Email design & more

The arrival of fall not only brings a change in the weather but also opens a window of opportunity for email marketers to tap into the sales season.

Did you know that according to OptinMonster, a striking “47% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone?” This makes your email subject lines a key player in your autumn marketing strategy. 

Let’s dive into a world where creativity meets strategy, exploring a variety of fall email subject lines designed to captivate your audience and boost your autumn sales.

Fall email subject line tips

Let’s explore some pivotal tips that will elevate your fall email subject lines and ensure they capture the essence of your message and the season.

1. Personalize with a touch of seasonal warmth

Utilizing data like past purchases, location, or browsing history allows you to craft subject lines that speak directly to the individual, enveloping them in a personalized experience that feels inviting.

2. Avoid the spam trap with thoughtful wording

Crafting a subject line that avoids the dreaded spam folder is akin to carefully stepping through a patch of crunchy fall leaves – it requires thoughtfulness and precision. Steer clear of using all caps, excessive exclamation points, and words that are commonly associated with spam, such as “free” or “buy now.” Instead, focus on creating a natural, conversational tone that gently guides your subscribers into your content.

3. Incorporate timeliness and urgency

Infusing your subject lines with a sense of timeliness and urgency, such as highlighting a limited-time offer or a flash sale, can encourage subscribers to open your email promptly. Ensure that the urgency is genuine and the offers are valuable to maintain trust and engagement with your audience.

4. Highlight your brand’s personality

Fall is a season that comes with its own array of playful language and puns. Whether it’s playing with phrases related to leaves, pumpkins, or cozy sweaters, a clever pun can add personality to your communication.

5. Embrace A/B testing for your subject lines

By testing two variations of your subject lines you can gain insights into which phrases, keywords, or emojis resonate best, enabling you to send the more effective subject line to your list. 

60 Best Fall Email Subject Lines 

From the allure of sales and the unveiling of new collections to the playful charm of puns and the festive joy of holidays, each of these subject lines is a pathway into the heart of your subscribers. 

Fall sale or discount subject lines

Incorporating the seasonal charm of fall into your sale subject lines not only enhances their appeal but also creates a timely and relevant context that can resonate with your subscribers, inviting them to explore your offerings and, ultimately, make a purchase.

Subject line examples:

• "🍂 Fall Into Savings: Up to 50% Off Starts Now!"
• "Harvest the Savings: Exclusive Fall Discount Inside!"
• "Sweater Weather, Sweeter Deals: 30% Off Fall Fashion!"
• "Unbe-leaf-able Deals: Your Exclusive Fall Sale is Here!"
• "Autumn Exclusives: Enjoy an Extra 20% Off Sale Items!"
• "Fall in Love with Our Autumn Sale: Up to 40% Off!"
• "🎃 Spooktacular Savings: Frighteningly Good Deals Inside!"
• "Cozy Up to Exclusive Fall Discounts – Limited Time Only!"
• "A Cornucopia of Savings: Shop Our Fall Sale Now!"
• "Rake in the Deals: Your Fall Discount Awaits Inside!"

Real-life example:‍‍

• ‍Brand Name: Hay‍
• Subject line: "Crisp, cozy, colorful (and 15% off)"‍
• Purpose of the email: Announce their “Autumn Sale.” 

Fall subject lines to introduce new collections or products

Introducing new collections with fall-centric subject lines seamlessly blends the anticipation of the new with the comforting familiarity of the season, crafting a delightful and enticing invitation to explore, discover, and shop.

Subject line examples:

• "🍁 Fresh Picks for Fall: Explore Our New Arrivals!"
• "New Season, New Styles: Shop the Fall Collection Now!"
• "Autumn Elegance: Discover Our New Fall Jewelry Line!"
• "Wrap Up in Style with Our New Fall Outerwear!"
• "Fall Flavors Have Arrived: New Seasonal Menu Inside!"
• "Step into Fall: New Boot Collection Just Dropped!"
• "Cozy Up with Our New Fall Home Decor!"
• "Sip into Autumn: New Fall Beverage Line Launched!"
• "Fall Beauty Unveiled: Explore Our New Makeup Line!"
• "Fresh Fall Reads: Discover Our New Book Releases!"

Real-life example:

• Brand Name: Juvee
• Subject Line: “Bringing You a Taste of Autumn” 
• Purpose of the email: Promote the launch of their Caramel Apple drink.

Subject lines with fall puns

Fall provides a fertile ground for playful wordplay that can bring a smile to your subscribers and create a lighthearted, engaging entry point to your email content.

Subject line examples:

• "Orange You Glad It’s Pumpkin Season? 🎃"
• "Nuts About Our New Fall Collection!"
• "Oh My Gourd, These Fall Deals Are Unbe-leaf-able!"
• "Squash Your FOMO: Fall Sale Now On!"
• "Leaf Your Worries Behind: Fall into Relaxation!"
• "Yam-tastic! Sweet Deals on Our New Fall Menu!"
• "Apple-y Ever After: Fall in Love with Our New Arrivals!"
• "A-maize-ing Deals Just for You This Fall!"
• "Harvest the Fun with Our Fall Festival Lineup!"
• "Spice Up Your Wardrobe with Our Fall Collection!"

Real-Life Example:

• Brand Name: FitVine Wines
• Subject Line: "No tricks, just treats 🎃🍷🦇”
• Purpose of the email: Promote their FitVine.

Holiday-specific fall subject lines

Crafting holiday-specific subject lines allows your brand to resonate with the festive spirit and sentiments that naturally permeate through the season. By aligning your messages with the holidays and celebrations that your audience holds dear, you create a bridge of relevance and shared joy, enhancing the connectivity and appeal of your emails during this festive fall period.

Halloween

• "No Tricks, Just Treats: Spooktacular Deals Inside!"
• "Unmask Frighteningly Good Offers This Halloween!"
• "Boo-tiful New Arrivals to Spook and Delight!"
• "Witching You a Happy Halloween: Special Treat Inside!"

Thanksgiving

• "Gobble Up the Savings: Thanksgiving Deals Inside!"
• "Grateful for You: A Thanksgiving Treat Inside 🦃"
• "Feast Your Eyes on Our Thanksgiving Specials!"
• "A Cornucopia of Thanks: Exclusive Offer Inside!"

Veterans Day

• "Honoring Heroes: Special Veterans Day Sale!"
• "A Salute to Savings: Veterans Day Exclusive!"
• "Celebrating Courage: Special Offer for Veterans Day!"
• "Thank You for Your Service: Exclusive Veterans Day Deal!"

Black Friday

• "Black Friday Bounty: Unbeatable Deals Inside!"
• "Sneak Peek: Black Friday Deals Unveiled!"
• "The Black Friday Sale You’ve Been Waiting For!"
• "Unlock Black Friday Savings Early: VIP Access Inside!"

Real-Life Example:

• Brand Name: Carhartt 
• Subject Line: "Black Friday: Early Access"
• Purpose of the email: Promote their Black Friday early access sale. 

Fall subject lines that reference fall weather

Subject lines that reference the weather crafts a narrative that is immediately recognizable and engaging to your subscribers, inviting them to explore your offerings with the comforting, familiar backdrop of the fall season.

Subject line examples:

• "Fall Breeze, Autumn Ease: Wind Down with Our Cozy Picks!"
• "Rainy Day Rescue: Stay Dry with Our Stylish Raincoats!"
• "Sweater Weather is Better Weather: New Arrivals Inside!"
• "Crisp Air, Don’t Care: Explore Our Fall Essentials!"
• "Stay Cozy in Our Must-Have Fall Layers!"
• "Chilly Days, Stylish Ways: Warm Up with Our Collection!"
• "Embrace the Chill: Hot Deals on Cool Styles Inside!"
• "Leaf the Cold Behind: Warm Up with Our Hot Picks!"
• "Autumn Showers, Stylish Hours: Waterproof Favorites Inside!"
• "Warm Hues, Cozy Shoes: Step into Fall Comfort!"

