A good email marketing campaign design results from several things.The first rule is to keep it simple, but if your email has only a flashy headline and graphics at the opening, but isn’t followed up with valuable content, then your results are likely to be less that you want.Readers tend to be turned off by ‘gimmicky’ emails, so you should avoid that by using the elements of design presented below.

Begin with a newsletter format.  The Nielson Norman Group reports that the average email newsletter reader spends an average of fifty seconds in review.   However, a simple email is likely to hold a readers attention for only about four seconds.   So, a newsletter is a better choice because it will likely hold your readers attention for ten times as long. This now brings us to the ideal design of the newsletter or email.

What is most important is to establish an email marketing design that will strongly attract attention, but also hold it for an extended period of time.Typical recipients actually open a small fraction of emails received, and even those are mostly only briefly scanned for content.  Different people react to different advertising stimula, so you need to be sure to design your copy in a way that targets the kind of audience you are trying to appeal to.

Because most emails are never opened, it is critical that your subject line stand out from the rest to ever have a chance.It is very good practice to use the readers name in the subject line, as well as in the salutation of the actual email message.Present you subject line in a way that cleary suggests something new and unique as a way of solving a key need or issue.  Alternative, the subject line may challenge a commonly held belief or notion that your email marketing list target audience may hold.Spend a period of time writing down the subject lines that have convinced you to open an incoming email. Review them to gain an understanding of why they made you decide to actually open the email.

The proper use of colors and graphics can also help call your readers attention to key communication elements and messages.In addition, use colors carefully by integrating them smoothly with the narrative, an be sure that the graphics that you use have a clear communication purpose, rather that to simply enhance appearance.Graphics and colors must be used only in a way that they clearly add to or enhance the message being presented.

Additionally, recognizing that you really have only 4-5 seconds to gain the attention of the typical email scanner, you need to present your copy in a way that the key elements and challenges of your message stand out quickly.   Furthermore, they must be presented in a way that not only grabs attention, but also compels the reader to continue on to get even better information.  

Most importantly, your email must have a clear call to action.  Be very specific about what you want them to do and provide them all the information and contact information they will need to get the action accomplished quickly.  For further information on how to successfully employ email marketing, visit Network Online Reviews for a variety of articles and reviews of email marketing products.