On Track With Jack: Incorporate Strong Visuals

Hi JangoMail Users!

As a cartoon, people trust me. I have an adorable smile, kind eyes, listening ears, and impeccable leather-jacket fashion sense. Moreover, I'm a strong visual for JangoMail. It's like that old saying: a picture is worth a thousand words. I am worth a thousand words…plus these additional six words in my tip of the week:

Incorporate strong visuals into your email.

Broadcast emails must be visually appealing, but don't overdo it. Have you ever received an email and couldn't concentrate because of the design? Not only did it hurt your eyes, but it was so distracting you couldn't remember anything else about the email.

In an effort to build a strong brand, you must work on your credibility. Well thought out designs that are professional, yet aesthetically pleasing, will prompt subscribers to take action.

Readers respond better to visuals than just plain text. Here's a side by side comparison of what this email would look like without any visuals:

Which one do you like?

I don't know about you, but the first one makes me want to hop back into bed. How boring. The second one, however, looks great. That photo up top is pretty darn cute. Who is that guy?

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you design your next email:

Stay consistent. All marketing materials including your email, website, business cards, social media, and any signage, should complement each other. Use the same logo and incorporate matching colors throughout each design.

Less is more. Visuals are great, but you do not want to take away from your message; you want to add to it. Not every inch of your email has to be covered.

Make smart use of photos and graphics. Balance your design with visuals, and make them interactive by linking them to your website or promo page. Frame graphics around your call to action.

Socialize. People love to share photos on social networks like Facebook. Use our social media buttons to include links in your campaign.

Use our new templates. We have 150 eye-catching designs that you can customize.  Check out our blog for more template details and editing tips!

Test. Before sending a message, run a Preview and Delivery Test in JangoMail.


To recap: Put yourself in the shoes of your readers and rethink the design of your email.  Create a professional brand your audience will recognize and trust.  Use our Smart Templates to get started on your new look!

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

Jack the Jangolope is our JangoMail mascot.  Each week, look for Jack's emails for marketing advice, trends, and quick tips on how to grow your email marketing plan to the fullest!  Hop into email marketing each week with Jack's helpful tips!

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

We want to hear from you. Remember, at JangoMail it's your email, your way.  Have a topic you would like Jack to cover?  Email us at marketing@jangomemail.com with the subject line: On Track With Jack.  Follow Jack on Facebook

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On Track With Jack: Plan Ahead For The Holidays

BOO!  Hope I didn't scare you too much. Today is the last day of October, which means it's Halloween! It also means that the holiday season is right around the corner, and there is a lot you can do to get ready!

I want you to plan ahead this year and really focus on going the extra mile to scare… I mean, connect with your customers using JangoMail.

Here’s how you can plan ahead: 

Think creatively:  Like each year, you are going to have a ton of holiday competition. Make sure you stand out from all the other businesses. Brainstorm unique promotions and offer something different to your customers. Broadcast your message through your email.

Get organized:  Determine key sale days and note the important ones like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Free Shipping Day. Set deadlines for yourself and create a calendar with send dates. Schedule your campaigns in advance. You can always pause your campaign and update before your final send in JangoMail.

Don’t go overboard:  We know that you want to get the word out, but do not over mail.  We don’t want your readers to get irritated and unsubscribe. Refer back to your schedule and stay on track. Remember, timing is everything. Monitor your campaigns through the JangoMail Report Dashboard, and keep an eye on the unsubscribed and bounced addresses. We suggest running a Delivery Health Check on any email address in question.

Don’t be a Scrooge:  The sooner you embrace the holidays, the better. Be festive, and have a positive attitude. Show your holiday spirit by hosting an event or even by decorating your store (if you have one). Send holiday invitations, announcements, and greeting cards using your email.

To recap: Many businesses miss the opportunity to connect with their subscribers during the holidays using email. Plan ahead.

Next week, we are going to cover my Holiday Email Guide, where I’ll review the top marketing trends to try with your email.

Happy Halloween!

Sincerely,

Jack the Jangolope
Department of Awesome
JangoMail

About Jack

Jack the Jangolope is our JangoMail mascot.  Each week, look for Jack's emails for marketing advice, trends, and quick tips on how to grow your email marketing plan to the fullest!  Hop into email marketing each week with Jack's helpful tips!

What is a Jangolope? Find out HERE

We want to hear from you. Remember, at JangoMail it's your email, your way.  Have a topic you would like Jack to cover?  Email us at marketing@jangomemail.com with the subject line: On Track With Jack.  Follow Jack on Facebook

Subscribe to On Track With Jack

Serving Up Outside Ads in Your Email Campaigns

Imagine, if you will, you're 'Joe's Pie Shop'.

It's almost swimsuit season, so business could be better. Time to amp up your marketing outreach and remind customers why your pies are worth the thighs. What do you do? You turn to a targeted email campaign.

You want to reach out to customers to elicit a reaction - a click to product, information, or a customized traffic lane on your website.

After devising an extremely clever and meaningful subject line that grabs their attention, recipients open, determined to dig deeper into what this communication's all about. Then, they're greeted by ...

SERVE IT UP RIGHT! Check out fancy, forever servewear on perfectpietools.com. 

Customer: "What? You have pie AND you're offering a value-add to enhance my pie eating experience? You're the best, Joe."

Well, at least that's the preferred reaction. But the flip side is that your customers' spammy senses could start tingling - damaging your reputation and the overall effectiveness of your email campaigns. Even if you're benefiting from a financial or product trade with this partner, that short-term benefit can get old, very fast, with potential, long-term customer relationships.

The good news is that if you present outside advertisements or endorsements in the right light, mutual success (for you, your partner and above-all your customer) is easy to achieve.

Here are some common sense tips:

1. Be relevant. You're a pie shop. So, skip the ads for gas stations. Unless, of course, you're empathizing with customers about tough economic times. Notifying them of a pie sale - and sharing an ad to the cheapest gas in town (to get to your place) is thoughful. Even better: Presenting an ad for $.50 off vanilla ice cream for Joe's Pie a la mode.

2. Be honest. Why the ad, Joe? If there's any confusion about why there are ads in your emails, address it with customers head-on. "We're including these ads to help keep our pie costs low" or "We provide ads for our community partners as a service to you". However you spin or explain it, your customers will appreciate your honesty. Here's an example from the web that still holds relevance for email: Pandora.com is a successful, live music streaming website - and they're not afraid to share with customers why they need to include ads.

3. Protect your reputation. Congrats - you're hitched to your advertiser in reputation. Now that your brand is tied to another's, beware. If that partner isn't as attentive to retaining ethical marketing as you are, what they do can hurt your business.

4. Exercise moderation. Don't overdo it. Consider there are times your customer simply wants some alone time. That means one-on-one communications between you and them. Email campaigns that includes outside ties or advertisements can be perceived as anything but personal, especially when it happens frequently. Customers may even feel 'sold out'.

5. Go full circle. Cross-branding like this is also an easy way to upsell back to your own products or services. If a tool makes it easy to serve up your pie, why not offer a discount on pie plates to complete the "set"? In this way, all products on the table present a relevant, cohesive offer that makes sense to a recipient. The information evolves from pure ad form to one of a trusted adviser who offers insight based on what you know your customers want or need. How well-thought out of you, Joe!

Have a question or comment about this blog? Looking for more insight to make your email marketing the best it can be? Contact us any time. We'd love to hear from you.

Until then, have a great rest of the week!