How to Design Your Emails to Boost CTR & Conversions

Use this guide to boost your email CTR!

Shawn M
Shawn M
Nov 1, 2021
How to Design Your Emails to Boost CTR & Conversions

Email marketing tends to generate about 42 dollars for every one dollar that you spend.

Email marketing is also  40 times more effective in generating leads than any other social media. That's because this is a highly customizable means of marketing. With email marketing, you get to decide the following:

  • Who to target?
  • How to target?
  • When to target?

Unlike other social media, you can make your own decision in all three domains from scratch (instead of abiding by some predefined data). Or to put it simply: demographics are yours to play with!

What is Email Marketing?

What is email marketing?

Email marketing refers to a sales tactic wherein companies send out emails to everyone on their email list to convince them to purchase.

This strategy also comes in handy to make existing customers aware of the latest releases and discounts. It keeps your existing client base engaged and active. 

Email marketing compels your readers to Google your brand. When you inform them about your latest releases, achievements, and discounts via emails, they are eager to know more. 

What is Email Click-Through Rate?

Email click-through rates refer to the number of successful clicks that a link received. Emails come with embedded links, which redirect the audience to a new page that sells something or provides valuable information.

Mathematically, email click-through rates or CTRs are the numbers of people who clicked on the links by the number of people who received the mail. For calculating the percentage, multiply the obtained number by 100.

It’s important to note that the CTR count is not only about the rising figure. It's about successful lead generations and conversions. 

How to Design Emails to Boost Conversion Rates? 

Email Conversions on agilitycms.com

Sending out emails that have a link is easy. Here are a few ways we derived from successful email marketing campaigns:

Pick a Sorted Layout

These days almost everything depends on visual experience, at least in the digital world.

Emails need to have a sorted layout- consider the overall look and its impact. Align your text in a way that the most attention-grabbing sentence comes at the top in the form of heading. It’s best if you place this heading centrally on top of the page. Text bodies should be well-balanced with the images in the email template. Note that white spaces are equally important as they direct the reader's focus to more important parts of the emails. Distributing the content of your email in a grid can be effective.

Choose a Catchy Color Scheme

As mentioned earlier, people are more inclined towards visually appealing content than informative but boring content. Hence, the color scheme is just as important as the layout.

Opt for a color scheme that retains attention and represents your brand well. If you've no idea about your brand's color scheme then we recommend referring to coolers.com.

Use Email Signature Marketing 

As you take care of the visuals, we'll also advise you to make good use of your signature space. When you sign off an email with your company's or employee's signature, use the space below to make a quick offer. It could be a free demo, discount, an opportunity to chat with the founder, etc. It is more formally recognized as email signature marketing and has brought about phenomenal results for many.

Keep the Content Precise & Actionable

The essence of your email, i.e. the text is where you convince your audience to engage with your targeted messaging. Begin your email with a short but grasping sentence. Mention a fact, statistic, or a piece of news that interests them and compels them to read on further.

Next, deliver your message in approximately 150 - 200 words. Emails that are longer than that will hardly be entertained by your first-time readers. Flooding your client's inboxes with lengthy emails will only annoy them, leading them to unsubscribe. So, if possible, include content in a direct way using bullet points.

Include video brochure of your product or services in an email body to draw attention to the main context of your message.

Target One Goal At a Time

Targeting goals with email on agilitycms.com

Emails yield the best results when they ask your reader to take one action at a time. If you ask your reader to choose between 3-4 actions, they might take none.

According to a combined study, if your clientele is presented with more options to choose from, they end up getting confused and frustrated. So, we'd recommend making it easier for your readers and providing them with only one CTA at a time.

Focus on the Subject Line

Your subject line is your clickbait. If you craft a good subject line, you get your reader to open the email. And if you get your reader to open the email, you raise the chances of conversion by 50 percent.

We recommend personalizing the subject lines by addressing pain points, adding urgency, or announcing the exclusive benefits that this email has brought to their inbox. 