Real-life example:

• Brand Name: Hotel June
• Subject Line: "Feels Like Fall"
• Purpose of the email: Encourage travelers to book a stay at Hotel June by promoting new fall specials. 

Fall subject lines about autumn activities and events

From apple picking and leaf-peeping to festive gatherings and holiday preparations, these subject lines evoke anticipatation of these cherished moments. By aligning your messages with the activities that define the fall experience, your emails become a celebration of the season, intertwining your brand with the warmth and nostalgia.

Subject line examples:

• "Harvest Happiness with Our Fall Collection!"
• "Leaf-Peeping Essentials: Gear Up for Autumn Adventures!"
• "Apple-Picking Season is Here: Grab Your Fall Favorites!"
• "Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice: Fall Flavors Have Arrived!"
• "Get Festive: Everything You Need for Fall Gatherings!"
• "Fall Crafting: Create Your Cozy with Our DIY Kits!"
• "Bake Up a Storm: Autumn-Inspired Baking Essentials Inside!"
• "Cozy Campfires Await: S’mores, Stories, and Styles Inside!"
• "Haunted Happenings: Spooky Styles and Decor Inside!"
• "Thanksgiving Prep Starts Now: Get Ready to Feast!"

Real-Life Example:

• Brand Name: HomeAway
• Subject Line: "Get in the fall spirit with a cabin stay”
• Purpose of the email: Encourage customers to book a cabin stay. 

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Elevate your fall email campaigns to new heights

The harmony between a captivating subject line and a visually engaging email design is where the true magic happens.

With Beefree’s fall email templates, you gain access to a curated selection of designs that encapsulate the warmth and vibrancy of fall and perfectly compliment your captivating subject lines.

We’ve teamed up with Really Good Email’s Matt Helbig and a group of email experts for a roundup of the hottest email design trends.

How can you incorporate email design trends into your brand? 

“You have to know what's right for your audience, your brand, and your company. Don't just adopt a trend because it's the cool thing to do. 

Focus on the foundations, what makes a really good email is this email is customer-centric and solves a problem that someone might have. 

A lot of the time, company emails are very self-serving, but keep in mind that the person at the other end is not just a dollar sign; they are people as well. Use human language and not corporate gobbledy. 

Be clear about what you are making, why, and who it's for. Its really important to communicate your message clearly and tell people, you know, come to our site, come visit us. Send emails with a purpose and think about, “How can I make this person's day better?”

Accessibility is always a big thing. At Really Good Emails, we see a lot of all-image emails and that’s rarely ever accessible. You want to meet your readers where they are, whether it's on a mobile device or they have a disability and can't access your email. 

Beyond just including something like alt text, it's making sure your email is available on all devices that they might be reading on.

Lastly, just treat the inbox as a sacred, personal, and safe place. It is a safe place and you have some responsibility behind what you're sending to your audience. Your email should be a delight and a nice surprise in an inbox filled with annoyance and filtered spam emails. People should look forward to receiving your email in their inboxes.”

_{Matt Helbig, Integrated Manager at Beefree & Really Good Emails}

Email design trends for 2024 & beyond 

#1: Raw & unfiltered 

“As an amateur photographer myself,  I'm always excited to see that this trend continues to gain momentum. It's all about capturing images in their most natural state with minimal to no editing or retouching.

Unlike traditional stock photos or marketing images, which are often very produced, very stylized, very polished – raw and unfiltered embrace imperfection. This style, this trend, shows real people, real environments, and it captures genuine moments.

It's often characterized by natural lighting, minimal post-production editing, and authentic expressions and scenarios, which makes it feel very spontaneous and very candid. 

This trend is becoming popular largely due to social media. We're very used to seeing what at least appears to be authentic situations and with consumers demanding more transparency from brands we are kind of skeptical of overly polished images or images that we may feel are too photoshopped. 

Another plus of “raw and unfiltered” is that it can evoke a sense of nostalgia and help to strengthen the connection with your audience. 

Finally, and one of the most important, I think, is that it can be very cost-effective. You don't have to pay for the big production, the expensive photographer, or all the editing.”

_{Kristy McCarley, Founder & Managing Director of Pure Firefly.} 

#2: Chunky text

“This trend of oversized text is really dominating the visual space. If you're a design geek, this can be super fun to experiment with to add a sense of playfulness and grab a reader’s attention as soon as the email is open.

This trend is really popular because of the rise in appreciation for minimalism and the need to create quick digestible content. It allows you to convey that message in a really concise way. 

If you're trying to decide whether to experiment with this or if it's right for your brand, just keep in mind that you don't want it to be overwhelming. There should be a balance between the size of the text and its chunkiness so that it doesn't affect readability.” 

_{Kristy McCarley, Founder & Managing Director of Pure Firefly.} 

#3: Deep & dark

‘’This trend was sparked or spurred by the prevalence of dark mode, but think we've moved way beyond that now. 

I just love the spectrum of dark colors that I see brands bringing into the inbox to create this kind of mood instantly within their email. 

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My cautionary tale is to test the heck out of it beforehand. For a few email clients with some partial color inversion, darker tones turn into a salmon pink, which can strain the eyes. You obviously don't want to accidentally serve the audience that wants dark mode, something that's way outside of your brand guidelines.’’

_{Laura Sullivan, Head of Brand & Marketing at Inbox Monster}

#4: Color blocking

"These big, bold areas of color usually help you differentiate visual hierarchy in emails or make a section in an email stand out.

If you do a little bit of Googling on the history of color blocking, apparently this is a big fashion trend coming back from the 1960’s which is what gives color blocking a little bit of a retro feel."

_{Justin Jordan, Head of Strategy & Community at Beefree}

#5: Longing for Dial-up

"This trend combines old-school nostalgia with some of the new fun trends we’ve mentioned previously. This is all about the nineties being cool again. 

This summer, I have gone to so many concerts with 90s bands coming out and playing. For example, I saw a Green Day show, and they played the entirety of Dookie because it was Dookie's, I think, 25th or 30th anniversary of being released. That night, I felt like I was 18 again. The next morning, maybe not so much. But I was totally willing to relive 18 for an evening. 

If you've got that demographic, then take advantage of it. This is not for every brand; you really have to know your audience, know your style, and see if it works."

_{Justin Jordan, Head of Strategy & Community at Beefree}

#6: Ticker GIFs 

"Ticker GIF also known as the repeating text, usually at the top of the email, really grabs attention and makes the email feel lively and energetic. It can add playfulness similar to the chunky text, and it's eye-catching.

I’m kind of on the fence about ticker text because I'm affected by movement in email. So sometimes, if it's a little too fast or if it just feels like too much, I will look away, but I know there are other subscribers, the audience that loves it and really get into it.

I say be very thoughtful about the use of it. Make sure you have enough contrast. If you're using it to highlight a key message, it can be great. Or a sense of urgency for like a promotion or limited time offer. Just be aware that it can overwhelm some subscribers and it may be distracting and sometimes it's just not the right fit for the campaign."

_{Kristy McCarley, Founder & Managing Director of Pure Firefly.} 

#7: Styled letter 

"This trend is leading in popularity because it approaches email with a human voice instead of a product or brand. With the rise of AI, people’s spidey sense is up for things that aren't authentic and real and this approach helps tackle that. 

Style letter is a good balance between using plain text and brand elements like fonts and colors to make it feel a little bit more personalized.

