consider your mobile email design.

Fail to tackle mobile email design and you’re leaving money on the table, and potentially antagonizing list members to boot.

Picture this scene — it’s late in the afternoon, you’ve spent two hours polishing copy for your monthly newsletter blast, and a considerable amount of time making sure it looks spiffy on your shiny 27-inch display.

The innovative three-column layout you’ve gone for enables you to really highlight your many CTAs, and you’re confident this email design is going to hit it out of the park. You hit “send.”

Then the bad news trickles in. Open rates are down, but not disastrously so. Engagement rates, however, are in the cellar.

Worse still, you’re getting frustrated emails from your list about “tiny text.” Not only have you failed to engage your audience, you’ve inadvertently antagonized them.

What just happened?

Welcome to your first taste of failing to optimize your email campaigns for mobile.

Emails that are not optimized not only risk being deleted, they might also cause 15% of subscribers to unsubscribe instead of just delete. Why continue to get an email that is difficult to read or too busy?

To avoid this happening to you, let’s walk through a four-step mobile email design process so you get it right the first time.

Editor’s note: GoDaddy Email Marketing’s HTML email creator ensures every email you send looks great no matter what device — laptop, tablet, smartphone — or email service they’re viewed on. Give it a try today!

Step 1: Mobile optimization is mandatory

Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front: You have to put out mobile-optimized content when it comes to newsletters. Fifty percent of emails are opened on mobile and 70% of users read their emails on mobile.

That’s why you send newsletters in the first place.

Step 2: Simplify, simplify, simplify

You’ve heard of the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid), right?

Refining your concept of what prioritized content actually is for your campaigns is part of the planning process.

Keeping it simple helps you to cater to the tiny screens (and short attention spans) of your subscribers.

Ruthlessly edit. You want to cut your copy down to the bone and get straight down to business. Every word counts.

Hone your CTAs. Each campaign should focus almost exclusively on your primary call-to-action that you want the reader to complete.

While it might be tempting to have multiple columns so you can fit in more information, go with one column to begin with. A multi-column layout can be a recipe for disaster on mobile devices. Embracing the constraints of a single-column layout forces you to keep your message on point and succinct.

Yes, there are two-column formats out there (and that you can build with your own with custom HTML), but with more people reading emails on cell phones, this two-column layout doesn’t make for easy reading.

Stick to one column to keep your message clear and keep you on message as you compose.

What about “below the fold” content? Below the fold is the content that users have to scroll to view.

Unlike a website, there is so little real estate in an email that you will never be able to fit everything above the fold. When it comes to your newsletters, it is your job to keep readers interested and scrolling for more.

Step 3: Stick to mobile-first defaults

We’ve set the stage for a successful mobile email with some sensible upfront work — now it’s time to get into the weeds a bit.

Start with an eye-catching mobile-ready template (more on that later).

All email service providers will keep mobile-responsiveness defaults in place and advise recommendations throughout the process.

Make sure you are paying attention to the following mobile-first defaults that will give you the highest possible chance of delighting readers while displaying smoothly across devices:

• Fonts: Use web-safe fonts with a minimum size of 16 pixels for body text.
• Text links: Avoid having links nestled together where they can be hard to click on and target.
• Formatting: Too much text looks like too much to read. Your subscribers will most likely be scanning so you want to use short paragraphs and lists where appropriate. This helps to keep things easy on the eye.
• Buttons: CTA buttons also need to be easily clickable. Aim for a minimum size of 44 x 44 pixels.
• Graphics: Don’t include images for the sake of having imagery. Choose graphics with one prominent point of interest, and use them when they compliment your content or backup your CTA.

Related: How to create CTAs that drive the right moves

Step 4: Test, then test again (and again)

Testing is necessary and should be ongoing.

With every addition or modification that you make you want to run a test to see how your changes display.

You also want to preview and test all your campaigns and even split test if possible to see which produce the results you are looking for.

Your email provider provides the ability to both preview your campaign against common user configurations, and also send test campaigns to specified recipients. This is where you create lists of specific subscribers based on certain details or demographics.

What works with some folks might not be as effective for others. Being able to make these determinations only serves to make your mailings more targeted.

Once you have an overall setup that you are happy with, you can then get into split-testing elements such as headlines and calls to action.

One thing is clear — you want to constantly be reviewing campaign metrics and looking for nuggets to build upon.

While some of this might seem a bit dauntingly technical, your provider most likely offers the tools to take care of most of the grunt work for you, so use them.

