The Design Lookbook a collection of exceptional design

Transcription

1 The Design Lookbook a collection of exceptional design

2 Introduction templates can be tricky. What kind of template is best for an event promotion ? What about a newsletter or a drip ? Where does the call to action go? If you find yourself asking questions like this, then take a look at the 10 examples of successful templates included in this guide all of which have been provided by Pardot clients and get a more in-depth look at best practices for common types of B2B templates. Looking for even more best practices? Download the Template Handbook below. GET THE HANDBOOK

3 Feature Launch: Wistia This feature launch from Wistia is a great example of how an can be simple while still being informative. Including only the essentials in the copy tells recipients exactly what they need to know, and leaves them the option to view the video to learn more. Including simple visuals and a video link is also a great way to increase engagement. A few other important things to note about this template: social sharing buttons are easy to find, unsubscribe links are present in more than one location, and Wistia s contact information is included in the bottom right corner. Including video links in can increase engagement and click-through rates while decreasing subscriber optouts. Take a few notes from Wistia and include a visuallyappealing screenshot that links out to your video s location (keep in mind that actually embedding the video in the can often decrease your deliverability rates and increase the chances of your being marked as SPAM).

4 Newsletter: Visually Newsletters can be difficult templates to master, and often have poor open rates compared to other types of content. This from Visually has close to a 30% open rate, and an even higher click-through rate (41%!) and it s not hard to see why. Visually s newsletter template is fun and colorful, but most importantly, it s organized logically and includes plenty of options for readers to click through to view additional content on their site. Calls to action are distinguished by pink bars that stretch across the width of the , as you can see toward the top of the image to the right. The contrast between the vibrant pink bar and the white background naturally draws the eyes of the reader to the CTA. Make sure your call to action is featured at the top of your (it can also be sprinkled throughout the rest of your , but the most important place for it to appear is at the top). Many people don t bother scrolling all the way to the bottom of their s, so calls to action placed at the end of an could end up being overlooked. In the case of Visually, they ve placed their call to action at both the top and the bottom of their , increasing the likelihood that it will be seen by readers.

5 Newsletter: Twilio This newsletter template by Twilio demonstrates how you can convey a lot of information with very little text, making the easier to read and more enjoyable to look at. The heavy focus on graphics gives readers obvious places to direct their attention as they re scanning through the . Just keep in mind that too many images (or images that are too large compared to the amount of text) in an HTML can cause your to get marked as SPAM. If you have graphics that can convey the same information as text, use them! Visuals have been known to increase engagement levels, and are easier for readers to scan than straight text content. If you do choose to use visuals, make sure that you don t sacrifice the clean lines and organization of your . Remember to keep your content as uncluttered as possible. If you re going to take an image-heavy approach to your newsletters, make sure that your CTA links stand out from images and other text. Buttons may blend in with the images around them, but in-text links that are set apart from the surrounding text can be a great alternative. Twilio takes this approach with the red CTA in-text links below each picture.

6 Training Javelin This from Javelin showcases the value of providing content that s divided into obvious, easy-to-scan sections. While the is fairly long, the layout is simple and appealing, with text broken into smaller chunks so that readers are never forced to look at more than a few sentences at a time. The call to action is prominently displayed at the top right of the , emphasized by both a different color and a border. Keep s simple so that the actions required by your prospects or customers are always obvious. In today s day and age, your readers are often just going to be skimming your s for important, relevant points. Calls to action need to stand out and should be emphasized by either color, placement, size, or a border. Make sure that you distinguish your headers from the rest of the copy in your , like Javelin does with their orange headers. It should be easy for readers to skip ahead to the sections that are most relevant to them.

7 Holiday Audaxium This from Audaxium boasts a 34% open rate, and is a great example of how a clean, simple design can still portray a lot of personality. The tone is casual and humorous, yet informative, and the copy does a great job of showing off Audaxium s personality. At the bottom of the , Audaxium has included links to additional content in order to drive readers back to their website. They ve also made a point to include social sharing buttons for most of the major social outlets, as well as contact information and unsubscribe links. Whenever possible, show off your brand s personality and culture through your s. Your readers want to see something that looks like it came from a human, not a textbook. Take a few notes from Audaxium and don t be afraid to make a few jokes every now and then! Readers will appreciate your candid sense of humor and your willingness to connect with them on a more personal level. Even if you re just sending an about your company s holiday hours, don t miss the chance to provide your readers with a little extra content. You may not get a ton of clicks on this content, but it s worth including for the few readers who will be interested in learning more.