In the example below, which is written by Justine, is all written in her voice, like when I read it, I could hear her reading it.

This trends is relatively low effort. You don't always need a designer to do something like this. You can make things stand out by using bullet points or adding a GIF. 

I like to think of email almost like as a tool belt, you know, you can use a plain text email or you can use a well-designed email. It doesn't have to be one or the other. 

You just know that your reader has this problem that they’re trying to solve, and you can use different types of content to make your email get the job to be done"

_{Laura Sullivan, Head of Brand & Marketing at Inbox Monster}

#8: Hover effects

We are seeing brands do some really cool, fun hover effects in email. It's a good way to tell people that something's clickable.

I think it's catching on because it's interactive. I think it catches your eye when you're scrolling, especially on like a desktop environment where it's supported. And some of these, especially hover effects, are little things you can add at the end of the email that may not change the whole design, but they show that you are spending the time and attention on your email designs and your marketing.

_{Matt Helbig, Integrated Manager at Beefree & Really Good Emails}

Honorable email design trend mentions: 

Typography: Weird fonts

Typography: 3D Text

Shapes: Waves

Imagery: Hand models

Interactivity: Choose your own adventure

Movement: 360 rotate

Messaging: Sustainability

Final hot take: 

"It’s important for me to share the disclaimer that trends are not going to save your business; however, they can help you better communicate your message. 

I've mostly been on the B2B side of things for my entire career. And so every time I look at what all the cool things that retail and e-commerce brands are doing, I'm reminded that B2B doesn't have to be boring.

While all of these trends may not not be totally a “hot” for your brand,it cool to at least be informed about what other brands are doing in the space and maybe one of them will work for you.

This is not an endorsement for any trend in particular. Choose your trends responsibility. Don't use it if it might not be for your brand. 

And finally make sure that whatever you do, you continue to be really good and make some really good looking emails."

_{Matt Helbig, Integrated Manager at Beefree & Really Good Emails}

‍You can watch the entire live event with Q&A here. 

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What is a teaser email?

A teaser email is an email that hints at a launch coming soon. It could be a new product, an upcoming exclusive sale, or any major announcement. In any case, a teaser email is all about building hype. It tells your customers, “Hey, something exciting is on the way, so keep your eyes on us!”

Teaser emails usually have minimal content, but as simple as they are, they can really energize your campaigns. Teaser emails can boost your marketing campaigns by:

• Building brand awareness by intriguing a new (and existing) audience with sneak peeks.
• Encouraging brand engagement by using curiosity 
• Priming customers to take action so they’re ready to buy when the announcement email arrives

What makes a great teaser email campaign?

Teaser emails aim to generate excitement around something new and significant. When done well, these emails build intrigue and make subscribers feel like they're in on a secret. A great teaser email follows the following guidelines: 

Intentions & calls to action are clear 

Teaser emails are tricky because they usually tease something customers can’t act on yet. An email without an action may leave your readers wondering what happens next. 

Consider your goal—is it to increase sales of your future product? Increase attendance at the event of the year? Regardless, you want to keep your readers engaged with your brand. Consider the following: 

• Encourage customers to follow you on social media if they don’t already by telling them that you’ll post clues and updates on your social pages
• Invite customers to sign up for text notifications so they’ll be notified first when the announcement arrives
• Offering a calendar invitation that customers can add to their calendars for a specific day and time, like the time that your sale will begin or the time when they’ll be able to sign up for your event
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By clearly indicating the next step for users, even in the “teaser” phase of your campaign, you can gauge interest in your launch and make adjustments to improve its success.  

Tells a story 

A teaser email is a powerful tool for telling a story and engaging your audience in a way that builds anticipation and excitement. By gradually revealing elements of a larger narrative or upcoming event, you can create a sense of intrigue and keep subscribers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

This is the time to start thinking about how your teaser email (or emails) plays a role within the more extensive campaign. Is it one of many emails or one of three? 

Creates curiosity

Use your email design to get creative and peak interest! Set a countdown timer, for example, or partially reveal a product peeking out from behind a curtain.

Share clues or give your audience hints about the benefits of this launch for them. For instance, if you’re introducing a new feature of your project management software, you could say, “Say goodbye to disorganized timelines” or “No more missed deadlines! Find out how on August 3rd.” 

The goal is to create more questions than answers. Give them just enough information to make them curious without giving it away so they’ll be eagerly watching your emails in the coming days.

Teaser email examples to get inspired by  

#1: Ray-Ban + Meta

Subject Line: New Ray-Ban Meta Skyler | Preorder now

Ray-Ban and Meta are announcing the latest fruit of their partnership: a pair of smart glasses that merges Meta’s technology with Ray-Ban’s eyeglass design. This teaser email announces the product and highlights its impressive features and stylish design, even though it’s not yet released.

What makes this great:

• The option to pre-order allows the brands to capitalize on the initial excitement of the collaboration.
• The product cards advertising similar models invite customers to shop the existing inventory as a way to capture add-on sales.
• Minimal text with just enough information to entice readers to learn about the launch and take action

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#2: Bose

Subject line: Get ready: We’re working on something big

This teaser email from Bose advertises new products coming soon. With just a simple, on-brand black-and-white color scheme and a few lines of copy, the message makes you feel like something epic is coming soon.

What makes this great:

• The coy and secretive tone of "get ready for some of our most innovative products yet," creates intrigue and curiosity to get customers interested in what the announcement will be.
• Short and concisely they share that this evolution is part of their story, "we're about to unveil the latest chapter in our storied history of innovation."

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#3. REI

Subject line: Coming soon: Gear up get out sale

REI teaster promotes their upcoming sale and offers readers with exclusive access to be the first to preview the company’s sale catalog. Sending an email like this can help build customer excitement and make them feel like they're getting a sneak peek or exclusive first-glance.

What makes this great:

• Offering a preview into the catalog allows customers to determine right away if they will be making a purchase during the sale.
• REI uses graphic elements to illustrate the deal in form of a "coupon."
• REI adds additional discounts and promotional offers in the email which entices the customer to shop or engage with the brand outside of the limited time offer.

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#4: Recess

Subject Line: Amazon Prime Day is Coming

Recess uses this teaser email to lay the foundation for a strong Amazon Prime Day sale.

What makes this great:

• It invites customers to add the product to their carts now so they don’t forget it when Prime Day rolls around.
• The fun and silly messaging fits Recess’s brand and makes the teaser memorable.
• The visuals are unique and trendy, playing on the name of Prime Day in a fun and engaging way.

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#5: Apple

Subject: Pre-order iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15

Apple’s marketing is known for being minimalistic yet dramatic and this teaser email is perfectly on brand.

What makes this great:

• The feature lists give customers numerous reasons to anticipate the release of the new products.
• The preorder call to action allows customers to put in their order right away so they can capitalize on the newness and excitement of the announcement.
• The email includes other information that will be helpful to customers who are considering buying the new phones, such as comparing the phones to choose the best personal fit and finding ways to save money on the phones. This removes common barriers that could make customers hesitate on buying the phones.

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#6: Louis Vuitton

Subject: Coming Soon — Fall-Winter 2024 Workwear: Louis Vuitton x Timberland

Louis Vuitton gets right to the point with this email teasing the upcoming release of their new collection. The email itself uses minimal content, just enough to give customers a sense of what is coming. The “see more” button brings customers to an equally eye-catching yet vague landing page that uses stark contrast and scrolling imagery to pique their interest in the new collection:

‍What makes this great:

• The imagery is eye-catching and merges two concepts you wouldn’t normally see together: outdoor workwear and the posh and upscale Louis Vuitton brand.
• With minimal details, the email dangles just enough information to make customers curious.
• Louis Vuitton creates a cohesive experience throughout multiple touchpoints and uses landing pages to enhance their teaser campaign.

