Category Archive: 5 things
5 things to know about Studio Design
If you’re an Emma customer, you’ve probably heard about this little thing called Studio Design, which is an entirely different (dare we say, groundbreaking) approach to custom design. But as thrilled as we were to launch it, our customers’ enthusiasm quite simply made us feel like dancing.
And so, with the helpful feedback of our community and fellow staffers (except this guy, who really just did the dancing), we’ve put together a handy-dandy user’s guide to our own little design revolution. Which, of course, is not to be confused with Dance Dance Revolution, even though they do, on occasion, look quite similar.
1. What it is
Studio Design is a new way to get custom stationery that relies more pointedly on *your* art direction. One particularly astute customer noted that requesting Studio Design vs. Concierge Design is a lot like answering a multiple choice quiz vs. a short essay question. With Studio Design, we provide a hefty assortment of styles and motifs, and from there, you choose your own design adventure. Side note: Never fear! At Emma, said adventures never end in shipwreck or scurvy.
Lauren Johnston, one of the Emma designers who created the look of the Studio Design request form. Other reasons she is amazing: She has great taste in jewelry, she is a fantastic DJ for the design team and she is from Texas.
So how does it end, you ask? With beautiful stationery created by one of our fabulous designers, of course! And because of the systematized process, we get a streamlined work flow, and you reap all the benefits: shorter turnaround time, minimized design cost and more direct control over the look of your stationery.
2. Who it’s for
If one or more of the following sounds familiar, then you could be a great candidate for Studio Design:
- You want stylish, professionally designed stationery, but you want to be directly involved in the design-making process.
- Your stationery needs to reflect your brand identity, but you don’t have a lot of your own supporting graphics to use.
- You want a simple header that contains your logo or name, and possibly (but not necessarily) a slogan, background color or texture and/or a couple embellishments to make it look extra special.
- You have good, solid ideas about how your stationery should look, but you could use some help articulating what you want.
- You don’t know exactly what you want, but you know what you don’t want — so choosing from a gallery of original graphics would help you figure it out as you go.
3. Where to get it
If you’re an existing customer, just head on over to the online form.
If you’re interested in joining the Emma community, we’d love to chat and get you started! Just give us a ring at 800-595-4401, email us at hi@myemma.com or fill out a quick form.
How a bill becomes a law. Or, how a Studio Design theme choice becomes a stylish custom stationery.
4. How it works
The first step is to give us your basic brand information: your logo or company name, your slogan and your color preferences. Then choose one of our many style themes, each of which has a thumbnail and description to demonstrate what it is.
The menu of textures and elements that you see is based on your choice of theme. This time, though, the thumbnails are in black and white so that you can imagine them in *your* colors. Just keep in mind that the texture is a sort of backdrop, whereas the elements are smaller decorative motifs that work with and enhance your logo.
Finally, you just need to choose the shape of your header and whether you want a drop shadow. Your designer then takes all the information you provided and creates something new, custom, brand-consistent and quite possibly dance-worthy.
5. When it’ll be done
The turnaround time for a Studio Design stationery is two business days from the date we get your request. Keep in mind, of course, that the form does not generate a preview of your stationery. That’s because each header is handcrafted by a real designer, who uses his or her graphic design skill after you submit the request to make judgment calls on things like scale, composition, opacity and angle.
So what if you chose the most perfect shade of green, only to realize that it wasn’t so great after all? Rest assured that you can ask your designer for a revision if you change your mind about any single aspect of your stationery.
Of course, we’re still offering Concierge Design too, so you still have plenty of options. To see some real-life examples of Studio Design, check out our June design showcase. Ready to request one now? Click here for the form, and vive la révolution!
5 pointers for visually effective email campaigns
Two Emma customers that use images effectively in their email campaigns: Hooprama and Goddess of the Hunt.
Wondering how to improve your next effort? Creating an email campaign can seem daunting sometimes, so keep these tips in mind for your next big send.
1. Don’t be shy – use images.
There’s nothing less inviting in your inbox than opening an email only to see text, text and … oh, yeah, more text. Although your information is no doubt interesting, your readers’ time and attention spans are limited. So make your campaign fun!
Pictures are eye-catching little gems that make your content feel more readable and personalized. Thanking your audience for their support? Show a picture of your appreciative staff to put a face on your gratitude. Advertising an upcoming event? Sprinkle in some pics from last year’s shindig so potential attendees know what to anticipate. We can be vain creatures, we humans, and if there happens to be a photo of moi in your write-up of last week’s mixer, well, you can bet I’ll not only feel special, but I’ll also share it with my friends and open your next email with gusto.
Of course, if your readers’ email programs have images turned off, they may not see your photos at first, so make sure your campaign is still visually appealing by formatting the text in creative ways. Which brings us to…
2. Break up your content.
Yeah, yeah, breaking up can be hard to do (we know), but it’s vital in your email campaigns.
- Consolidate content into lists. Great for skimming!
- Highlight different sections using Emma’s table tool to insert background colors.
- Make use of layouts that space your content in unexpected ways. Think outside of the basic letter structure.
