emerge 2012: keys to email creative success
DESCRIPTION
Breaking down the "triangle offense" email design technique and how to design emails in the age of mobile devices and social media.TRANSCRIPT
Cracking the Code: Keys to Email Creative Success
Alex Williams
New Orleans, LA April 17–20, 2012
™
#cgxemerge
Google me…
8.15.2011 | Page # Internal Only
58% of online
consumers begin the
day with email. -ExactTarget, “Subscribers, Fans, &
followers Report #1, Digital Morning
It’s also branding, sales, content, layout, UX, and technical
execution. You don’t have to be a graphic designer to add value to
the creative process.
Today we’ll discuss:
• How to approach, develop, and evaluate email creative
• Updating your layouts for the new mobile paradigm
• How to connect with your subscribers in the social age
Email creative is more than just
design.
What?
Why?
How?
Start every email with 3 questions
What is the point
of this email?
What?
Why should
they care?
Why?
How do they take
action?
How?
The answers to these
questions will help you
concept, build, and evaluate
your email creative using
“The Triangle Offense”.
This design strategy
embraces the fact that most
people don’t read
emails, they scan.
“The Triangle Offense”
What?
Why?
How?
Optimize each modular section of an email for fast comprehension of What, Why, How. Users might jump straight from What to How, with the general content and imagery of the inner triangle acting as the Why. Make sure your email passes the triangle scan test.
How it Works
The Triangle in action
The Triangle in action
1 problem…countdown to what?
The Triangle in action
Don’t force decisions in the inbox.
The Triangle in action
Watch what?
The Triangle in action
Single Game Suites on Sale Now
Which one scans better?
The Keys to the Triangle
Communicate efficiently. Make sense. • Tie your headlines and calls-to-action
together
• Remove extraneous copy and visuals that
don’t support the goal of the email or
module
• Expect your subscribers NOT to read the
entire text
• Find the emotional need of your “What”
Does this make sense?
Does this make sense?
MOBILE
Smartphones & Tablets (also
known as “mobile”) have
changed email design forever.
How mobile are your customers?
Client A – 25% Client B – 11%
Plan based on the audience
“Mobile Friendly” Email
Creative TOUCH
Thumbs and
fingers are the
new mouse.
How to make your email “Mobile Friendly”
• The “mobile version” is a dated concept. Mobile
users expect a scalable, readable email.
• Prioritize content, remove “just in case” content
• Increase all font sizes, especially headlines
• Balance HTML & Images, latency can be an
issue (think “airplane mode”).
• Scalable widths will provide readability (640px
max). Explore fluid width tables.
Desktop version of mobile friendly width
Mobile version of mobile friendly width
Advanced: @media queries
CSS style sheets that modify the email
design when device’s capabilities match
specific criteria.
Allows you to:
• Hide content from displaying in the email
• Show higher resolution images on iOS
• Add alt text to background images
• Progressive disclosure to show additional content on
click
• Change text sizes based on screen size
SOCIAL
Social = People Power
• Humanize your content
• Use public user generated
content
• Tweets
• Facebook Comments
• Reviews
• Speak using a real voice and
not in marketing/campaign
speak
“Everybody’s doing it”
Social Comments are 3rd Party Validation
Take “you’re” word for it
Let your customers speak for you
Thank you!
Alex Williams Director, Creative & Digital Strategy Trendline Interactive [email protected] Twitter @alexcwilliams LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/emailmarketingstrategy