Why You Need an Email Style Guide to Reinforce Your Branding

By Yauhen Zaremba September 26, 2022

Creating an electronic mail model information is the easiest way to bolster your branding. Uncover find out how to ace your electronic mail model information.

Constant branding makes a model immediately identifiable — and memorable.

However do you know that in addition to making use of branding pointers to your merchandise, ads, and web sites, it’s equally essential to hold branding pointers via into the e-mail model information on your model. Let’s get began!

What’s an electronic mail model information and why is it essential?

An electronic mail model information is a set of pointers that outline the content material and look of an organization’s model emails. Electronic mail pointers define particular requirements for the messaging, tone of voice, and visible look of every electronic mail. 

Creating a transparent electronic mail model information is essential as a result of it helps advertising groups generate content material that constantly matches the model’s id. Reaching constant branding throughout all channels (together with electronic mail) is without doubt one of the greatest methods to enhance model recognition.

In flip, model recognition will enhance the success of electronic mail advertising campaigns by encouraging prospects to have interaction with emails and take the specified motion (e.g. clicking via to a touchdown web page, supply, or useful resource). 

Billions of emails are despatched every day. By creating easy-to-apply pointers, templates, and picture databases on your electronic mail copy, you’ll help your model picture and arrange your electronic mail advertising campaigns for achievement from day one. Plus, it’s an effective way to hurry up electronic mail creation and save time. 

Do I want an electronic mail model information if I’ve different model pointers?

The quick reply is sure. Even when you have already got a set of name pointers for product design and on-line content material, it’s essential to comply with this via to your electronic mail copy. Most organizations will have already got a common model information outlining issues like: 

• Tone of voice (with examples) 
• Model emblem and any variants
• Imagery and video content material
• Fonts and shade schemes 
• Model editorial model (e.g. titles, abbreviations, symbols, quotes, citations, and numbers)

Whereas these pointers could be useful when utilized to electronic mail, it’s a lot better to create a separate model information particularly for electronic mail content material. It’s because electronic mail is topic to further standards like gadget compatibility, picture blocking, and rendering issues. 

Any electronic mail model information you create ought to nonetheless be complementary, nonetheless — you don’t need your emails to really feel completely different from every little thing else you do! It’s simply a lot less complicated to have one devoted information per channel in order that your advertising and content material creation groups know the place to seek out every little thing. 

How one can write an electronic mail model information: what to incorporate

Able to create an electronic mail model information however undecided the place to begin? Each electronic mail model information ought to comprise the next primary parts: 

Textual content pointers 

Present detailed textual content pointers for all of the completely different textual content codecs that is perhaps utilized in your electronic mail copy. Widespread electronic mail textual content varieties embrace the next: 

Envelope copy

That is any copy like topic strains and preheader textual content that seems within the inbox earlier than the subscriber opens the e-mail. 

In your model information take into account components like whether or not this copy must be customized, any key phrases to incorporate, and if/the way you need emojis included in topic strains. Make sure that to cowl issues to keep away from, too — like all caps.

Etiquette and tone of voice

Define the tone that must be utilized in your electronic mail copy to mirror your model persona. Is your model’s tone formal? Pleasant? Do you make jokes, or preserve issues severe?

Keep in mind that the tone you select ought to mirror your goal buyer. For instance, for those who’re advertising a communications platform as a service software program to company managers and VPs then you definately may wish to preserve the language skilled and informative. 

Textual content styling

This encompasses issues like font alternative, shade, and even positioning throughout the electronic mail itself. Be sure you have an inventory of acceptable selections and verify all fonts chosen work on a number of units/working methods. 

Alt textual content

Present directions for writing alt textual content, together with any accessibility components. Your model information ought to clear up questions like: 

• When ought to/ shouldn’t photographs have alt textual content? 
• Are there any model pointers for alt textual content?
• Ought to alt textual content replicate graphical textual content in photographs? 
• Is alt textual content required for icons?

Picture pointers

Present detailed picture pointers for all of the completely different visible codecs that is perhaps utilized in your electronic mail copy. Widespread electronic mail picture issues embrace the next: 

• Picture kind: Do you employ static photographs, GIFs, inventory photographs, or data-based photographs? 
• Picture model: How is the picture included into the e-mail? Are there any borders, drop shadows, or on-image textual content? 
• Picture dimension: This covers each file dimension and top/width of featured photographs, secondary photographs, thumbnails, GIFs, and different commonplace visible parts. 
• Picture decision: The variety of pixels per picture and file saving necessities. 

