{"id":8882,"date":"2021-05-12T04:13:02","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T11:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/powerdigitalmarketing.com\/?p=8882"},"modified":"2023-02-26T20:42:02","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T04:42:02","slug":"anatomy-of-an-email-101-a-full-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powerdigitalmarketing.com\/blog\/anatomy-of-an-email-101-a-full-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Anatomy of an Email 101: A Full Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
Email is one of the most ubiquitous digital communication methods used in business. And when it comes to marketing, few channels are as effective. Many companies have now discovered why email marketing is important<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n A 2019 DMA study found that it has the highest ROI of all marketing channels, paying back $42 for every dollar spent.<\/span> But to get the most value out of every email, it must be carefully crafted to stand out. Some companies opt to hire firms that offer <\/span>email marketing services<\/span><\/a>, while some do themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By understanding the key elements that make up an email\u2019s envelope and body content, you can create personalized emails that land.<\/span><\/p>\n Want to find out more about the anatomy of an email? Here\u2019s a complete guide.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To understand how something works as a whole, you need to break it down into its parts. And for emails, there are two significant components to consider:<\/span><\/p>\n Checking an email template from email testing tools<\/a> will help you identify the parts easier.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are many types of emails. This includes promotional emails, personalized emails, welcome emails, and many more. However, the first challenge with any kind of email, especially a cold email, is to entice the recipient to open it. Readers use the envelope content as the first screening method for whether or not to click through or simply send the message to the trash or spam files.<\/span><\/p>\n Although it depends on the email client, most will include:<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s break down each of these.<\/span><\/p>\n The subject line is the first piece of persuasion in the email.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a one-sentence pitch that quickly conveys what your email is about. It\u2019s your chance to tell the receiver why they should open it up. So, how can you make your subject stand out? Here are a few ways:<\/span><\/p>\n How do you know if your subject line is effective? Well, it depends on if people are opening your email. A\/B testing can help you determine the strongest subject line possible. (See section: \u201cA\/B Testing: What is it and Why use it?\u201d below for more.)<\/span><\/p>\n Some email clients support preview content, which appears directly after or below the subject line. Three types of preview content are commonly used:<\/span><\/p>\n Once more, this is another quick piece of persuasion that can pique the reader\u2019s interest. Make sure you begin your email with short, concise content.<\/span><\/p>\n Some email clients allow you to add your logo in an email\u2019s annotations, which makes it show up next to your sender name along with the message. Doing this will also add the logo to your email signature. Even if you don\u2019t have a well-recognized brand, the addition lends a sense of legitimacy to your business.<\/span><\/p>\n Did you know that there are certain times of the day and week when a person is more likely to open up an email?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are generalizations you can follow:2<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n However, rather than generalizing, it\u2019s better to pick send times based on granular-level customer data. By reviewing the timing of previous email campaigns according to clicks, opens, and conversions, you can find the optimal time of day to reach your specific type of customer or client.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now that you\u2019ve convinced the recipient to open the email, the real work begins. The body content is your opportunity to make your case\u2014whatever that may be. Like the envelope, this can be broken down into a few key elements:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The header always precedes the body of the content. It identifies the sending and receiving information of the email, including the sender, recipient, date, subject line, and HTML header.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Many people fail to utilize headers because they don\u2019t realize that they\u2019re free space to add essential marketing or branding details. But they can set the tone, especially when you include a company logo or add an anchor link menu.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When you compose your header, keep the following tips in mind:<\/span><\/p>\n This is the most important part of the email. It\u2019s your pitch\u2014the message you teased with all of the content leading up to the body. As a result, this is the longest piece of content within the email.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That said, you don\u2019t want to write a novel. Nor do you want to cover several different subjects. Limit an email to one central theme or idea with a general word count of approximately 50-100 words for image-heavy messaging and 100-200 words for more text-heavy emails.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to writing, keep sentences short and sweet. An easily digestible message is a more effective message, whether that\u2019s promoting a sale, updating customers on what you have in store, or convincing another company to partner with your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A footer is made up of HTML text. Some footers are optional add-ons, while others may be legally required. Examples of footers include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Footers are all about finding a balance between upholding your legal requirements and avoiding inundating the reader with legalese. Only include content that\u2019s legally required and relevant to the reader.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A\/B testing is a marketing tool used whereby two emails are pit against one another to determine which is stronger. To do this effectively, you\u2019ll want to craft two identical emails, then change one aspect.<\/span><\/p>\n In this case, the email element that is most commonly A\/B tested is the subject line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Put simply, when identifying which email subject line is more powerful, A\/B testing takes the guesswork out of the equation. Rather than relying on instinct or our subjective feelings toward which subject line is \u201cstronger,\u201d A\/B testing provides cold, hard data. As Harvard Business Review notes:3<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about data these days. Leaders don\u2019t want to make decisions unless they have evidence. That\u2019s a good thing, of course, and fortunately, there are lots of ways to get information without having to rely on one\u2019s instincts. One of the most common methods, particularly in online settings, is A\/B testing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Consider a toothpaste company marketing directly to customers (B2C). One subject line, \u201cGet the Whitest, Pearliest Smile in Town,\u201d sounds fun and effective\u2014it has all the ingredients of a catchy email header. Another subject line, \u201cNeed Toothpaste? We Sell Toothpaste,\u201d feels generic and lifeless. When A\/B testing, you find that \u201cNeed Toothpaste? We Sell Toothpaste\u201d emails were opened at a 57% open rate, and the \u201cThe Whitest, Pearliest Smile in Town\u201d was opened at 23%.<\/span><\/p>\n In that case, you would follow the data and use the \u201cgeneric\u201d subject line because it was more effective.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the past, marketers would have to rely on gut feeling\u2014often leaning toward what sounds catchy, rather than what <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> catchy. Today, A\/B testing hands us the correct subject line on a silver platter.<\/span><\/p>\n Note:<\/i><\/b> A\/B testing is an effective tool for testing out a few different subject lines. But that\u2019s not all A\/B testing is used for. You can A\/B test your opening line, your closing line, the body of your email\u2014just about anything. The more you A\/B test, the more you narrow in on your perfect messaging.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n When handled the right way, email marketing can create incredible results for little cost. To do that, you need to know and address the main elements of an email\u2019s anatomy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Do you need help optimizing your email efforts and crafting that perfect message?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re in the right place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here at Power Digital, email composition and SEO are just two of the many marketing strategies we can help you with. Together, we can drive clicks, conversions, and sales with just a few careful tweaks and additions to your email strategy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sources:<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Email is one of the most ubiquitous digital communication methods used in business. And when it comes to marketing, few channels are as effective. Many companies have now discovered why email marketing is important. A 2019 DMA study found that it has the highest ROI of all marketing channels, paying back $42 for every dollar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-email-marketing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Makes Up an Email?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Email Anatomy: The Envelope\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/h4>\n
The Subject Line<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Preview Content\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Logo<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Date and Time<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Email Anatomy: The Body Content\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The Header\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Hero Content\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Footer\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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A\/B Testing: What Is It, and Why Use It?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Power Digital \u2014 Anatomy Geniuses For All Types of Marketing<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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