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#7: Sonos

Subject: Preorder our first-ever headphones

Sonos email teasing the coming release of their first pair of headphones. They use a slang phrase, “hits different,” that appeals to young audiences, the consumers who use headphones the most.

Why it works:

• The subject line is clear and concise while also highlighting why this product launch is exciting "first-ever headphones."
• The email builds customers’ excitement by noting a few features and benefits of the new product.
• The email’s design is directly on-brand for Sonos, featuring clean and whitespace-heavy aesthetics.

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Before you hit send on your teaster email...

Look over your subject line -- is it exciting? Would you click on it? Building anticipation with a teaser email starts with your subject line. Appeal to your customer's sense of curiosity with a subject line that gives them just enough information to reel them in. Depending on what your big announcement will be, example subject lines could be:

• We’re letting you in on a secret…
• The countdown has begun!
• Something exciting is coming!
• Get ready to mark your calendar for the event of the season
• We have big news!

As with any email subject line, you want to keep it short and punchy.

Optimite co-founders Sushant Yadav and Nishant Yadav join us for an insightful conversation on their early beginning and the challenges faced on their journey to to a successful “email production house.” 

Despite only being in business for four years, Optimite has created over 50,000 emails across 3,000 brands. For many clients, Optimite has become “a staple within their company,” allowing them to reduce costs by up to 60% while upholding the utmost quality.  

The Fiverr days 

“We started doing email template creation work during COVID. We created a really small gig on Fiverr, like $10, just to see if there was a demand. 

Even though we were techies and our background was in website design and development, we wanted to focus on a small niche where we could really stand out. Also, in those beginning days, it was important that we could just execute everything ourselves without a team, so we thought - let's do email templates.

We started offering our services at $10, then scaled to $50 a month to $100 per month until we landed at $5,000 a month. 

As we continued to grow, we started to think of scaling our services. We wanted to start custom coding emails in HTML, but with the volume we were seeing – we knew it wasn’t scalable. 

That’s when we started looking for alternatives.” 
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^{Excerpts from our conversation with Sushant Yadav.
Edited for readability and engagement.} 

The road to scale

Sushant Yadav: “We started to look for alternatives but found that there weren’t many. Beefree was one of the options alongside Stripo, but we found that their platform’s learning curve was not that easy. 

Eventually, we narrowed down Beefree as the platform on which we wanted to build our business on. 3-4 years later and here we are.” 

However, the road to Beefree didn’t come without its challenges. 

Nishant Yadav: “I remember the exact time that led us to start searching for a solution. We had spent two days figuring out how to create an email code, and Sushant came in and said, “I found this platform, and you can drag and drop.” 

That felt contradictory. It just didn’t make sense. I thought, surely, this would not work for Outlook. 

But then Sushant showed me the actual template, and once we loaded it on the platform, it worked fine. That was the moment we realized, “Okay, we found a platform, and from there onwards, we scaled it.” 

Sushant Yadav: “Since then, we have grown together with Beefree. I remember that everything was very basic in the initial days and both our company and Beefree have come far since then.

I personally have seen the platform evolve and take care of all the use cases that we require.” 
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_{Excerpts from our conversation with Nishant Yadav and Sushant Yadav.
Edited for readability and engagement.}  

Implementing Beefree

What was the moment you realized “this is the right tool for us?”

“Our template creation process in the beginning was time-consuming. Think about it, building it from scratch and customizing each section is a process.

In the same amount of time it would take us to create one email template, we realized that we could now produce 10 or 12 templates…  

Also, there is a higher chance of errors when manually coding emails. We spent a lot of time testing each template. 

In those initial days, we did thorough testing on emails designed with Beefree on Litmus and across ESPs to check how they were being rendered.

Pretty quickly we figured out that the code and rendering was fine and everything became a lot more seamless and easy to scale.” 
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^{Excerpts from our conversation with Sushant Yadav.
Edited for readability and engagement.}  

Growing pains

Having used our platform for almost four out of the 10 years we’ve been in business, Optimite is recognized as one of Beefree’s early adopters. They know our platform just as much as we do and have experienced Beefree before it was what it is today. 

Sushant Yadav: “In the early days, we thought Beefree’s code could not be run on Outlook. We approached this by manually deleting the MSO classes from the code and delivering it to the client. After 3-4 months of doing this, we started getting complaints that the code was still not rendering well on Outlook and that the client was getting a lot of CSS issues. 

We were under the impression that this was something on the Beefree side, so we used Chamaileon to help solve some of those Outlook issues.

After some time of using Beefree, we realized that the Outlook issue was our mistake—we were deleting an important part of the code! 

Once that was settled, we switched back from Chamaileon to Beefree.” 

Nishant Yadav: “Over the last four years, the platform has helped us evolve and expand what we can offer clients. When we began using the platform, Mobile Design Mode was not as robust as it is now.” 

Sushant Yadav: “Dynamic content was also not available, so we used to extract the code from Beefree and do some manual work to make it dynamic. Now, the platform has that function. 

One thing that has remained the same throughout the years is how easy it is to use. It has been an integral part of our business, and we will cherish it forever because “we were able to build a million-dollar business.”  

^{Excerpts from our conversation with Nishant Yadav and Sushant Yadav.
Edited for readability and engagement.}

Where they are today

“Today, we partner up with other email marketing agencies as an extension to their team. Our goal is to help them scale “email production with ease.”

We work behind the scenes, creating email templates for big agencies that need their emails to work across multiple platforms. Beefree makes this process easy because we can work directly in the builder and export the HTML code rather than using the ESPs' native editor. 

Personally, I’ve created over 3,000 templates in Beefree and if we combine our entire team, we’ve produced around 15,000-20,000 templates.” 

_{Excerpts from our conversation with Sushant Yadav.
Edited for readability and engagement.}

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While Optimite’s systems, processes, and services have changed over the years, we are happy that Beefree is the one constant that has allowed them to scale their operations. To learn more about Beefree’s business impact on Optimize - read their customer success story here.

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According to Gitnux’s MarketData Report 2024, 16% of all US email users use Outlook as their primary email provider, ranking Outlook among the most widely used email platforms in the country. 

With over 400 million users worldwide, the chances that your emails will land in an Outlook inbox are high if you're an email marketer. With this in mind, it’s important to acknowledge Outlook’s capabilities and limitations to build emails that render well for every recipient. 

Understanding Outlook's HTML design limitations

Despite its popularity, Outlook is primarily used for day-to-day communications between colleagues rather than mass marketing campaigns. Because of this, Outlook has a few limitations when it comes to rendering HTML emails, for instance: 
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Some of the most prominent rendering issues with Outlook Web or App include: 

• Gifs rendering with a play icon over the GIF
• Fonts not matching 
• Additional spaces in the layout 
• Icons stacking on top of one another or misaligned
• Mismatching background images 
• Misalignment across email elements 

These limitations mean that regardless of how much time is spent on creating the most engaging and on-brand email, Outlook may deliver a different outcome to recipients, affecting your email’s readability and impact.

While we recommend opting out of using Outlook as a sending platform and using a professional solution such as HubSpot and Mailchimp, we understand this is not always feasible.

Many email marketers who rely on Outlook have found creative approaches to address its rendering limitations, typically opting for either image-based emails or maximizing the impact of text-only emails. When it comes to HTML emails, while challenging, they remain a viable option for those willing to navigate Outlook’s quirks and optimize their designs accordingly.

Best practices for designing Outlook-friendly HTML email templates

You have two options for creating an HTML email template for Outlook. The first involves manually writing the HTML code with CSS and then saving the email as an Outlook template. While this approach doesn't require additional software tools, it can be time-consuming and requires CSS expertise.

