Email Marketing Tips: Using Images, Part 1

In email marketing, visuals are the key. Whether you’re promoting a product, building your brand identity, or simply maintaining contact with customers, images can immensely impact how effective and memorable your emails become. 

We’ve put together a two-part series on using images in email marketing. Why? Because emails with images have higher open and click-through rates than text-based ones. If creating emails with visuals sounds complicated, don’t worry. We’ve compiled the best advice and information about image size, placement, formats, and practical design techniques that will take your emails from ordinary to extraordinary.  

Use Quality Images That Fit Your Message  

High-quality images can help convey the message of your campaign and create an emotional connection with your audience. From social media marketing to email campaigns, visuals are crucial in spreading your message and compel readers to take action.

Say you own a bakery and want to promote a special offer on cupcakes. You can send an email with a basic description of the offer, or you could include an image of one of your most popular cupcake flavors, complete with vibrant colors and mouth-watering details. 

You can use your own images or get stock photos. Emails containing photos that don’t align with the content’s tone or message are ineffective and potentially damaging to your brand reputation. For example, product photos have no distractions in the background and lifestyle shots must fit the newsletter’s context and tone of the message. 

Optimize Image Sizes for Faster Loading Times

Large image files can take longer to load, resulting in slower open times and decreased user engagement with your emails. To optimize your emails, here are a few tips you can implement:

• Compress the file size of images before uploading them into an email message. Many software programs have built-in tools that compress image sizes without sacrificing quality.
• When possible use vector graphics instead of raster images because they render faster and can be resized without compromising quality.
• Overusing images can significantly slow down loading times, so opt for using a larger image instead of several smaller ones. This will make the message easier to read and quicker to load on any device!  

Check for Compatible File Formats 

Imagine you’ve created an amazing email campaign featuring some beautiful visuals. You hit send, but when your subscribers open the email on their end, all they see blank boxes where the images should have been. What happened? 

Your email marketing service provider didn’t support your file format. This mistake can lead to confusion and frustration among subscribers. Try these extra steps, and it will save you time in the long run and give readers a better experience when opening your emails:

• Check with your email marketing service provider for recommended file formats (JPEGs, GIFs, etc.) and image size restrictions.
• Test out different file types and sizes in a test environment before launching an entire campaign.
• Make sure any clickable elements in images are correctly configured so that calls-to-action display clearly on both desktop computers and mobile devices.

In Conclusion

Using images in email marketing will give you the chance to make a lasting impression on your audience. Eye-catching and thoughtfully crafted visuals can be just as effective as the words you include within your emails. Combined with a clear, concise message from start to finish, you are sure to capture the attention of your email list and make yourself stand out from the masses. 

Check out part two of our mini-series on using images in email marketing next week. Need help in the meantime? Contact us to learn how Fisher Green Creative can lend a hand.