While email marketing is considered to be a cost-effective method of marketing, it is not easy designing an appealing email template. You need an entire team to write, design, and code all the different elements of the email.
The process can take up to two weeks to yield the result. This process can be made easy by switching to agile email marketing using modular emails. Even free online templates, like Marketo email templates, have a modular approach built into their editing tool. Here's a brief guide for you to understand this new form of marketing.
What is agile email marketing?
Agile email marketing is a marketing method that involves being adaptable and flexible to the constantly changing marketing scenario. The decisions in agile email marketing are taken based on empirical evidence from data from the users.
This form of email marketing also involves using modular emails to increase the efficiency of the email creation process. Agile email campaign processes also enable email marketers to bottleneck the errors in design and correct them more effectively.
How is agile email marketing different from regular email marketing?
The workflow of the traditional email campaigns is linear compared to the collaborative approach of agile email marketing. In the traditional method, the draft email copy is created first. After the copy has been approved, it goes into the designing stage.
In agile email marketing, multiple teams are working in tandem. The designers do not have to wait for the final email copy to start their designing process. They can directly collaborate with the graphics designing unit to start building the framework of the email template based on the guidelines provided by the upper management.
This process is faster and more effective in identifying and rectifying mistakes. However, the different teams need to be in touch with each other about the progress of the campaign. A slight miscommunication can lead to disastrous results.
What are modular emails?
Instead of an immutable email template, modular emails use a design method that uses multiple modules to create an email. Each module forms a different section or a different element of the email. Header, footer, email body, hero image, CTA buttons, background, etc., can all be divided into separate modules.
The email marketing team defines the total number of modules to be used depending on the content and the intent of the email. The designing process is more flexible when more modules are involved. However, it also requires a larger team and more communication channels.
The email marketers are also free to combine multiple elements into a single module. For example, all the text content of the email above the footer can be a module. Marketo email templates and its in-built editor also adopt a modular approach with their template editor. But, as mentioned earlier, flexibility decreases as more elements are grouped.
How to create email modules for agile email marketing?
Go through your existing email campaign
Collect samples of emails from your previous campaigns. Now, analyze the layout and structure of the different elements to identify the area that can be easily duplicated and reused. For example, the email footer content is the same for most of your templates. Similarly, you need to start picking out the elements that can be easily replicated. You do not have to copy the content of those areas, only the structure.
Then, divide the elements into separate modules. There is no maximum limit for the number of modules you can have. Hence create as much as your team can handle. Some marketers ignore the top and bottom spacing modules as it provides them more flexibility to design their emails.
Create brand guidelines
Agile email marketing using email modules increases the need for communication between teams to keep the look of the template consistent.
Once the modules have been finalized, it is the duty of the lead email marketer to create brand guidelines for the different units of the email marketing department. The brand guidelines will dictate how the modules should be stacked on top of each other.
In addition, the guidelines' main focus should be to maintain the professional look of the emails. For example, no matter the modules that are being used, the shape and size of your brand logo should be the same in all your templates.
Similarly, guidelines should cover the font, brand colors, brand voice, aesthetics, hero image resolutions, email copy, interactive elements, dynamic content, and other essential elements of the email.
Test your new email creation process
A modular approach to email designing makes it easier for you to continuously create and test different iterations of the same email. This, in turn, allows you to scale your campaigns with ease.
The test will provide you with separate data for the different modules. You can use this data to make prudent decisions about your email marketing strategies.
Conclusion
Agile marketing is not only more systematized but is also more economical. Email marketers do not have to go back to their drawing board each time they want to launch a campaign.
With the use of email modules, they can make all the necessary changes to their modules without having to change the entire layout of the email. All this extra resource saved can be utilized to grow your brand.