- Experiment with the horizontal rule tool to put a thin border between articles.
Visually let your readers know that even with their busy schedules, your email is quick and easy to read.
3. Keep it a little consistent.
Every Monday, I get a newsletter from Oprah. I admit it. (It’s a good read, OK?) And every Monday at work, I cringe at the thought of someone catching me read it. But what keeps me hooked is that whenever I open it, I know exactly where to direct my eyes for a hasty once-over. Before I know it, my “I-don’t-want-anyone-to-see-me-reading-this-touchy-feely-email” attitude gives way to intrigue as I start clicking the links that appeal to me. On top of that, the email stays consistent within itself, using only a couple fonts (in reasonable sizes) and sticking to a uniform, easy-to-read color scheme.
If you build a campaign that is somewhat predictable in terms of timing, content and placement, with a little restraint shown in your font and color choices, your readers will know when and where to find their favorite pieces.
Of course, for every rule, there is an exception…
4. Now spice it up.
You have to know the rules before you can break them, so once you’ve figured out a general framework for your campaigns so that readers know what to expect, find a way to still keep it fresh. Disrupt the norm occasionally with a new banner graphic that calls attention to a big event or sale you’re advertising. Keep readers guessing a little, so they never feel like they’ve read it all before. If you have a column on basket weaving every week, but this week you have nothing to share on the topic, don’t fill the space just to stay consistent. Put something new in its place or try a simplified mailing with less content this time.
Which raises another issue, really…
5. Keep an eye on that length.
Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Long-winded email campaigns, my friends, won’t always endear you to your audience. Although it may seem slightly counterintuitive, creating long messages is an easy (and quick) mistake to make.
And it’s understandable — after all, you’re an amazing organization doing great things, and you want to share it all. The truth is that it’s harder to spend time figuring out what’s most important to your readers. The key is to take the time to do just that. When your email campaign is too long, readers are less likely to read your content. Such a paradox!
So here’s the secret: Don’t give it away all at once. You want to direct readers to your website, right? Well then, leave a little to the imagination and make them want more. Give only a headline or a brief teaser to an article so they can easily scan for topics that pique their curiosity. Then direct your readers to the full story with a “see more” or “continue reading” link, which will take them straight to your website. Right where you want ‘em.
And now, with your images, easy-to-read chunks and manageable length, your readers won’t feel over-or-under- whelmed with the “body language” of your email. Prepare to be heard (and seen).
Subject line remix
Five effective subject lines that defy conventional wisdom.
If you’ve ever seen tips for writing an effective subject line or maybe even attended a conference about email marketing best practices, you’ve probably been advised to abide by a certain set of tried-and-true principles.
First, the experts often say, include your company or brand name so that the mailing becomes instantly trusted and recognizable. Next, keep it short to make the most of the fixed space for subject lines in most email clients and webmail applications. And lastly, use the subject line to highlight the most important part of your campaign message and get your readers to click.
These are great guidelines and are always a helpful place to start. But it’s worth going your own route sometimes, too. I’ve recently noticed five subject lines in my inbox that have seemingly ignored or temporarily kicked conventional wisdom to the curb, yet still grabbed my attention.
Subject line #1
He Is Both Father and Mother
- The mailing content: A Father’s Day story from a non-profit celebrating a father who played both roles to his family after his wife passed away.
- Why it stood out to me: Curious, quirky and open-ended phrasing.
Subject line #2
Pods, Prefabs, Parking, Planting, and Paralyzing the Press
- The mailing content: An assortment of environmental stories.
- Why it stood out to me: Effective use of alliteration.
Subject line #3
School Lunch: Would You Eat That?
- The mailing content: A story of a teacher eating the same lunch as her students every day.
- Why it stood out to me: A hot topic in the news, followed by a question that instantly engaged me.
Subject line #4
Do You See God in Your Coffee?
- The mailing content: A report on searching for the perfect cup of coffee at local coffee shops.
- Why it stood out to me: Again, an engaging question (and one that brings back fond memories of late-night, college-dorm-style philosophical discussions).
Subject line #5
Abe Lincoln slaughtered vampires!
- The mailing content: A review of a newly released novel.
- Why it stood out to me: Pop culture references paired with American history … now that’s a winning combination. Even if you don’t have a vampire novel to promote, you can sneak in a reference now and then that’s on everyone’s minds. (FYI: Millard Fillmore was totally on Team Jacob).
All these creative examples take a unique angle – looking for a relevant but unexpected way to present your mailing can yield strong results and bring new life to your newsletters and other campaigns.
So when is the appropriate time to mix it up a bit and try your hand at something outside the norm?
- If you’re in a rut and you’ve been following the same formula for writing subject lines for the last year, it’s prime time to mix it up.
- If you’ve found success in the past with a certain style but your response numbers are beginning to trend in the wrong direction, even previously successful subject lines are worth revisiting.
- If you find yourself about to announce a new service or product, that’s also a great opportunity to try something new.
Feel free to weigh in below with recent subject lines that grabbed your attention … I look forward to your feedback.
Emma is a member of the Email Sender & Provider Coalition and the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group.
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