8 Event Promotion: Cloud Sherpas Cloud Sherpas event shows how an can still be informative while being clean, short, and to-the-point. Text is broken into short paragraphs (no more than three lines) and bullets to make it easier to read, and the calls to action are prominently placed and colored to draw the eye (the red buttons at the top right and at the bottom). This does a great job of balancing color with black and white text, adding some excitement to the template while still ensuring that it s easy to read. While event follow-up s tend to fluctuate between plain text and HTML, s that promote events are often created with HTML in order to display imagery like photos, designed pieces (like the image in this ), and event or company logos that will create more enthusiasm for the upcoming event. Research has shown that people scan s in an F shaped pattern. Keep this in mind when creating your templates. Important information should be at the top, including your company logo, your call to action, and any key points that you d like readers to take away from your (in the case of this Cloud Sherpas event, date, and time information along with their value proposition). Use colors to draw your reader s eye and pull them further into the , like Cloud Sherpas does with their header image. You want your to stand out from the rest of the black and white s landing in your readers inboxes.

9 Event Follow-Up: Carestream Dental If you hosted, attended, or sponsored an event, then you re probably going to want to follow up with everyone that you met, including customers, prospects, clients, or other professionals with similar interests. The great thing about event follow-up s is that they re highly targeted, which means that recipients will find them more relevant than your average . This event follow-up from Carestream Dental has a whopping 60% open rate. It features an image at the top to draw the eye, a clean and simple design, and sections that break the into easily-digestible chunks. Links stand out from the rest of the content, making it easier for readers to figure out where they re supposed to click. If your content doesn t lend itself well to bullets, break copy up into smaller paragraphs. Even better, separate them with headings so that readers can scan for the sections that are most relevant to them. This will make your s far less intimidating once they ve been opened, which will encourage clicks and increase engagement. You can also consider breaking up text-heavy s with images.

10 Webinar Follow-Up: AchieveIt You don t want to miss the opportunity to send out highly targeted webinar follow-ups, especially when your webinar registrants are expecting a presentation slidedeck or additional resources. AchieveIt makes a point to send out helpful links after each of their webinars. This in particular achieved a 66% open rate and a 166% total click-through rate! It s interesting to note that many webinar follow-ups will do best as plain text s since their goal is to pass along additional (and often highly anticipated) information or content. This in particular sets an expectation for future correspondence by including the phrase, we will continue to send you a new chapter every three weeks, while also including a quirky unsubscribe section at the bottom for those who aren t interested in that kind of commitment. If you know your readers interests, send them relevant content that s related to those interests. Don t just send a thank you . Add value by including links to extra content that your recipients might find useful. AchieveIt s does a great job of this by providing links to additional helpful information in this case, two chapters of AchieveIt s book, which they knew would be relevant based on the webinar that the recipients attended. Content is also distributed in multiple formats, giving recipients the choice to download it in whichever format they please.

11 General Zerochaos The clean, simple design of this template from Zerochaos makes it easy to read and digest. The language is benefit-focused, educational, and casual, and text is broken into bullets and smaller paragraphs. Social sharing buttons are featured prominently in the top right corner with additional links present at the bottom of the . If you are sending s to prospects who are in the early stages of the buying cycle, keep your content light and educational. Focus on thought leadership articles and blog posts instead of promoting late-stage sales collateral like buyer s guides, white papers, and recorded webinars. Create a sidebar in your if you have important information that you d like to set apart. Think of it like this: if your readers only read one part of your , which section would you want them to read? This is the type of information that would be great to display separately for readers who love to scan.

12 Plain-Text Drip IVCi While most s work best as HTML s, we ve found that drip s are the most successful when they re in a plain text format, which makes them appear as though they re a one-to-one communication between a sales rep (or someone else at your company) and a prospect. This from IVCi is short, conversational, and includes a personalized signature to enhance the impression that the is coming directly from a sales rep. Do your best to ensure that drip s are as personalized to each recipient as possible. Keep them informal and conversational while still including a value proposition, and send them from a specific person at your company, like a sales rep. Use bullets whenever possible to make it easier for your readers to scan through important points. Long paragraphs can scare your readers away before they even get to the real meat of your .

13 Acknowledgements

14 Pardot is marketing automation for Salesforce customers. Your customers are smarter, more capable, and betterinformed than ever before. This new breed of consumer demands a better breed of marketing, and the Pardot platform has the capabilities to get you there. LEARN MORE f