Alternatively, you can use an external email design tool such as Beefree to create your HTML email template. This method is more user-friendly and efficient since it eliminates the need for CSS knowledge and manual coding.

Regardless of which option you opt for, here are some best practices to follow:

• Simplicity is key: Design simple, single-column designs. Complex layouts, while engaging, may not render correctly. 
  
  
• Use tables for the layout structure: Experiment with tables to ensure your design elements stay in their intended position, helping to tackle Outlook's misalignment issue. 

• Use inline CSS: If possible, embed inline CSS directly within your HTML elements to control formatting and layout; this will help minimize Outlook’s limited support for external and embedded stylesheets.
  
  
• Use web-safe fonts: Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana are all safe bests when designing for Outlook.
  
  
• Alt text: Because Outlook blocks images by default, be sure to always include alt text for images to ensure accessibility but also to ensure that the lack of images doesn’t leave out important context from your emails. 

Designing HTML email templates in Outlook with Beefree

When designing HTML email templates that perform well in Outlook, leveraging the right tools can significantly simplify the process and ensure adherence to best practices.
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Beefree stands out as a versatile platform that not only facilitates creative email design but also supports the specific requirements of Outlook rendering, for instance:

• Designing for simplicity: Beefree’s drag-and-drop functionality allows for the easy creation of single-column layouts. Within Beefree, users can easily customize the alignment, spacing, height, and more of emails for mobile and desktop, ensuring a cohesive experience across multiple devices.
  
  
• Web-safe fonts: Within Beefree, you can set web-safe fonts as your default to ensure the consistent rendering of fonts across all email clients, especially Outlook.
  
  
• Alt text: This can be powered manually or via our AI integration. 
  
  
• Responsive design: While Outlook lacks robust support for responsive design, Beefree enables users to create mobile-friendly email templates through fluid layouts and scalable elements. This ensures that your emails adapt to different screen sizes and devices, enhancing user experience regardless of how recipients access their emails through Outlook.

Before finalizing your email designs, it's essential to conduct thorough testing to ensure they render correctly across different versions of Outlook. We recommend using Beefree’s preview feature to see how your emails appear in various screen sizes. We also recommend sending a test email to multiple Outlook recipients to help you identify any rendering discrepancies between Beefree and Outlook.

While we’d like to guarantee that Beefree will render emails 100% as intended,  it's important to remember that Outlook is an email client rather than a sending platform. As a result, it may ignore, remove, or alter HTML elements from our code. This can cause rendering issues that we can't resolve. Keep in mind that the more complex your design is, the more likely you are to experience rendering issues with Outlook.

Familiarize yourself with our Outlook rendering considerations: 

• Outlook App: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/18904867308818-Exporting-to-Outlook-App#h_01HZ0G5V4RXFPAW35S17P6KBBA 
  ‍
• Outlook Web: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/11964534263442-Exporting-to-Outlook-com#01H3WEHFRX79TRG6JSVW69HA0Z 

Embedding Outlook HTML email templates

Once your email is designed in Beefree following the best practices addressed above, you can easily export to Outlook Web or Outlook App.

Outlook Web
Connect Beefree to your Outlook Web account before designing or after completion.  Directly from the builder or via the Email Details page, click “Push to your sending system.” Within seconds, the email will be saved as a new template and appear in your Outlook account.

To learn more about how to complete the integration process, visit: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/11964534263442-Exporting-to-Outlook-com

For a step-by-step process:

Outlook Web and corporate email accounts
If you’re exporting emails designed in Beefree to your Outlook corporate business account, follow the same steps as above.

When integrating Beefree with an Outlook corporate account, you may encounter a message indicating that approval or authorization is required for the connection to succeed. To proceed, you will need to obtain the necessary approvals or modify your Outlook Web business account permissions settings to ensure a successful connection. Outlook App
The Outlook App integration with Beefree allows you to download your email designs as OFT and EMLTPL files that you can then upload into your Outlook App. To download the files, take the following steps:

1. Navigate to the email design you’d like to export.
2. Make and save any changes you’d like prior to exporting your design.
3. Select Push to your sending system.
4. Click the Outlook App connector.
5. You will be prompted to Download the Outlook App.
6. Select Download for Windows if you’d like an OFT file or Download for macOS if you’d like an EMLTPL file.

To learn more about how to complete the integration process and import HTML, watch the following video:

Or visit: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/11964534263442-Exporting-to-Outlook-com

Ready to start designing Outlook-friendly emails?

Whether you're navigating Outlook's rendering quirks or aiming to enhance engagement through responsive designs, Beefree is an intuitive solution that ensures your messages resonate effectively across Outlook versions and devices. 

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Start designing now - it’s free!

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The ideal email marketing software has two jobs: support your growing agencies marketing and deliver exceptional results for your clients. So, how do you know which tool is right for you?

Types of email marketing software

Email marketing encompasses a multifaceted process, involving strategic planning, creative design, content creation, list building, targeting, analysis, and more.

Different software tools cater to different facets of this process, each offering distinct features and functionalities. Broadly categorized, there are four types of email marketing software to consider:

1. Automation

Automation softwares can increase productivity by taking over of mundane and repetitive tasks involved in the email creation process. More importantly, automation solutions can help send the right emails at the right time. For example:

• Emailing a cart abandonment reminder to customers who put items in their cart but don’t buy them
• Sending a multi-email introduction campaign to customers or clients who sign up to a mailing list
• Sending product or service recommendation emails to users based on their past purchases
• Emailing a re-engagement email to clients or customers who haven’t made a purchase in a long time

2. Design and campaign creation

Email design software allows you to create effective, engaging email campaigns quickly and easily. These tools offer a user-friendly interface, often times with drag-and-drop functionalities that enable even those with limited design skills to create visually appealing emails swiftly.

Email design tools vs. email service providers

Moreover, these platforms often include features like A/B testing, dynamic content capabilities, and integration with other marketing tools, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of email campaign creation.

An email service provider serves as the platform through which you send your emails, while an email design tool is specifically designed for creating visually appealing and professional emails. An effective email design tools should easily integrate with your ESP to ensure a seamless workflow.

3. Analytics and reporting

An email marketing analytics tool monitors and analyzes the outcomes of your email marketing initiatives, encompassing metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and engagement rates. Additionally, it should report details about your audience, such as demographics and behaviour, to help you make data driven decisions on the type of content that appeals to your readers and who is the most engaged.

4. List management and segmentation

A list management and segmentation tool facilitates the efficient management, organization, and maintenance of your mailing lists. These tools empower agencies to create distinct segments based on demographics or user actions.

For instance, when promoting your agency, you can create segments for existing clients and prospects. Alternatively, you might segment based on industry, such as retail, healthcare, or B2B sectors. These segmentation capabilities streamline targeted marketing efforts and enhance campaign relevance and effectiveness.

Factors to consider when choosing email marketing software

Selecting the right email marketing software is a crucial decision for agencies. Given the vast array of options available, each offering unique features and capabilities, many agencies use multiple tools to maximize their email efforts.

Whether you're looking for an all-in-one solution or exploring different options, it is essential to carefully assess several factors to make an informed decision:

• Usability and interface: While there may be a learning curve with any new software, opting for a user-friendly interface ensures that your team can quickly adapt and efficiently create campaigns.
  ‍‍
• Pricing and plans: Budget considerations are paramount. Most software providers offer various plans tailored to different needs, so ensure you compare the appropriate plan options to your organization's unique needs.
  ‍
• ‍Specialization: Some email marketing tools specialize in specific industries or niches. For example, certain tools are tailored for healthcare and life sciences, while others cater to tech companies. Considering the specialization of each tool ensures that you select one aligned with your agency's industry focus and requirements.