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Using email templates (themes)

No need to code from scratch.

Templates are a great way to get your structure and design in place for future mailings and you just customize to your liking.

Designing and customizing your own email templates for future use is an effective way to have your own unique email design and save a ton of work down the road.

General guidelines when creating and customizing your email templates (themes):

Create a color scheme

The first step for email theme design is to establish a color scheme as we talked about earlier. You can use colors from your logo and your website. It’s a simple design choice to use your website’s background color as an email newsletter color, heading colors from your site as headings in your email newsletter, etc. This will make sense to your readers. Branding!

Choose a banner image

Start your email design with your banner image. To match colors precisely, use hexadecimal color codes. Using graphic software, you can sample colors using the color picker tool.

Choose the rest of your colors

From your color palette, choose your secondary color to use for section titles and links.

Make it easy to read

Keep it readable. Make sure that the color behind your text is white or a light color. Set your outer background to a neutral color from your palette to allow your content to remain the focus.

You can use a strong dark color as a border. A dark border will highlight the space that your readers’ eyes should focus on. Readability is always the rule, so when it doubt, leave it out. (Cliche but it works!)

Experiment with colors

Try experimenting with heading colors using variations from your website. If you don’t want to be overly colorful, go with blacks and grays, because these work with lots of other colors. The font color of body text should be the traditional black or dark gray.

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A word about creating email content

While design and visuals are important, content that is properly created and formatted is just as critical to achieving ROI.

The more you write, the better you are at creating messages that will resonate with your target audience. And, how you structure that content will encourage subscribers to keep reading.

Hemingway is the perfect tool to make your message clear and catchy. The site automatically tells you how readable your message is and gives you tips to improve your sentences.

Write scan-friendly text, break up your paragraphs and use colors to attract readers to CTAs.

We all scan — you’ve probably caught yourself scanning instead of reading every word in every email you receive. Count on your subscribers doing the same. As you are creating your content, keep in mind:

• Depending on how much content you have, use section headings and subheadings.
• Avoid long strings of text. Try breaking things up with an interesting image or two.
• Keep your sentences to 20 to 25 words and your paragraphs to three to four sentences.
• Use color to draw readers toward your important links and CTAs.

Related: How to write an email that people will read

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Email design mistakes to avoid

Say you have all of the above in place and are ready to go. The best looking email will not produce if the email contains errors and mistakes or the content and verbiage doesn’t talk to (not at) the person opening the email.

Here are the email design mistakes that I see on a regular basis.

Not spell checking

Don’t trust your spell checker alone. Misspellings that spell other words that are not inline with your message might not be caught by your spellchecker.

Broken links

When you run your tests, click on every link in your email to make sure that they go to the desired destination.

Generic subject field

Make sure your subject field is a clear and concise description of what lies within. Short and sweet. Refrain from over-hyping or using typical words you see in spam that lands in your inbox.

Incorrect “From” field

For mass mailings, having a recognizable email address is important.

Having an email address that is specific to handling email replies is also recommended. You want to have the ability for folks to email you if they want to.

Using an email address that produces bounce-backs because that email address is not monitored does not create a customer-centric experience.

Clashing colors

Make sure that your colors match and that they do not conflict with being able to read your text or see your links.

A very well-known hosting company I work with has a list of links at the bottom of each email newsletter. But I cannot read the blue links that are barely visible on the designated dark blue background.

Missing Images

Use an absolute path to your image (https://yourdomain.com/image.jpg) versus relative paths (/image.jpg) to avoid broken image icons.

Short codes/customization

We’ve all received emails that display a short-code (%FNAME%) in lieu of our name. This gives the perception that we lack attention to detail or that we are not tech savvy.

It is common during the ongoing writing and testing process to miss errors. After a while you might not even notice those errors that are right in front of you.

Starting with a fresh look the next day can help to recognize any errors that you might have overlooked.

Reading your email out loud is also an effective way of catching any errors in your content as well as ensuring you are relaying the desired tone.

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Recap: Email design basics

There are a lot of details to remember when designing an email. Here’s a recap of what we just went over:

• Choose your banner wisely, plan your layout and elements, and run tests.
• Choose images that speak to the content and back up your brand — all in optimized sizes.
• Use fonts that will work across platforms and that are easy to read.
• Be cognizant of the meaning of colors and how they fit to your brand. Use color to draw readers toward your important links and calls to action.
• Test your emails on various platforms for best results. Remember the KISS acronym for mobile.
• Create email templates and track which work best and provide the optimal results.
• Check spelling and check your links.

