Why would Parcel, a platform created for individuals who code HTML emails, ship plain-looking emails to its prospects and subscribers? May there be a purpose to ship your checklist a quite simple e-mail design?
When the group examined their flashier HTML designs towards easy, text-based emails … the easy e-mail design received. (Yeah, our minds had been blown too.)
We needed to know extra, so we requested Naomi West, Product Advertising Supervisor at Parcel, and Emily Ryan, Electronic mail Strategist and Co-Founder at Westfield Artistic, to speak us via what they’ve discovered about experimenting with minimalism at Electronic mail Camp, our two-day digital e-mail advertising technique, improvement, and design digital occasion.
Watch the on-demand presentation beneath to search out out extra about what Naomi and Emily why much less will be extra in e-mail design.
Couldn’t make this 12 months’s epic space-themed model of Electronic mail Camp? Don’t fear. We’ve put collectively a recap of what we discovered from Naomi and Emily about how easy e-mail design and text-based emails can work in your model.
HTML e-mail campaigns vs. plain textual content emails
Earlier than we leap in, let’s outline what plain textual content emails seem like versus extra conventional HTML-based e-mail campaigns. As an e-mail marketer, you already know and love well-designed HTML e-mail campaigns – you recognize, those which have shiny colours, stunning imagery, and possibly slightly one thing further, like animation or interactive parts.
Plain textual content e-newsletter
HTML e-mail e-newsletter
True plain textual content emails are messages that solely embody textual content. Which means no HTML code is used in anyway within the creation of the e-mail. There aren’t any photos, graphics, columns, tables, CTA buttons, or hyperlinks with anchor textual content. In reality, if we get technical about it, formatting textual content as daring or italics would additionally exclude it from being a literal plain textual content e-mail.
What Naomi and Emaily are actually speaking about are easy, text-based emails with minimal code or graphics. This nonetheless technically makes use of HTML to construct the e-mail – for instance, coding in hyperlinks or including a easy CTA button on the backside – however has the look of an e-mail that you would ship out of your private account.
That is generally known as “easy,” “low-design,” or “minimalist” e-mail design.
“Plain textual content emails, they don’t get a variety of TLC, however they’re so essential. We’ve began to see them convert higher, and they could be a nice method for anybody with restricted sources or who needs to simplify their e-mail.”
Naomi West, Product Advertising, Parcel.io
The advantages of straightforward e-mail design
All of us love stunning, design-heavy emails. (That’s why you’re studying our weblog, proper?) And whereas these emails will all the time have a spot in any advertising technique, easy e-mail design is usually a surprisingly high-performing tactic price testing in your subsequent e-mail marketing campaign.
Why? Electronic mail has all the time been probably the most private channels a marketer can entry.
“Electronic mail is perceived as a one to at least one interplay. You’re going into one individual’s inbox. You could be emailing 100,000 contacts, however it’s a private interplay with one subscriber that they expertise.”
Emily Ryan, Co-founder, Westfield Artistic
Naomi and the group at Parcel ran a five-month variant check for his or her welcome automation with designed emails subsequent to a text-based method. What occurred took them a bit without warning.
“My speculation going into the A/B check was that extra people could be impressed by the design variant, however what we ended up seeing was the next conversion for the text-based emails. So I stated to [our developer] Mark Robbins, thanks for designing this stunning e-mail, however I cannot be continuing with it. I’m going to return to the e-mail that takes zero sources to get out the door. A text-based method finally caught individuals’s eyes and allowed them to answer rather a lot simpler.”
Naomi West, Product Advertising, Parcel.io
As e-mail entrepreneurs, it’s essential to not let our personal biases dictate our design decisions. Each viewers has completely different preferences — and since e-mail is designed to be private and conversational, it is smart that subscribers would like a less complicated method.