Review of 5 email marketing software for agencies

There are countless email marketing software solutions on the market, each with its own pros and cons, so you could pour months into comparing each one. Ultimately, each agency needs to choose the right tool or combination of tools to suit their needs, but here are a few of the best email marketing software for agencies to consider.

Omnisend

Omnisend is a comprehensive email marketing platform, offering an array of features including a drag-and-drop email builder and automation capabilities. However, its standout feature lies in its robust email list management and segmentation functionalities. Omnisend simplifies the process of collecting email addresses and building lists while providing tools to segment these lists for highly targeted campaigns. Additionally, its A/B testing feature enables you to gauge the effectiveness of different designs and messages for each audience segment.

While there is a free plan to get you started, standard plans start at $16 per month and increase based on the number of contacts you’ll be managing.

Beefree

Beefree is an agnostic email design tool focused solely on delivering top-notch email design solutions. Boasting a collection of over 1,700 expertly crafted templates, Beefree emphasizes best practices while offering a user-friendly email builder and editor for customizable email and landing pages.

Beefree offers advanced functionalities such as responsive and mobile-friendly design, AI-driven content creation capabilities, and built in collaboration solutions. The platform follows a "start for free, upgrade as you grow" pricing method that makes it the perfect solution for agencies of any size.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a versatile email marketing platform that encompasses a wide range of functionalities, including list management, email design, and data tracking. However, due to its all-in-one nature, Mailchimp's advanced options within each feature category may be somewhat limited. For basic usage, Mailchimp offers a free plan and for advanced controls plans begin at $13 per month.

Learn more: Integrating Beefree with Mailchimp

Drip

If you want to take advantage of the latest in automation, Drip is a helpful tool to have in your toolbox. Drip is a robust marketing automation tool designed to streamline targeted email campaigns and multi-channel marketing initiatives. While it excels in catering to e-commerce clients, it may not be as suitable for B2B clients or internal agency marketing. Drip does have certain limitations, particularly in email design functionalities such as spam testing. However, it shines in efficiently managing substantial contact lists.

Pricing starts at $39 per month with a 14-day free trial.

Unlayer

Similarly to Beefree, Unlayer is also an email design tool with a drag-and-drop email editor. Due to its simplicity, Unlayer is a great solution for a broader audience, including marketing agencies, businesses, and individual designers. It's comprehensive set of features, include template and module organization, collaboration, and integrations with third-party apps.

Unlayer offers a free plan with basic essentials, as well as plans starting at $15 per month and $30 per month.

How to choose the right email marketing software for your agency

Now that we’ve taken a survey of the landscape and the types of email marketing software solutions available, how do you know which tools are best for your agency? Here are some key questions to ask as you’re narrowing your options:

• Can this tool manage multiple accounts effectively? As an agency, you'll likely need to handle your own email marketing as well as manage accounts for each client. Assess the tool's capabilities for managing multiple businesses or brands in an organized manner.

• Is this tool suitable for the types of clients I serve? Consider whether the email marketing tool is designed for retail, e-commerce, B2B, or specific industries. Ensure that the tools you choose align with the diverse needs of not just your agency, but your clients.
  ‍
• Does this product or plan offer support? Evaluate the available support options, such as phone support, online chat, etc., as you may require assistance with software features or technical issues. Understand the support provided with each plan to make an informed decision.
  ‍
• How scalable is this platform? Hopefully, your agency will grow to take on more clients. Anticipate future growth for your agency and assess whether the software can accommodate an increase in clients. Determine how seamless it is to upgrade to more advanced plans as your agency expands.
  ‍
• How does this tool integrate with or enhance my current workflows? Choose a platform that aligns with your desired email marketing workflow, such as easy internal or client approvals, integration with customer management software, and other related tools.

By addressing these questions, you can narrow down your selection to the top email marketing software options that best meet your agency's requirements and goals.

How Beefree helps agencies with email marketing

Selecting the appropriate solution for your growing agency is pivotal in not only enhancing the success and efficiency of your agency's email campaigns, but that of your clients.

While finding the perfect fit for each aspect of your email marketing program can be challenging, when it comes to email design, Beefree simplifies the process. Due to its agnostic nature, integrating Beefree into any sending platform is seamless and with a myriad of resources, there is minimal learning curve. Through its accessible pricing plans and enterprise-level solutions, Beefree paves the way for agencies to elevate their email marketing strategies and drive impactful results for clients.
‍

If you're a growing agency looking to see Beefree's full collaboration features in action, sign up for a 15-day free Business plan trial! 

We’ve teamed up with Really Good Email’s Matt Helbig and a group of email experts for a roundup of the hottest email design trends.

How can you incorporate email design trends into your brand? 

“You have to know what's right for your audience, your brand, and your company. Don't just adopt a trend because it's the cool thing to do. 

Focus on the foundations, what makes a really good email is this email is customer-centric and solves a problem that someone might have. 

A lot of the time, company emails are very self-serving, but keep in mind that the person at the other end is not just a dollar sign; they are people as well. Use human language and not corporate gobbledy. 

Be clear about what you are making, why, and who it's for. Its really important to communicate your message clearly and tell people, you know, come to our site, come visit us. Send emails with a purpose and think about, “How can I make this person's day better?”

Accessibility is always a big thing. At Really Good Emails, we see a lot of all-image emails and that’s rarely ever accessible. You want to meet your readers where they are, whether it's on a mobile device or they have a disability and can't access your email. 

Beyond just including something like alt text, it's making sure your email is available on all devices that they might be reading on.

Lastly, just treat the inbox as a sacred, personal, and safe place. It is a safe place and you have some responsibility behind what you're sending to your audience. Your email should be a delight and a nice surprise in an inbox filled with annoyance and filtered spam emails. People should look forward to receiving your email in their inboxes.”

_{Matt Helbig, Integrated Manager at Beefree & Really Good Emails}

Email design trends for 2024 & beyond 

#1: Raw & unfiltered 

“As an amateur photographer myself,  I'm always excited to see that this trend continues to gain momentum. It's all about capturing images in their most natural state with minimal to no editing or retouching.

Unlike traditional stock photos or marketing images, which are often very produced, very stylized, very polished – raw and unfiltered embrace imperfection. This style, this trend, shows real people, real environments, and it captures genuine moments.

It's often characterized by natural lighting, minimal post-production editing, and authentic expressions and scenarios, which makes it feel very spontaneous and very candid. 

This trend is becoming popular largely due to social media. We're very used to seeing what at least appears to be authentic situations and with consumers demanding more transparency from brands we are kind of skeptical of overly polished images or images that we may feel are too photoshopped. 

Another plus of “raw and unfiltered” is that it can evoke a sense of nostalgia and help to strengthen the connection with your audience. 

Finally, and one of the most important, I think, is that it can be very cost-effective. You don't have to pay for the big production, the expensive photographer, or all the editing.”

_{Kristy McCarley, Founder & Managing Director of Pure Firefly.} 

#2: Chunky text

“This trend of oversized text is really dominating the visual space. If you're a design geek, this can be super fun to experiment with to add a sense of playfulness and grab a reader’s attention as soon as the email is open.

This trend is really popular because of the rise in appreciation for minimalism and the need to create quick digestible content. It allows you to convey that message in a really concise way. 

If you're trying to decide whether to experiment with this or if it's right for your brand, just keep in mind that you don't want it to be overwhelming. There should be a balance between the size of the text and its chunkiness so that it doesn't affect readability.” 

_{Kristy McCarley, Founder & Managing Director of Pure Firefly.} 

#3: Deep & dark

‘’This trend was sparked or spurred by the prevalence of dark mode, but think we've moved way beyond that now. 

