There is still a place for text in your campaigns, but there are definite advantages to using email marketing images. From major global brands to small homegrown online businesses, email marketing can be a powerful tool that drives traffic when done right. Here’s how images can help improve your click-through rate and improve conversions.
Why do Businesses Skimp on Email Marketing Images?
Your inbox probably receives quite a few email marketing messages, and you may find yourself wondering why so many of them are devoid of images. Plain HTML seems to be the way to go for some brands, and it doesn’t always attract customers. For most companies, it comes down to time and cost.
Illustration by kchung on 123RF.
Time
This definitely tops the list. When you’re busy running a brand, who has time to make and edit images? You don’t have to create all of your own email marketing graphics. You can subscribe to a quality stock image site with millions of high-quality photos, vector drawings, and GIFS in hundreds of categories that make it easy to find one that’s suitable.
Affordability
Smartphone cameras are getting better with every generation, but there’s more to a great photo than a good camera. You need to get the composition, lighting, and subject matter aligned in just the right way to produce a compelling image, and professional photographers don’t come cheap. Fortunately, stock image sites give you access to professional quality images for a fraction of the price of hiring a photographer.
Now you know you can quickly and affordably access any image you desire to enhance your email marketing messages. In the same vein, it’s time to explore a few more reasons why you should include pictures in your newsletters.
Make Your Email Marketing More Personable
While you may relate the use of photos with social media like Instagram, there’s no denying the positive upticks for email marketing. Basically, images create a much more personal feel when you use a photo of yourself. (This usually works for small business owners who are aiming to build their community.) If your staff are up for it, you could include a picture of your entire team, so your readers feel like they are getting to know your brand more. Your photos provide a more human feel to your marketing message. Consequently, when your visitors can link names to faces, it puts the business relationship on a solid footing and instills trust and confidence in your organization.
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Email Marketing Images are Attention-Grabbing
Something as simple as line art such as the one above by Boiko Ilia can work to hold attention to your marketing message.
Visuals are the first thing we look for. A reader’s eye will be immediately drawn towards any images you include in your message, so they are a terrific way to highlight an essential point. Research has also revealed that an image will inspire people to read more. Adding colors to your body copy can also help you with driving attention to achieve a desired result – for example, clicking a call to action button. Simply put, high-quality images in email marketing, combined with compelling text, create a killer combination.
Visuals are An Excellent Learning Tool
There’s no denying that images have been used as teaching aids for centuries. Schools, universities, and business seminars all use images as part of their educational material to get the point across quickly. Similarly, the information absorbed from an image is also much easier to recall than a page of text. Select the right image, and you will be able to teach your subscribers something about your product or service without them having to read a single word.
Email Marketing Images Quick Tips
Above all, images can significantly enhance your marketing message, but it’s essential not to go overboard and include too many in your newsletter. There is no specific number, but the important thing is not to make your email look too cluttered.
Consequently, too many images will also mean your email will take a while to load, which forces the reader to wait (which they likely won’t). I mean, would you stick around expecting to see an image, only to be disappointed with the wait? Load times are important, particularly if you want to retain a reader’s attention with your marketing message. Keep your image count to between 1 and 3, and only use them to highlight your most important points. For images like these and more, explore our library.