Inbound Marketing Insights

Looking for creative ways to enhance your email engagement strategy? We've gathered ten innovative ideas from top directors and founders in the industry. From implementing an interactive content slider to using whitespace for improved readability and comprehension, let's dive into the following 10 expert insights to transform the design and visual appeal of your emails:

• Implement an Interactive Content Slider 
• Include Hover-Over Effects 
• Highlight Specific Product Attributes
• Combine GIFs, Personalization, and Emojis 
• Create a Visual Journey Infographic
• Build Trust with the Sender's Image 
• Allow for Collapsible Sections 
• Simplify Concepts with Explainer Videos 
• Elicit Emotions with Cinemagraphs 
• Improve Readability and Comprehension with Whitespace

1. Implement an Interactive Content Slider

Instead of bombarding our readers with a long, static email, we introduced this slider that allows subscribers to interactively browse through bite-sized content snippets. For instance, in a campaign showcasing our services, each slide highlighted a different offering, accompanied by a succinct description and a visually striking graphic.

The immediate impact? A 35% increase in email engagement rates. Moreover, our analytics showed that recipients not only spent more time per email, but also revisited them more often.

This Interactive Content Slider not only enhanced visual appeal but also transformed a passive reading experience into an engaging, interactive journey, setting our emails apart in crowded inboxes.

Simon Brisk, Director, Click Intelligence Ltd

2. Include Hover-Over Effects

I designed hover-over effects for interactive elements within the emails. When recipients hover their cursor over specific sections or buttons, a subtle animation or color change occurs. This not only adds a touch of sophistication to the design but also emphasizes interactivity, guiding users to take desired actions.

Farhan Advani, Director Marketing, PhotoshopBuzz

3. Highlight Specific Product Attributes

We've garnered much positive feedback from our product callouts in our email campaigns. This approach involves highlighting specific aspects of a packaging design we like or dislike, using lines drawn to the product image. It's clear and effectively engages our audience in the discussion.

Jason Vaught, Director of Content, SmashBrand

4. Combine GIFs, Personalization, and Emojis 

Picture this: email, but make it a mini-Picasso masterpiece! We jazzed up our emails with GIFs, and guess what? Click rates boogied up by 42%. Imagine your inbox doing the cha-cha with a GIF of your latest product in action. Bam! Engagement level: through the roof. 

But hold on, there's more! Personalization's our secret sauce. Inserting customer names gave our open rates a 29% high-five. 

And who could forget emojis? Adding those little rascals transformed our plain emails into a carnival of smiles. 

So, whether it's a GIF-tastic fiesta or an emoji parade, remember: email's not just a message; it's a masterpiece waiting to happen!

Himanshu Sharma, CEO and Founder, Academy of Digital Marketing

5. Create a Visual Journey Infographic

One impactful design element we've integrated into our email campaigns as an insurance marketing agency is the "Visual Journey Infographics." These infographics bring insurance success stories to life through engaging visual narratives. 

Starting with relatable challenges faced by clients, the infographics guide recipients through a sequence of vibrant illustrations, illustrating the strategies and milestones that led to successful outcomes. By employing visual storytelling, we enhance engagement and appeal. Recipients are drawn into the narrative, relating to the challenges and following the journey to a satisfying resolution. 

This approach effectively communicates complex information, leaves a lasting impression, and showcases our agency's expertise in a visually compelling manner. The "Visual Journey Infographics" captivate attention, educate, and inspire, elevating our insurance-focused email campaigns and fostering meaningful engagement.

Casey Preston, CRO and Founder, Stratosphere

6. Build Trust with the Sender's Image

A creative design element implemented in our emails is the addition of a professionally taken image of the sender in the signature. Email can sometimes feel impersonal, but by adding the sender's image, it becomes more like a face-to-face interaction. This helps with authenticity and fosters familiarity and trust among recipients. It can make our emails stand out in a crowded inbox and encourage more meaningful interactions.

Tom McCarron, Co-Founder, Algebra Digital

7. Allow for Collapsible Sections

Recognizing the value of concise content, collapsible sections were incorporated into our emails. Subscribers could expand these sections to dive deeper into topics of interest, while the main email remained streamlined and easy to skim. This design allowed us to cater to both readers who want quick information and those who desire in-depth details, enhancing the overall user experience.

Adil Advani, Marketing Director, AnySoftwareTools

8. Simplify Concepts with Explainer Videos 

Explainer videos are excellent tools for conveying complex ideas or concepts in a simplified and visually engaging manner. Videos have the potential to capture attention more effectively than static images or text.

People are naturally drawn to movement and visuals, making them more likely to watch an explainer video than read through a lengthy text-based explanation. They can help tell a story, explain a product or service, or demonstrate a process effectively, all within a brief span of time.

Videos in emails tend to have higher click-through rates and conversion rates. The engaging nature of videos can encourage recipients to take the desired action, such as visiting a website, making a purchase, or signing up for a service.

Diana Royanto, Content Writer, Milkwhale

9. Elicit Emotion with Cinemagraphs

One of the most memorable creative enhancements I've introduced to our emails is the use of cinemagraphs. These are visuals where a minor and repeated movement occurs, making it seem like a blend between a still photograph and a video. 

For instance, in one of our promotional emails for a "New Moon Tarot Reading," I embedded a cinemagraph of a gently shimmering moon over a tranquil night sky. The response was immediate. Not only did it captivate our subscribers visually, but the subtle animation also elicited a deeper emotional connection. 

This resulted in a noticeable spike in our engagement rate and a myriad of positive feedback about the “mesmerizing moon.”

Talita Moraes, CMO, Tarotoo

10. Improve Readability and Comprehension with Whitespace

Whitespace is used in emails. It refers to the empty areas around and between elements in the email design. This allows the content to breathe and gives it room to shine. By strategically using whitespace, a clean and organized layout that is pleasing to the eye can be created.

Not only does whitespace make the emails look more professional, but it also improves readability and comprehension. When there is less clutter and distractions, the recipients are more likely to focus on the message and take action.

Johannes Larsson, Founder and CEO, JohannesLarsson.com