I just love the spectrum of dark colors that I see brands bringing into the inbox to create this kind of mood instantly within their email. 

‍

My cautionary tale is to test the heck out of it beforehand. For a few email clients with some partial color inversion, darker tones turn into a salmon pink, which can strain the eyes. You obviously don't want to accidentally serve the audience that wants dark mode, something that's way outside of your brand guidelines.’’

_{Laura Sullivan, Head of Brand & Marketing at Inbox Monster}

#4: Color blocking

"These big, bold areas of color usually help you differentiate visual hierarchy in emails or make a section in an email stand out.

If you do a little bit of Googling on the history of color blocking, apparently this is a big fashion trend coming back from the 1960’s which is what gives color blocking a little bit of a retro feel."

_{Justin Jordan, Head of Strategy & Community at Beefree}

#5: Longing for Dial-up

"This trend combines old-school nostalgia with some of the new fun trends we’ve mentioned previously. This is all about the nineties being cool again. 

This summer, I have gone to so many concerts with 90s bands coming out and playing. For example, I saw a Green Day show, and they played the entirety of Dookie because it was Dookie's, I think, 25th or 30th anniversary of being released. That night, I felt like I was 18 again. The next morning, maybe not so much. But I was totally willing to relive 18 for an evening. 

If you've got that demographic, then take advantage of it. This is not for every brand; you really have to know your audience, know your style, and see if it works."

_{Justin Jordan, Head of Strategy & Community at Beefree}

#6: Ticker GIFs 

"Ticker GIF also known as the repeating text, usually at the top of the email, really grabs attention and makes the email feel lively and energetic. It can add playfulness similar to the chunky text, and it's eye-catching.

I’m kind of on the fence about ticker text because I'm affected by movement in email. So sometimes, if it's a little too fast or if it just feels like too much, I will look away, but I know there are other subscribers, the audience that loves it and really get into it.

I say be very thoughtful about the use of it. Make sure you have enough contrast. If you're using it to highlight a key message, it can be great. Or a sense of urgency for like a promotion or limited time offer. Just be aware that it can overwhelm some subscribers and it may be distracting and sometimes it's just not the right fit for the campaign."

_{Kristy McCarley, Founder & Managing Director of Pure Firefly.} 

#7: Styled letter 

"This trend is leading in popularity because it approaches email with a human voice instead of a product or brand. With the rise of AI, people’s spidey sense is up for things that aren't authentic and real and this approach helps tackle that. 

Style letter is a good balance between using plain text and brand elements like fonts and colors to make it feel a little bit more personalized.

In the example below, which is written by Justine, is all written in her voice, like when I read it, I could hear her reading it.

This trends is relatively low effort. You don't always need a designer to do something like this. You can make things stand out by using bullet points or adding a GIF. 

I like to think of email almost like as a tool belt, you know, you can use a plain text email or you can use a well-designed email. It doesn't have to be one or the other. 

You just know that your reader has this problem that they’re trying to solve, and you can use different types of content to make your email get the job to be done"

_{Laura Sullivan, Head of Brand & Marketing at Inbox Monster}

#8: Hover effects

We are seeing brands do some really cool, fun hover effects in email. It's a good way to tell people that something's clickable.

I think it's catching on because it's interactive. I think it catches your eye when you're scrolling, especially on like a desktop environment where it's supported. And some of these, especially hover effects, are little things you can add at the end of the email that may not change the whole design, but they show that you are spending the time and attention on your email designs and your marketing.

_{Matt Helbig, Integrated Manager at Beefree & Really Good Emails}

Honorable email design trend mentions: 

Typography: Weird fonts

Typography: 3D Text

Shapes: Waves

Imagery: Hand models

Interactivity: Choose your own adventure

Movement: 360 rotate

Messaging: Sustainability

Final hot take: 

"It’s important for me to share the disclaimer that trends are not going to save your business; however, they can help you better communicate your message. 

I've mostly been on the B2B side of things for my entire career. And so every time I look at what all the cool things that retail and e-commerce brands are doing, I'm reminded that B2B doesn't have to be boring.

While all of these trends may not not be totally a “hot” for your brand,it cool to at least be informed about what other brands are doing in the space and maybe one of them will work for you.

This is not an endorsement for any trend in particular. Choose your trends responsibility. Don't use it if it might not be for your brand. 

And finally make sure that whatever you do, you continue to be really good and make some really good looking emails."

_{Matt Helbig, Integrated Manager at Beefree & Really Good Emails}

‍You can watch the entire live event with Q&A here. 

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Maximizing your agency’s ROI with Madison Taylor Marketing 

Founded over 15 years ago, Madison Taylor Marketing has become a well-known agency in Denver, Colorado, for its success in bringing unprecedented results to clients. The agency's smart strategies have helped clients ensure alignment, reduce costs, optimize their resources, and, more notably, maximize ROI by almost 300% across all marketing efforts. 

In a live session with Chris Copen, Chief Operating Officer, Cassie Renier, Creative Specialist, and Andrea Davis, Creative Manager, they shared their insight into how agencies can maximize their ROI with email marketing. 

What is ROI? 

“ROI, or Return on Investment, is one of our most important performance indicators as an agency. 

ROI is not just a metric, but it measures the profitability of our business and our investments and helps us understand the value that we're generating from our efforts and resources. 

By tracking ROI, we are trying to ensure that our strategies are effective, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions.

For agencies, achieving a high ROI is really important because it reflects our ability to deliver value to our clients and continually optimize operations. Ultimately, this empowers us to drive growth for ourselves.

For our clients, our ability to achieve high ROI demonstrates our ability to use budgets wisely to deliver maximum value and achieve their business goals efficiently.”

_{Excerpt from Chris Copen at our live session with Madison Taylor Marketing.
Optimized for readability and engagement} 

With a return of $36 per $1 spent, why do agencies struggle to increase email marketing ROI? 

“We have found that that email is a powerful tool for achieving ROI for our clients. It's been around for a long time, and it's a tried and true tactic. While people have changed their media consumption habits, email continues to produce results for us. Email marketing connects our clients directly with their audience segments, allows us to deliver personalized content, and drives conversions.

Despite its potential, though, we have definitely experienced struggles over the years.

For both ourselves and our clients, we’ve found that the main challenge with email marketing is how much time and effort it takes.

Creating visually appealing and effective email campaigns requires significant time and effort.

We have found ourselves really bogged down in the minute of design details and trying to craft the “perfect” layout and visual elements. While important, this detracts from strategic activities that might yield higher returns.”

We've also experienced the challenge of hard coding emails and getting those emails to work across platforms. This process is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors. Little mistakes in the code can lead to rendering issues across different email clients, which has obvious consequences for a campaign’s effectiveness and ROI.

In addition to that, there's the issue of too much back-and-forth. When we collaborate on email campaigns, this often involves multiple rounds of feedback and revision. 

All of that just adds to the cumbersome and lengthy process and leads to diminishing returns - addressing all of those is critical in unlocking the full potential of email marketing for ROI. 

_{Excerpt from Chris Copen at our live session with Madison Taylor Marketing.
Optimized for readability and engagement} 

How can agencies optimize their email marketing ROI

“By optimizing our email creation process, leveraging automated tools, reducing manual coding, and streamlining our feedback mechanisms, we were really able to improve our ROI. Cassie has been one of our leaders in helping us find the right tools and helping us increase our productivity and efficiency.”

^{- Chris Copen}

1. Find the email marketing tools 

"Finding the right tool enables and empowers us to execute our vision and our client's vision without hindering their goals.

As a designer, when I'm looking for the right tool for email marketing, there are a few things to look for.