Centralize Call to Action Buttons

It’s a common practice to place the CTA button of the email at the bottom or in the footer of the email. And it works fine. 

However, an even better approach to positioning the CTA button is to place it mid-text. If you place it somewhere in between the main email body, then there are higher chances that your reader will click on it at least once. You will likely get your reader to click the CTA button before you lose them entirely.

Create Urgency

Along with adding call-to-action buttons, it’s essential to add an element of urgency to your email. Add a time limit to the action that you’ve asked your audience to take. 

How does that help?

Well, if your reader thinks he’ll check back on your email in a while, there are high chances they’ll never open the email again. However, if you add an element of urgency and urge them to take action immediately, your email campaign may acquire a high CTR. And consequently, better and higher conversions.

Keep Your Emails Mobile-friendly

According to research, more than fifty percent of emails are first accessed on mobile devices. If the reader deems the email worthy, they'll take another detailed look at your email in its desktop version. But even so, half of your potential leads will still read your emails on the phone.

For mobile readers, ensure that there is an adaptive design, especially in the case of buttons and images. When you finalize your email, send yourself a test email before running the campaign. Check it on your mobile and desktop to assess if it appears well.

Maximize the Relevance of Recipients

Another great way to maximize your conversions is to direct your audience to relevant recipients. You can make use of modern email marketing tools to sort your audience into specific groups. And then, send out emails that specifically cater to the grouped audiences’ interests. 

For example, group A of your audience regularly buys from your virtual business. Now, you’d want them to stay updated with recent releases or advancements in your products or services. You’ll design email campaigns for them accordingly.

Similarly, say you have group B that comprises people who regularly visit your shop but rarely purchase something. Now, you should send them out emails with discount vouchers (especially with their first 1-3 purchases). It’ll help you convert these potential customers to permanent customers.

You can segment your audience as per the following: 

  • Demographics
  • Interests
  • Browsing Behavior
  • Purchase History

Use a Headless CMS

Using a Headless CMS

In light of the tips mentioned above, it is clear that designing emails that convert is not a piece of cake. It takes a lot of input from content creation, developing, and designing teams.

One way of easing the entire process is to use a headless CMS. Fundamentally, a headless CMS refers to a backend content repository that's independent of the presentation layer.

In simpler terms, a headless CMS refers to a system that you can use to manage and store your content. You can create, edit, and deliver your content to various places from here. It acts as a big warehouse for your content. 

Since it does not generate any front-end code and does not limit the application of your content, front-end developers are free to make it functional as desired. They are not limited by the code of the backend data. They can choose any programming language, framework, and tool. They won't even have to design separate codes for Gmail, Outlook, and so on. 

Along with granting independence to your developers, it liberates editors too. They can formulate and edit a custom layout of the email.

Collectively, your team can achieve twice as much in minimal time. Your company will have better, more optimized email marketing campaigns ready to reach out to your customers quickly and at lower costs.

Design Emails that Engage

Last but not the slightest bit least, invite your reader to participate. According to the latest email design trends, asking for your customer's feedback brings about a feeling of inclusion and makes your email 10x more effective.

You can ask a short question to gather their feedback. It will help you tailor more personalized email content. You can even feature their feedback on your pages and emails and give your active users a shout-out. When you promise a feeling of inclusivity and fair exchange, your conversion rates will automatically double.

Final Thoughts

Summing up, designing emails that convert is a complete science and demand massive attention from your end. So, take our wise words of advice and give your copy the time it needs. So it may yield results that your company needs. We hope the tips above make the process super easy for you.

Back to All Articles
Back to All Articles
Nov 1, 2021

How to Design Your Emails to Boost CTR & Conversions

Use this guide to boost your email CTR!

Shawn M

Topic

Email MarketingEmail Marketing
SHARE POST
BlogBlog

Composable DXP vs Monolithic CMS

Read More
Composable DXP vs Monolithic CMS
BlogBlog

How Headless CMS Improves Brand Experience

Read More
How Headless CMS Improves Brand Experience

Coming Soon: Agility CMS New UI

More modern. More accessible.

