The Impact of Email Design
The digital realm is vast and competitive. Amid this noise, email marketing still shines as an essential tool for businesses. But beyond just text, the design of these emails plays a pivotal role in capturing a recipient’s attention. An email design agency can elevate your communications from good to outstanding.
- Attention-Grabbing Visuals: A study from the Content Marketing Institute found that content containing relevant images gets 94% more views than content without.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Mobile opens an account for 46% of all email opens. This figure underscores the importance of emails that look good and perform seamlessly on mobile devices.
- ROI Factor: According to DMA, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42. A well-designed email is pivotal in achieving this ROI.
Email Design Template Agency Deep Dive
Mastering email marketing isn’t a cakewalk. Designing a compelling email campaign demands dedication, time, and a nuanced understanding of various technical intricacies. This is where email design agencies come into play. These specialists concentrate on one primary mission — crafting emails that strike a chord and amplify your email marketing efforts.
If you’re considering partnering with an email design or email marketing agency, it’s imperative to be well informed. What is the core of an email design agency? What specialized services can they offer? And most importantly, how can you pinpoint one that’s a seamless fit for your brand’s vision and goals?
When scouting for the right agency, it’s crucial to delve into their pricing structure, the breadth of services they offer, the typical time they need for a design, and the technological tools they employ.
Join us as we embark on this journey, shedding light on how an email design and email marketing agency can be the catalyst for propelling your business to new heights.
An email design agency is a team of dedicated experts committed to crafting compelling and effective emails for their clientele. It basically comprises of the following:
A Cohesive Team of Email Experts
Being proficient in email design isn’t merely about aesthetics. It involves understanding the psychology of the reader, marketing nuances, the reasons people engage with content, and the triggers behind purchasing decisions. This depth of knowledge makes the email design process intricate, which is why many companies choose the expertise of an agency over navigating these waters in-house.
Crafting Emails that Resonate
Simply sending an email doesn’t guarantee engagement. Whether addressing a vast audience or a niche segment, the key lies in designing content that captivates and compels. And that requires a holistic view.
Email design agencies meticulously evaluate past campaigns, assess what captures attention versus what’s overlooked, study engagement patterns, and prioritize the content’s clarity and relevance. While aesthetics matter, functionality, and user experience often take precedence. For many brands, orchestrating this in-house is a Herculean task, both in terms of time and resources. This challenge underscores the pivotal role of email design agencies in today’s digital landscape.
Designing an email can vary widely in duration depending on numerous factors. Let’s break down the components and typical timeframes involved:
1. Understanding the Objective
Before anything begins, understanding the purpose of the email is essential. Is it promotional, informational, or transactional? Is it part of a larger campaign?
- Time Taken: 1-2 hours of meetings or research.
2. Drafting the Content
Once the objective is clear, the content for the email needs to be drafted. This includes creating compelling headlines, body text and calls to action.
- Time Taken: 2-5 hours depending on the complexity and revisions.
3. Design
With content in hand, the design process begins. This phase includes:
- Layout Design: Establishing where elements go – images, text, buttons, etc.
- Time Taken: 1-3 hours
- Graphic Creation/Editing: This includes sourcing or creating images, logos, and other graphics.
- Time Taken: 2-6 hours depending on complexity.
- Typography & Color: Select fonts, colors, and overall aesthetics to match the brand and the email’s intent.
- Time Taken: 1-2 hours
4. Coding the Email
Modern emails aren’t just static designs. They’re often coded to look good on a variety of devices and email clients.
- Basic Responsive Email: For a straightforward email without many interactive elements.
- Time Taken: 3-8 hours
- Complex Email with Interactivity: Emails with elements like carousels, accordions, or other interactive parts.
- Time Taken: 8-16 hours or more
5. Testing
It’s crucial to test the email across various devices and email clients (like Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, etc.) to ensure it looks and functions as intended.
- Time Taken: 2-5 hours
6. Feedback and Revisions
Once the draft version is ready, it’s shared for feedback. The time for revisions can vary based on the extent of changes required.
- Time Taken: 2-6 hours, depending on the number of revisions.
7. Final Review and Sending
Before hitting send, a final review ensures everything is in place, and the email is then scheduled or sent.
- Time Taken: 1-2 hours
Summary:
For a basic email, if everything goes smoothly and there are minimal revisions, the process can take as little as 12-24 hours of actual work time. However, for more complex emails, especially those with intricate designs or interactive elements, the time can extend up to 40 hours or more.
Additionally, these hours are spread over several days, especially when considering feedback loops, making the actual calendar time from start to finish longer. So, when considering an email design agency like West Desk, a turnaround time of under 2 days is incredibly efficient, especially given the complexities involved in crafting a high-quality email.
In today’s digital age, a plethora of tools aid in crafting impeccable emails. If you’ve ever wondered about the software behind those captivating email designs, let’s delve deeper:
1. Design and Layout
- Adobe XD, Photoshop & Figma: Industry standards for designing visuals, crafting email layouts, and editing images.
- Canva: A user-friendly platform with templates that assist in creating compelling email graphics.
2. Email Coding and Development
- Dreamweaver: A go-to for many developers, it offers a robust environment for HTML coding and design.
- Sublime Text & Visual Studio Code: Preferred text editors with functionalities that streamline email coding.
3. Building and Testing
- MailChimp & Constant Contact: Both platforms offer drag-and-drop builders, making email design accessible, even without coding.
- Litmus & Email on Acid: Essential for testing how emails appear across various devices and email clients.
4. Interactive Elements and Advanced Features
- Stripo: A powerful tool that integrates interactive elements like carousels, countdown timers, and more into emails.
5. Feedback and Collaboration
- InVision & Zeplin: These platforms facilitate seamless collaboration between designers and developers, allowing for easy feedback and iteration.
Note: While these tools enhance the email design process, the right combination depends on specific requirements. For example, West Desk optimizes tool selection to guarantee a swift 2-day turnaround without compromising on quality.
Navigating the world of email marketing can sometimes feel like diving into a sea with varying depths. The cost of a custom email design is no exception. The pricing landscape is wide and influenced by several factors, making it vital for businesses to understand what they’re investing in. Let’s break down the considerations:
1. Complexity of the Design
A straightforward email template with basic graphics will inevitably cost less than a complex design with interactive elements, animations, and custom graphics.
2. Agency or Freelancer
While hiring an individual freelancer might seem cost-effective, they might not offer the breadth of services that an agency can. On the other hand, agencies might provide a more comprehensive package, which could be costlier but more efficient in the long run.
3. Revisions and Iterations
The more revisions required, the higher the price might climb. It’s crucial to clarify with the designer or agency about revision policies and associated costs.
4. Platform-Specific Design
Some businesses need their emails to be optimized for various platforms. Creating designs that are tailored for different email service providers can also influence costs.
5. Add-ons and Extras
Interactive features, A/B testing, or analytics integration are just a few extras that can increase the design’s overall cost.
A Benchmark: To give you a ballpark figure, a basic custom email design might range from $200 to $600, whereas a comprehensive, interactive design from a top-tier agency could cost upwards of $2,000 or more. However, some gems like West Desk offer a striking balance, providing high-quality email design subscriptions for a flat $1,499 a month, ensuring both quality and swift turnaround times of under 2 days.
Elevate your email campaigns with expert designs. Every $1 spent on email marketing yields an average ROI of $42. Don’t miss out on this potential; let West Desk craft your next success story. Reach out to us today or subscribe to one our plans.
