Image is Everything: How to Add Visual Elements to Email Advertising

Images can be a powerful tool in email marketing campaigns, depending largely on execution. Knowing how and when to use pictures in your email advertising can have a big impact on the overall effectiveness of your efforts. We compiled the best expert advice for avoiding common pitfalls with email images to save you time as you develop your email marketing campaigns.

Email Marketing vs. Sending Newsletters

The transition from hardcopy mailers to email flyers can be rough, especially if you have promoted your business in pretty much the same way for many years. Your inclination may be to make your email newsletter or other messages look like the photo-rich hardcopy ads you have used before. Unfortunately, that is a bad idea because many email services have default settings that prevent images from being displayed. If you base too much of your messaging on photos and the photos do not appear when customers open your email, they will be more likely to disregard your email altogether.

Using Words Instead

Potential customers can of course opt to switch on images in your messages, but if they do not, you want to be able to keep their attention in any way possible. Do everything in your power to make sure that important information is not buried in the photos. If you have a photo or graphic that features a call to action (buy-now buttons or similar messaging), make sure that information is also repeated in text somewhere within the email.
You also want to make sure that all of your CAN-SPAM language appears in text so that all viewers can see it, whether they enable images or not. The CAN-SPAM Act requires that unsolicited commercial messages be labeled as such, that they include opt-out instructions and that they include the sender's physical address, among other things. If you put that information in a graphic, you will regret it.

Remember Smartphone Users

More and more members of your potential audience view email on their relatively small smartphone screens. That pool of customers is worth some thought as you design your email marketing campaigns. If your layout depends a lot on images, you may want to rethink how those images will look on a small screen or consider the fact that some members of your audience may opt to view a text-only version. If you use a photo-heavy message, you may want to use a design that can be scrolled horizontally. That can be attention getting on a smaller phone screen.

Summary

There are no hard and fast rules for using images in your email advertising. The best email marketing software will help you create whatever design you decide works best for you. As you decide, it is best to consider the ways in which your potential customers might view each message. Photos and graphics are very powerful advertisements, but only if they can be seen. If you keep your many potential audiences in mind as you design your emails, you will be able to craft messages that have both form and function to promote your business.

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