Learn More

How to Design Your Emails to Boost CTR & Conversions

Email marketing tends to generate about 42 dollars for every one dollar that you spend.

Email marketing is also  40 times more effective in generating leads than any other social media. That's because this is a highly customizable means of marketing. With email marketing, you get to decide the following:

  • Who to target?
  • How to target?
  • When to target?

Unlike other social media, you can make your own decision in all three domains from scratch (instead of abiding by some predefined data). Or to put it simply: demographics are yours to play with!

What is Email Marketing?

What is email marketing?

Email marketing refers to a sales tactic wherein companies send out emails to everyone on their email list to convince them to purchase.

This strategy also comes in handy to make existing customers aware of the latest releases and discounts. It keeps your existing client base engaged and active. 

Email marketing compels your readers to Google your brand. When you inform them about your latest releases, achievements, and discounts via emails, they are eager to know more. 

What is Email Click-Through Rate?

Email click-through rates refer to the number of successful clicks that a link received. Emails come with embedded links, which redirect the audience to a new page that sells something or provides valuable information.

Mathematically, email click-through rates or CTRs are the numbers of people who clicked on the links by the number of people who received the mail. For calculating the percentage, multiply the obtained number by 100.

It’s important to note that the CTR count is not only about the rising figure. It's about successful lead generations and conversions. 

How to Design Emails to Boost Conversion Rates? 

Email Conversions on agilitycms.com

Sending out emails that have a link is easy. Here are a few ways we derived from successful email marketing campaigns:

Pick a Sorted Layout

These days almost everything depends on visual experience, at least in the digital world.

Emails need to have a sorted layout- consider the overall look and its impact. Align your text in a way that the most attention-grabbing sentence comes at the top in the form of heading. It’s best if you place this heading centrally on top of the page. Text bodies should be well-balanced with the images in the email template. Note that white spaces are equally important as they direct the reader's focus to more important parts of the emails. Distributing the content of your email in a grid can be effective.

Choose a Catchy Color Scheme

As mentioned earlier, people are more inclined towards visually appealing content than informative but boring content. Hence, the color scheme is just as important as the layout.

Opt for a color scheme that retains attention and represents your brand well. If you've no idea about your brand's color scheme then we recommend referring to coolers.com.

Use Email Signature Marketing 

As you take care of the visuals, we'll also advise you to make good use of your signature space. When you sign off an email with your company's or employee's signature, use the space below to make a quick offer. It could be a free demo, discount, an opportunity to chat with the founder, etc. It is more formally recognized as email signature marketing and has brought about phenomenal results for many.

Keep the Content Precise & Actionable

The essence of your email, i.e. the text is where you convince your audience to engage with your targeted messaging. Begin your email with a short but grasping sentence. Mention a fact, statistic, or a piece of news that interests them and compels them to read on further.

Next, deliver your message in approximately 150 - 200 words. Emails that are longer than that will hardly be entertained by your first-time readers. Flooding your client's inboxes with lengthy emails will only annoy them, leading them to unsubscribe. So, if possible, include content in a direct way using bullet points.

Include video brochure of your product or services in an email body to draw attention to the main context of your message.

Target One Goal At a Time

Targeting goals with email on agilitycms.com

Emails yield the best results when they ask your reader to take one action at a time. If you ask your reader to choose between 3-4 actions, they might take none.

According to a combined study, if your clientele is presented with more options to choose from, they end up getting confused and frustrated. So, we'd recommend making it easier for your readers and providing them with only one CTA at a time.

Focus on the Subject Line

Your subject line is your clickbait. If you craft a good subject line, you get your reader to open the email. And if you get your reader to open the email, you raise the chances of conversion by 50 percent.

We recommend personalizing the subject lines by addressing pain points, adding urgency, or announcing the exclusive benefits that this email has brought to their inbox. 