Now that you have all the variables needed to create your own beautiful email designs, you are well on your way to building your subscriber list and enforcing a solid reputation for your business.

This article includes content originally published on the GoDaddy blog by the following authors: Dean Levitt, Emma Wilhelm, Kate Chittenden, Macdara Bracken and Tom Ewer.

The post Email design 101 — How to create a beautiful email appeared first on GoDaddy Blog.

There’s no doubt that email is a key part of every business marketing strategy and, as such, email marketing trends are worth studying.

In a survey conducted by emarsys and WBR Digital, retailers overwhelmingly agreed that email marketing is responsible for a good portion of their lead-generation efforts. Specifically, 81% said email was a major force in customer acquisition, and 80% said it was a key driver in retaining customers.

All of this wouldn’t be possible, of course, without consumers’ willingness to stay connected to email.

OptinMonster found that 99% of people check their email every day. But regardless of how frequently consumers check their inbox, it appears those email marketing efforts aren’t going to waste either as:

• Consumers are most likely to sign up for emails from a retail store thanks to discounts and special offers
• 59% of marketers say email marketing is their biggest source of ROI
• In one study, 50% of respondents said that they make purchases from marketing emails at least once a month

However, like any other type of marketing, it’s important to stay ahead of always-evolving trends. As we move closer to the end of the year, let’s take a look at the eight email marketing trends you’ll need to know about for 2020.

8 key email marketing trends

Without further ado, here are eight email marketing trends to pay attention to this year:

1. Interactive content
2. Casual copy
3. Automation
4. Artificial intelligence
5. Omnichannel
6. Hyper-personalization
7. Data privacy
8. Mobile optimization

The thing with trends, obviously, is that it’s crucial to plan ahead. It’s not much use making yourself aware of a trend after it’s manifested and then jumping in midstream to make adjustments.

Let’s get started learning and implementing them now!

1. Interactive content

Interactive, or dynamic, content is really about removing friction from the user experience while creating an extra layer of intrigue that inspires engagement.

This is something that web developers have a lot of fun with on websites right now, but it isn’t really something that’s emerged among email marketing trends until very recently.

When you think about it, email subscribers don’t enjoy the same luxuries as your website visitors. In order to read content, watch videos or purchase products, they have to click a link embedded in your email so they can visit a live web page and complete the action there.

In 2020, that extra step will go away as developers and marketers will be able to add interactive content directly to their emails.

For example, they can embed:

• Image hover and rollover functionality
• GIFs
• HTML5 video players
• Quizzes and surveys
• Product review submissions
• Countdown timers
• Hamburger menus
• Search bars
• Add-to-cart or click-to-purchase functionality

The only thing to keep in mind with dynamic content is that not all email providers will support this sort of built-in interactivity, which means it’s important to provide alternative options for subscribers who won’t have access.

2. Casual copy

As Twitter and text messaging quickly become more standard ways of communicating professionally, it’s no surprise that other forms of communication would take on the brief and more conversational tones used on those platforms, too.

Email, in particular, lends itself well to this casual revolution as this type of content should be viewed as a conversation between you and your audience — not just another opportunity for you to sell, sell, sell.

Take this another step further.

A more conversational approach also means we’re going to see more use of emojis in email marketing trends.

As many as 92% of online consumers report using emojis in some capacity.

Appboy reported that emojis already make quite a splash in email marketing, noting a 775% increase between 2015 and 2016. They also pointed out that triggered emails (like abandoned cart reminders, welcome messages, etc.) use emojis even more — with a 7,000% increase year-over-year. This is likely due to marketers wanting to soften up what might otherwise be interpreted as a cold, automated message.

Editor’s note: GoDaddy Websites + Marketing Ecommerce makes sending abandoned cart emails a snap. After a quick setup, an email will be automatically sent to shoppers who leave before completing their purchases.

3. Automation

Speaking of action-triggered emails, there will be a rise in email marketing automation in 2020.

While there might be certain occasions where you want to compose an email message from scratch or compile a custom list of content to share with followers, automation will come in handy outside of those times.

Also, by using third-party software or plugins to manage this process on your behalf, you’ll be able to make smarter decisions about those trigger events as well as what type of message deserves to be sent directly in response to them.

Another aspect of automation is the segmentation of your email list. By segmenting your contacts, you will be able to send email campaigns that are most relevant to them. This then has the potential to boost your open and click-through rates, which leads to a more engaged list.

