Not too long ago, I shared an instance of a piece e mail on LinkedIn, sparking a flood of opinions on whether or not photos belong in B2B emails. It seems, the query of “to picture or to not picture” is a surprisingly divisive matter in B2B.
Right here’s the e-mail in query for reference. Whereas the names have been hidden to guard privateness, the state of affairs nonetheless displays a poor expertise for everybody concerned.
I might like to make a B2B e mail that renders like an exquisite flysheet, however Outlook isn’t a member of the Inventive Suite. Stunning designs that stack and work together aren’t your good friend in an Outlook inbox. Even in case you can code your method via most model rendering points, you’re nonetheless confronted with the truth that many companies robotically suppress the obtain of photos in e mail.
Why trouble including photos in any respect, my B2B e mail pals? As a result of an image remains to be value a thousand phrases. For those who’re fighting the steadiness of textual content versus image-based B2B emails, let’s arm you with some speaking factors.
Much less is extra, however not by no means
Earlier than you make any main modifications, test your inbox reviews. In case your advertising and marketing automation platform reviews on inbox placement, that is your go-to report for making choices about e mail design. Right here’s an instance of what you would possibly see.
If a big proportion of your viewers makes use of Outlook, protecting your designs easy and fewer table-heavy is finest. Remember that Outlook usually turns off photos by default, so keep away from overly complicated designs. Whereas it’s tempting to prioritize design, optimizing for Outlook compatibility is vital to making sure your B2B emails carry out successfully within the inbox.
Whereas we’re at it, make your self a reminder to test in your e mail fallback fonts and keep away from these rounded corners — however that’s a dialog for an additional article.
Get impressed by different B2B designs
You may be easy and never boring. Actually Good Emails is a good place to get impressed by e-newsletter codecs, nurture emails and a lot extra that’s working nicely in B2B. Try their curated checklist of B2B e mail designs.
Dig deeper: The best way to produce brand-approved e mail designs on time and on finances
Align your e mail design together with your viewers’s expectations
In case your solely picture is a inventory header or a primary thumbnail, it’s possible not value downloading. As a substitute, take into account your viewers and tailor your design to their expectations.
Give recipients a purpose to obtain photos — comparable to sharing beneficial info in a graphic. Add a preface that helps recipients anticipate the picture’s content material to encourage this. For instance, embrace a dynamic, customized picture with a observe like, “We’ve offered your particular ends in a fast visible…” adopted by the customized graphic.
Customise photos based mostly on the recipient
Are you including any new worth to your header photos? You might take into account creating dynamic header photos that set off an individual’s business, area or space of curiosity. Advisable supporting content material may be dynamic. As an illustration, relatively than showcasing one upcoming webinar, why not showcase the one the recipient is most definitely to attend based mostly on their purchaser profile?
Use alt textual content strategically
Alt textual content is important for accessibility, nevertheless it will also be a instrument to encourage picture downloads. You would possibly make it humorous (if it fits your model), intriguing or just descriptive. Relatively than simply describing the picture, think about using alt textual content to convey the picture’s goal or add a artistic contact that invitations curiosity.
Deploy hidden photos to detect safety bots
You too can use photos in unconventional methods — like creating captures for safety bots. Including a 1 px by 1 px picture into your background with a devoted hyperlink can inform you which recipients have a safety bot that may pre-click all e mail hyperlinks and decrease the engagement rating by clicking the hyperlink.
Optimize picture dimensions for e mail shoppers
Use photos that match the house allowed, ideally protecting the width at or under 680 px. Outsized photos can disrupt the format, particularly in Outlook, which frequently ignores specified dimensions and shows photos at their full dimension. As an illustration, importing a 1200 px header right into a 600 px slot might lead to a 1200 px show, inflicting recipients to scroll horizontally to view all the e mail.
Keep away from textual content in photos
Keep away from inserting textual content immediately inside photos — particularly if a lot of your recipients use Outlook. Textual content embedded in photos can seem blurry, develop into too small to learn on cellular or stay hidden if photos aren’t downloaded. Whereas the picture could look excellent in your browser’s preview, keep in mind that most recipients gained’t have the identical giant show expertise.
Dig deeper: Cease insulting your viewers with this e mail habits
Check, check and check once more
Have an e mail rendering instrument? Use it! E mail rendering instruments are one of the best ways to see how your new design will look throughout numerous e mail inboxes — and it’s much more user-friendly than sending your e mail to a dozen of your coworkers.
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