Taking an method like this one additionally gave the Parcel group an enormous benefit: Standing out within the inbox. We regularly speak about designing probably the most eye-catching e-mail or working with particular psychological colours for conversion (keep in mind when everybody had orange CTAs?) however with so a lot on the web lately, it’s really the less complicated e-mail that may stand out.
4 examples of minimalist e-mail design
Minimalism doesn’t should be boring. Streamlining your design parts provides your copywriting group an opportunity to actually shine. Listed below are 5 examples of straightforward, stripped-down e-mail designs you possibly can take inspiration from in your subsequent marketing campaign:
1. Customer support e-mail – Outside Voices
Completely different emails require a special stage of design, and in terms of customer support emails like this one from Outside Voices, taking a super-personal method pays off. This e-mail is a fast check-in for patrons after they make a purchase order and units up a stronger relationship sooner or later.
2. Welcome e-mail – Zeplin
Welcome emails are your alternative to ship a fantastic first impression in your subscribers, however they don’t should be tremendous flashy. This e-mail from Zeplin has just a few small design parts, like a whimsical footer and distinctive CTA button (a golden ticket!) however is in any other case largely textual content.
3. Product launch – Robin
In the event you’ve received some model new options to share, why not check out whether or not you want a flowery new e-mail design or if you wish to maintain it easy? This can be a nice tactic when you’ve got a product that isn’t simply visualized, like software program or a subscription. This product launch e-mail from B2B model Robin makes use of a easy template and focuses primarily on the why behind their new product.
4. Affords and reductions – Everlane
Everlane’s clothes model is all about easy neutrals, however they often ship out closely designed emails or ones that function robust visuals of their retail merchandise. This e-mail, particularly for Black Friday, is a superb instance of standing out within the inbox by paring down. It’s a fast, personalised word that includes just a few key gadgets and a reminder that the sale ends quickly.
Take a look at each marketing campaign to ship your model’s finest
Whether or not you’re seeking to dip your toe into extra minimalist e-mail designs or wish to experiment with a text-based method, each model and each e-mail checklist is completely different. That’s why A/B testing this type of factor is so essential. You by no means understand how your subscribers will reply.
“Clearly, we love HTML, design-heavy emails which can be attractive and superb and interactive, however we discovered that working with our shoppers and prospects that plain textual content really works rather well as a part of your advertising technique. It’s actually attention-grabbing if you begin testing to see what individuals are going to reply to.”
Emily Ryan, Co-founder, Westfield Artistic
You may get began by placing one among your extremely designed emails up towards a plain textual content model, similar to Naomi did.
Don’t neglect – there are two sorts of e-mail testing. Whereas A/B testing provides you insights into how your subscribers reply to adjustments, pre-send e-mail testing is completely different. It’s high quality assurance for e-mail entrepreneurs, and it’s wanted for each minimalist emails in addition to complicated designs. Each forms of testing assist with e-mail advertising optimization, however one takes place earlier than you hit the ship button, and the opposite takes place after you launch.
Sinch Electronic mail on Acid provides senders limitless pre-send e-mail testing with each paid subscription. Which means you possibly can check as many variations of your HTML e-mail designs as you want. You’ll really feel assured that if you hit ship, you’ll be delivering the most effective model of your e-mail advertising marketing campaign.
Be part of us for Electronic mail Camp in 2024
In the event you loved the presentation from Emily and Naomi, you’ll love Electronic mail Camp – our free, digital occasion.
We’re already getting issues collectively for one more fun-filled, mind-expanding gathering of e-mail geeks in 2024. Wish to be a part of it? We would like you there. Signal as much as get updates about Electronic mail Camp 2024. We’ll fill you in on dates, audio system, and extra.
Within the meantime, take a look at extra on-demand Electronic mail Camp 2023 shows on YouTube.
Creator: The Electronic mail on Acid Staff
The Electronic mail on Acid content material group is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up e-mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, observe us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on e-mail advertising.
Creator: The Electronic mail on Acid Staff
The Electronic mail on Acid content material group is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up e-mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, observe us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on e-mail advertising.