Related: Email automation 101 — 5 steps to automate email marketing

4. Artificial intelligence

Big data used to be one of those things that only the enterprise could reap the benefits from.

Thanks to easier and cheaper access to cloud computing resources, businesses of all sizes can now work with large data sets in order to better understand what’s happening within their operations and to make smarter business decisions that contribute to improved user experience.

As we head to 2020, though, it won’t just be about what we can learn from big data. It will be about what we allow machines to do with that data.

Automation is just the first step. After that, we’ll see even more strategic and real-time decisions being made by technology.

Krzysztof Jarecki of ExpertSender offered a great example of this: “Most companies have a large content library, so we’ll see greater automation of segmentation and matching of customers with the most appropriate content for their business goals.”

Essentially, AI will crack open big data and give email marketers even greater insights into how each message should be crafted and for whom.

Related: New survey reports U.S. entrepreneurs optimistic about growth and technology

5. Omnichannel

Previously, marketing was viewed as a multi-pronged strategy (i.e., email vs. content vs. social media, and so on). Then, we saw the rise of multi-channel marketing in which all platforms and contact points — virtual or out in the real world — had to work seamlessly together.

The omnichannel experience will continue to dominate into 2020, and this will significantly impact email marketing trends.

Pawel Sala of FreshMail told Email Vendor Selection, “Being able to use and process both the data from email marketing platforms and the data outsourced from integrated apps and services, email communication will be[come] highly personalized and relevant.”

Personalization and relevancy enhancements aren’t the only benefits of integrating all marketing platforms together. Email will serve as the glue that holds all experiences with your brand together.

• Someone purchases something in store? They receive a follow-up email with their receipt.
• Someone calls customer service to inquire about an order? They receive a survey to ensure that the experience was a positive one.
• Someone retweets one of your articles? They receive an email with a link to a downloadable white paper on a related topic.

The goal of omnichannel marketing is to create a more fluid experience. No matter where your customers go, you’ll consistently have a way to engage with them and maintain a reliable presence.

6. Hyper-personalization

I mentioned earlier that automation will continue to be on the rise throughout 2020. But with automation, you run the risk of your message coming across as robotic and cold. If that happens, you will alienate your subscribers and they won’t read your messages. That’s where personalization comes in.

The easiest way to add personalization to your email marketing is to use your subscriber’s first name, both in emails and in your subject lines.

Beyond using their names, you can also use other information you have about them. For example, surprise them with a discount for their birthday or create a recommended product list based on their previous purchases.

7. Data privacy

GDPR went into effect in 2018, but that is not the only reason that data privacy continues to be important in 2019 and beyond. Due to numerous hacking scandals, security breaches and data misuse, companies need to remain vigilant and implement security protocols and policies that will protect their subscriber data.

Capturing explicit consent is the first step toward making sure you’re respecting your subscriber’s privacy.

Be transparent on your opt-in forms and make sure they clearly say exactly what subscribers are signing up for.

Your email campaigns need to provide your subscribers with an easy way to unsubscribe from future mailings. Beyond that, your company needs to make it easy for your clients and customers to request access to their data for review and deletion.

8. Mobile optimization

According to statistics, at least 50% of emails are opened on mobile devices. This indicates that the future of email marketing is moving toward mobile.

If you want to make sure your subscribers remain engaged with your brand and business, do your best to optimize your campaigns for mobile devices.

On top of that, just in the past two years, mobile conversion rates were equivalent to desktop conversion rates. This means that email marketing that’s optimized for mobile now has more potential to convert your subscribers into paying customers and clients.

That’s why it pays off to spend some time improving the mobile user experience and deliver email campaigns that can easily be retrieved and read on mobile devices.

The future of email marketing

Although the email marketing trends of 2020 won’t stray too far from what things looked like last year, you’ll notice there’s a growing reliance on automation, integration and AI.

In order to better serve your audience, you’ll need to provide them with content that’s valuable, relevant, personalized and, most importantly, optimized for mobile devices — and these eight email marketing trends will enable you to do that.

By keeping these email marketing trends in mind, you will be able to build a better relationship with your audience, engage them and lead them toward taking action.

Editor’s note: If you’re looking for a reliable email marketing platform, GoDaddy Email Marketing can help. You can create an engaging email campaign with readily available templates images, and even personalize customer emails with birthday discounts and other special offers.

The post 8 email marketing trends you need to know for 2020 appeared first on GoDaddy Blog.