CTA language pointers

Present a variety of examples of acceptable language for calls to motion (CTAs). CTA formatting choices to think about embrace: 

• Hierarchy: Present an inventory of potential main and secondary CTAs and directions for when and the place to make use of them in electronic mail copy. 
• Type: Present an inventory of ordinary language for all CTAs or an inventory of pre-written CTA variations to select from. 
• Buttons: Present all vital code snippets for CTA buttons. 

Keep in mind, a CTA doesn’t must be a name to buy — you may additionally simply need folks to have interaction with some new content material. As an illustration, for those who’ve completed a weblog publish evaluating two e-sign companies, you may embrace ‘try HelloSign vs PandaDoc to be taught extra about digital signing’ as your CTA.

Continuously used content material 

You’ll doubtless have design parts you employ rather a lot — sure CTA buttons, product photographs, or your emblem. Present an inventory or database of continuously used content material that copywriters can use as a part of branded electronic mail copy. This helps preserve copy constant, recognizable, and can enhance the effectivity with which electronic mail copy could be created and authorised for publication. 

Widespread standardized parts embrace: 

• Icons 
• Promotions 
• Worth propositions 
• Taglines 
• Disclaimers
• Headers and footers 
• Ensures

An electronic mail e-newsletter template 

Lastly, take into account together with a predefined electronic mail template. Even higher, take into account creating a number of templates for various electronic mail codecs (e.g. newsletters, welcome emails, promotions, and even an affiliate internet marketing settlement template).

That manner, reasonably than ranging from scratch each time (and risking errors creeping in) your staff can simply simply add their content material to one thing that already works — saving them time and main to higher, extra constant emails. 

How one can apply your electronic mail model information 

We’re virtually there. Now that you just’ve received the entire parts on your electronic mail model information prepped, let’s focus on some last greatest practices for utilizing and making use of your electronic mail model information. 

Stick with the rules

When you’ve revealed the rules, stick with the rules. Deviating closely from electronic mail model pointers will injury model id. Keep in mind that the rules are there to assist writers and designers create content material that aligns together with your model id. Add a step to your electronic mail improvement workflow the place somebody checks every new electronic mail in opposition to your in-house electronic mail model information.

Create campaigns that align with model picture

When the time comes on your subsequent large advertising marketing campaign, head straight to your model and electronic mail model pointers. It’s so essential that entrepreneurs preserve model picture and tone in thoughts when formulating and structuring promoting and digital advertising campaigns. 

Make sure that your electronic mail template is cellular pleasant 

So as to preserve model professionalism and credibility, your content material should render effectively throughout platforms, significantly cellular. Make it possible for your advertising emails and newsletters look good and performance optimally on all digital units. 

It’s a good suggestion to maintain this in thoughts when writing up your electronic mail model information. Widespread hindrances in the case of electronic mail renderability embrace issues like:

• Customized bullet factors (commonplace bullets render higher) 
• Lack of alt tags on photographs
• Explicit coding varieties (e.g Float and Clear)
• Sure kinds of tags (select HTML over div tags)
• Javascript
• Textual content-to-image ratios
• CTA Placement
• CSS stylesheets

Align envelope copy and touchdown web page messaging

Lastly, be certain that the model and substance of your electronic mail copy aligns with the copy in your touchdown web page. Be certain that messaging is constant between advertising supplies and on-page content material. 

When prospects click on via from an electronic mail, they need to discover in your touchdown web page the very factor communicated within the content material of the e-mail. For instance, for those who ship out an electronic mail with a free trial of your new crowd-testing app, then make it possible for the e-mail clicks via to your trial web page. 

Emails ought to at all times information readers to a related on-line web page that builds on the content material of the e-mail itself, whether or not that’s a selected product, supply, or weblog publish.

Don’t neglect electronic mail! 

So there now we have it. Most of us are already aware of the significance of constant branding. In case you haven’t received a delegated electronic mail model information already, now’s the time to begin. Creating an electronic mail model information will reinforce your branding, enhance model visibility, and help development.