Centralize Call to Action Buttons

It’s a common practice to place the CTA button of the email at the bottom or in the footer of the email. And it works fine. 

However, an even better approach to positioning the CTA button is to place it mid-text. If you place it somewhere in between the main email body, then there are higher chances that your reader will click on it at least once. You will likely get your reader to click the CTA button before you lose them entirely.

Create Urgency

Along with adding call-to-action buttons, it’s essential to add an element of urgency to your email. Add a time limit to the action that you’ve asked your audience to take. 

How does that help?

Well, if your reader thinks he’ll check back on your email in a while, there are high chances they’ll never open the email again. However, if you add an element of urgency and urge them to take action immediately, your email campaign may acquire a high CTR. And consequently, better and higher conversions.

Keep Your Emails Mobile-friendly

According to research, more than fifty percent of emails are first accessed on mobile devices. If the reader deems the email worthy, they'll take another detailed look at your email in its desktop version. But even so, half of your potential leads will still read your emails on the phone.

For mobile readers, ensure that there is an adaptive design, especially in the case of buttons and images. When you finalize your email, send yourself a test email before running the campaign. Check it on your mobile and desktop to assess if it appears well.

Maximize the Relevance of Recipients

Another great way to maximize your conversions is to direct your audience to relevant recipients. You can make use of modern email marketing tools to sort your audience into specific groups. And then, send out emails that specifically cater to the grouped audiences’ interests. 

For example, group A of your audience regularly buys from your virtual business. Now, you’d want them to stay updated with recent releases or advancements in your products or services. You’ll design email campaigns for them accordingly.

Similarly, say you have group B that comprises people who regularly visit your shop but rarely purchase something. Now, you should send them out emails with discount vouchers (especially with their first 1-3 purchases). It’ll help you convert these potential customers to permanent customers.

You can segment your audience as per the following: 

  • Demographics
  • Interests
  • Browsing Behavior
  • Purchase History

Use a Headless CMS

Using a Headless CMS

In light of the tips mentioned above, it is clear that designing emails that convert is not a piece of cake. It takes a lot of input from content creation, developing, and designing teams.

One way of easing the entire process is to use a headless CMS. Fundamentally, a headless CMS refers to a backend content repository that's independent of the presentation layer.

In simpler terms, a headless CMS refers to a system that you can use to manage and store your content. You can create, edit, and deliver your content to various places from here. It acts as a big warehouse for your content. 

Since it does not generate any front-end code and does not limit the application of your content, front-end developers are free to make it functional as desired. They are not limited by the code of the backend data. They can choose any programming language, framework, and tool. They won't even have to design separate codes for Gmail, Outlook, and so on. 

Along with granting independence to your developers, it liberates editors too. They can formulate and edit a custom layout of the email.

Collectively, your team can achieve twice as much in minimal time. Your company will have better, more optimized email marketing campaigns ready to reach out to your customers quickly and at lower costs.

Design Emails that Engage

Last but not the slightest bit least, invite your reader to participate. According to the latest email design trends, asking for your customer's feedback brings about a feeling of inclusion and makes your email 10x more effective.

You can ask a short question to gather their feedback. It will help you tailor more personalized email content. You can even feature their feedback on your pages and emails and give your active users a shout-out. When you promise a feeling of inclusivity and fair exchange, your conversion rates will automatically double.

Final Thoughts

Summing up, designing emails that convert is a complete science and demand massive attention from your end. So, take our wise words of advice and give your copy the time it needs. So it may yield results that your company needs. We hope the tips above make the process super easy for you.

About the Author
Shawn M

Topic

Email MarketingEmail Marketing
SHARE POST
BlogBlog

Composable DXP vs Monolithic CMS

Read More
Composable DXP vs Monolithic CMS
BlogBlog

How Headless CMS Improves Brand Experience

Read More
How Headless CMS Improves Brand Experience

Coming Soon: Agility CMS New UI

More modern. More accessible.

Learn More

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