Big business. Small business. Our goal is the same: Convert contacts into customers. Emails are one of the most effective ways to meet that goal.
Just like you communicate differently with different people in person, communicating via email needs the same type of consideration. Each contact is at a unique point in the sales funnel. A new contact may be looking to just learn more about your brand. Others may prefer an industry update or a new product/service launch e-blast.
Not every email will prompt every potential customer to take action. But if you continue to add value with each email, you are adding credibility and strengthening your relationship. And good relationships build good potential customers.
As smart email marketers, we have test-driven a wide variety of templates on a wide variety of clients. But before we take a deep dive into our templates, here are some basic recommendations to promote a good open and click rate for any email template.
What are the basic components of great content email marketing?
- A compelling subject line to grab your reader's attention and adding the name of the recipient in the subject increases open and click rates.
- An engaging image photo or video to provide visual engagement and draw the reader in. Images process faster than text, allowing you to convey your message more effectively and efficiently.
- A maximum of 10-12 lines of text or less than 200 words of content. Too much text can be overwhelming.
- A call-to-action so the reader knows what you want them to do next.
- An opportunity for the new subscriber to opt-out to adhere to SPAM-Act requirements.
Looking for additional information on free email marketing tools, tips and strategies? We wrote the Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing.
Here are our 6 best marketing email templates:
1. Welcome Emails
First impressions count.
The welcome email is the first email you receive when you provide your email address when downloading an eBook, reading a blog, or signing up for a newsletter.
With an average 50% open rate and 5x more clicks a welcome email is a unique opportunity to put your best foot forward and start the conversation.
The key is timing. New contacts should receive the welcome email within 24 hours of providing you with their email address. Some businesses create a single welcome message; others use their welcome email as part of an automated series.
There are so many ways to draft your welcome email. It can be a thank you for subscribing or a peek into the backstory of the company. Some businesses offer a discount for signing up and others build trust by posting a picture of the founders and an overview of the business’s unique selling proposition (USP).
There is no one-size-fits-all welcome email. It’s just an opportunity for your brand to make a solid first impression.
Need assistance in creating a welcome email or an automated series? Click here to schedule a 30-minute email assessment.
2. Newsletter Emails
Like welcome emails, newsletters are a basic building block of an ongoing email campaign.
Email newsletters can be a super effective way to communicate with your contacts, customers, employees, vendors, and anyone connected to your brand.
The key is to provide super-relevant content.
Your newsletter e-blast has the potential to:
- Increase brand awareness
- Promote your brand expertise and the unique benefits of your brand
- Showcase new products and services
- Offer opportunities to read your blogs and share previews of media mentions
Insider Tip: Some businesses have so much news they tend to want to share it all. Avoid the temptation to overwhelm the reader. Pick up to three topics to share in one newsletter. Draft a short paragraph in the actual email and then provide a link to additional information.
By curating your content and reviewing the analytics, you will get to know your audience, learn more about their needs, and turn contacts into customers.
Wondering how often to schedule your newsletters to maximize engagement? Click HERE to learn more about email cadence.
3. Offers and Promotional Emails
Who can resist a promotion or an opportunity to get a product or service at a special discount?
I am the queen of responding to special discounts. After all, why pay full price when you can receive the same product or service at a lower rate?
Promotional emails and exclusive offers have mass appeal and are highly effective at engaging your contacts at all stages of the marketing funnel.
The key is to limit the frequency of your special offers. Otherwise, those exclusive offers no longer appear special.
Personally, I prefer a standalone offer, aka one offer per email, which allows the reader to focus on your offer.
My personal preference is backed up by research by Ascend2 where a survey indicated that single topic/dedicated email is the second most effective type of email used for marketing.
Wondering what is the first?
Personalized messaging. Read our insider tip below to learn more.
Insider tip: The more you can make your email sound like a one-to-one personalized conversation between you and your audience, the higher your open rate will be.
Personalize the subject by adding the first name of the contact. Add the name of the person after the greeting in the main body of the email. And use the pronouns you and your to connect and create long-term relationships.
4. Announcement Email
Are you offering a new product or service? Hosting an event?
Let your contacts be the first to hear significant news via an announcement email. The announcement email focuses on the news and why it should matter to the reader.
In addition to being relevant, here are some other announcement best practices:
- Outline the benefits clearly and explain how your product, service, or event will solve the reader’s problem.
- Create an intriguing subject line that will pique your reader’s interest.
- Include an enticing visual that graphically supports the announcement.
- Clearly state your call-to-action with a link so your audience knows exactly what you want them to do.
Email announcements keep your contact list informed, promotes relationship building, and grow the demand for your goods and services, turning contacts into customers.
Insider Tip: Consider an automation series for a new product launch or upcoming event. Building the excitement for the launch of a product or an event can be beneficial.
Contact us to help with your next product launch.
5. Review Emails
There is nothing like a good online review to promote your business and increase profits.
By sending a review email, you are asking customers to share their experience with your products or services. Since email is one of the most effective ways to reach your customer basis, you can share the link where they can leave the review on Google, Facebook, or Yelp, or direct them once the review has been approved. It’s also helpful for customers to see what others have written to inspire them to come up with their own.
Your subject line could be as simple as “Maria, tell us what you think”.
Insider tip: Timing is key, and emails should be sent within 24-48 hours of the customer receiving the service or product. And your response to their review should be immediate as well, even for the positive ones. By responding quickly to negative reviews, there is a strong possibility of turning your detectors into fans.
Subject Line Example: Bonus Template: Special Occasion Emails
Conventional wisdom dictates that we use odd numbered lists when it comes to blog post titles such as this one.
Somehow odd numbers seem more authentic than even ones and our brains respond better to the number 5 than the number 6.
But we just had to share this last (sixth) template, so we are referring to the special occasion email as a bonus.
Don’t you just love when someone acknowledges your birthday?
You can use a special occasion email to make your reader feel special and help you stand out from the competition.
Anniversary emails, acknowledging the beginning of your email relationship, can also work. It’s an effective way to boost engagement, strengthen your relationship and show your contact that you care.
These types of automated emails are generally provided by your email service. All you need to do is input the dates into the system, create a birthday/anniversary email, and set up the automated process.
Insider tip: You don’t have to give a gift. Just make the email personal. Research shows that birthday emails with the contact’s first name in the subject line have a 17% higher open rate than those without. If your business can offer a discount code as part of the birthday promotion, go for it. If not, take the time to make the birthday design pop using a GIF or video that is eye-catching and creative.
There are so many other templates specific to businesses selling products including reorder emails, abandoned cart emails, lead nurturing email sequences, transactional emails, and confirmation emails when items have shipped.
Interested in learning more about these additional templates?
Want to write better emails?
Schedule a free consultation with us today.