Turn Your Print Marketing Into Powerful Email Design
Converting a print piece to email isn’t as simple as a copy and pasting – it’s really an art. Print marketing pieces are often designed with a lot of images so you read from top to bottom to find the call to action – which is typically towards the bottom. Email marketing pieces need to be designed completely different.
The width, size and number of design elements/images from the print piece all play a part in a successful email design.
A print piece can be converted into a successful responsive email design by optimizing images for email and using techniques for a quick response to a call to action. The call to action could be an animated image, a call-out box with information leading to a landing page to register or RSVP. Email designs can use images, colors, and text from the print piece. Those images can be optimized to minimize download time.
In print, you often rely on the reader to take action by calling you, mailing something back, or visiting a website.
Email design allows for more interaction and quicker response. The first two to three seconds of opening an email, the reader should see the call to action which leads them to call, email, visit the landing page or website. In the header of an email, the call-to-action or important text will be at the top so you gain the reader’s attention immediately--drawing he or she into reading more and taking the next step. That next step could be visiting a landing page or filling out a data collection form.
Many people are now reading emails on their phones and tablets, so responsive email design is strongly encouraged to be used. The design of the email will respond based on the viewing device. The look of email varies depending on the device you are using--phone, tablet, or desktop. A one- column email versus two columns will look different on a smart phone versus a desktop. If a print piece has two or three columns in it, recreate the column as just one or two columns.
Many print pieces are high-resolution and are large in file size which doesn’t bode well for email. The larger the file, the longer it will take to download and open. So, it’s important to run tests across email clients to include Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and Hotmail to ensure the email renders correctly across the popular email platforms.
We have several clients who provide us a PDF file for conversion to an email. For example, they sent out monthly notices to advertisers announcing what’s in the next issue of the magazines but needed the notices converted to emails. We received three-column print pieces and redesigned them into two columns, optimized the images, ensured correct spacing, and moved the calls to action to the top.
It takes a lot of time and money to create a print piece. But remember, the ultimate goal is to redesign the piece into the best delivered, most read, and responsive-designed email.
After all, you are building your next work of art.