Ease of use is the first thing. Whatever tool you use should be user-friendly, intuitive, and allow me to create and customize designs quickly and effectively. 

Another need is a high degree of flexibility. I need to be able to create unique and visually appealing emails that align with the specific branding of all of our clients. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice elements of a client's brand to fit within the constraints of a design platform. 

The collaborative nature of a tool is also crucial. The right tool should facilitate seamless communication and collaboration, not only with our clients but also internally, throughout the revision process. That includes features like real-time editing, feedback, integrations, approval workflows, and so on. This helps us ensure we are always on the same page internally and with our clients.

Lastly, the right tool should integrate smoothly with other platforms and tools, such as CRM systems, analytic tools, and marketing automation platforms. This helps ensure that we have a cohesive, streamlined process from design to delivery and analysis and are not bouncing between a bunch of different platforms. 

Our previous process before finding Beefree was inefficient and unsustainable. It was clear that our approach was hindering our ability to meet client expectations and deliver high-quality, unique campaigns. 

Recognizing this was the first step toward improving our process. We needed a tool that would propel our agency to go above and beyond what our clients had asked for."

_{- Cassie Renier}

_{Excerpt from our live session with Madison Taylor Marketing.
Optimized for readability and engagement} 

2. Optimize your design and collaboration processes 

“When it comes to making something like email marketing work, alignment between vision and capability is so important.

When we're working as a team of marketers and designers, we need to effectively collaborate on an idea from start to finish.

Often, agencies run into issues executing on a vision because of limitations in capabilities, whether human, tools, or resources.

What we've found that works really well is to first clarify the client's situation and goals to ensure we're moving in the right direction. Involving design teams early in the process is crucial to understanding the full context and aligning on the vision.

Then, we need to be able to move from strategy to deliverables in the most cost-efficient manner. This means reducing the time spent on ideation, creation, and revisions. This is another reason why finding the right tools is important.

Beefree, specifically, allowed us to streamline our processes and enabled us to produce high-quality designs rapidly, ensuring timely and relevant communication with our client’s audiences. With Beefree’s collaboration features, all team members communicate in one place, reducing the time spent on back-and-forth and ensuring everyone is on the same page. Also, with real-time collaboration clients could see changes as they happened, reducing the need for multiple rounds of revisions.

By simply optimizing our email and collaboration processes we were able to reduce the time spent on designing while still producing high-quality assets. This allowed us to respond more quickly to market demands and time-sensitive opportunities, improving our ROI.

‍_{Excerpt from Andrea Davis at our live session with Madison Taylor Marketing. 
Optimized for readability and engagement} 

How should agencies measure their ROI

“In terms of measuring external ROI, setting clear, measurable goals for each campaign is important. 

Whether it's increasing engagement, generating leads, or driving sales, having specific objectives helps define what success looks like and provides a benchmark for measurement.

Track all related costs accurately. This includes not only direct expenses like ad spend but also indirect costs such as team hours and the cost of tools we use to streamline email creation and deployment. Knowing your total investment is crucial for an accurate ROI assessment.

Analyze your key performance metrics. These metrics might include open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and overall engagement. Analyzing this data will provide insights into how well campaigns are performing and how the use of efficient tools contributes to these results.

Consider both short-term and long-term impacts. Immediate results, such as sales from a campaign, are important, but so are long-term benefits like customer retention and brand awareness. Understanding the broader impact helps paint a complete picture of ROI.

Regularly review and adjust strategies and processes based on our findings. ROI measurement should be an ongoing process, helping refine tactics and improve future campaigns, but also providing internal operations insights. This iterative approach ensures continuous improvement and better outcomes over time.

Evaluating distinctly the ROI of internal investments. This includes the tools and technologies we use to enhance our productivity and efficiency. Analyze the effectiveness of these tools in helping you streamline your processes.” 

‍_{Additional insights shared by Chris Copen, Chief Operating Officer at Madison Taylor Marketing.} 

How Madison Taylor Marketing cut down email development time by 66% with Beefree

CEO and Founder Aimee Meester shares how her team uses Beefree to create engaging and personalized content faster than ever before. Learn more about the business impact of Beefree on Madison Taylor Marketing.

Effective email marketing in healthcare can have immense ROI. After all, it is a cost-effective and direct line of communication with your patients that, when done right, can drive engagement, encourage repeat visits, and help build ongoing trust and credibility. However, healthcare providers are faced with unique challenges when it comes to using email marketing. 

On the one hand, the goal is to engage patients and provide value to help build long-term relationships. On the other hand, the goal is to promote your services and, ideally, boost revenue via this marketing strategy. This balance can be tricky to achieve due to the sensitive nature of the healthcare industry; however, it is not impossible.

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We’ve compiled 5 examples of healthcare emails done right. These top brands have excelled in the art of healthcare emails by blending valuable, informative content that addresses patient’s concerns with promotional content that presents itself as an empathetic helping hand.  

Healthcare newsletter examples

Sending monthly or weekly newsletters is an excellent way to strengthen relationships with patients or customers. These regular communications serve as a direct line to your audience, allowing you to engage and educate them on relevant health topics consistently. 

Each newsletter provides an opportunity to share reliable and practical health tips and update patients about clinic changes, new services, or special offerings. 

Everlywell 

Everlywell offers folks with at-home “health and wellness solutions.” In a recent newsletter they focus their message on addressing stress, a common concern among their audience. The email begins by empathizing with the reader, reassuring them that stress is a widespread issue, therefore establishing an immediate connection with their readers. 

By offering a free solution—specifically, a list of vitamins and supplements known to alleviate stress—Everlywell demonstrates its commitment to customer well-being. Simultaneously, by subtly promoting its own supplements within the email's content, it reinforces the message that Everlywell not only understands the reader's concerns but also provides practical solutions. 

Seasonal health campaigns 

Another great way to connect with patients beyond the clinic is to send seasonal health campaigns. These campaigns are highly effective because they relate to current health concerns and conditions prevalent during specific times of the year.

Seasonal health campaigns allow healthcare providers to proactively address issues that are top-of-mind for patients during different seasons. 

Natalist

Natalist offers “fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum essentials.” To ring in the new year, their email “TTC in the new year?” leans into the possibility that with a new year, folks begin to consider trying to conceive, thoughtfully tapping taps into the natural inclination people have to reflect on life changes and set new goals as the calendar turns.

This thoughtful and well-timed campaign exemplifies how healthcare providers can connect with their audience by aligning their messaging with their customers' lives' natural rhythms and aspirations.

Promotional healthcare emails 

Promotional healthcare emails can significantly increase patient engagement. Offers tailored to patient needs can inform and encourage them to consider services they may not have known about. However, healthcare promotion emails come with their own set of challenges, HIPAA being the biggest hurdle.

ivee

Ivee offers “individualized medical care” services directly from home, including urgent care, diagnostic testing, IV therapy, and more. In a promotional email about their Membership and Programs, ivee takes the route of promotion through education.

Promoting medical treatments and procedures can be complex and often leaves patients with numerous questions and uncertainties.

ivee’s promotional email addresses this challenge by ensuring the content is clear, concise, and informative. Instead of overwhelming patients with technical jargon or complicated medical terms, Ivee breaks down the information into 3 digestible segments that guide the reader through their offerings:

1. What the patient will receive
2. How the program works
3. What the next steps are 

ivee’s educational approach in its promotional email informs and empowers patients, building trust and confidence in their services. 

By addressing potential questions upfront, ivee reduces any concern that the patient may have regarding this service. This method of promotion through education is particularly effective in healthcare, where informed patients are more likely to engage with and benefit from the services offered.

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Patient testimonials and success stories 

Using patient testimonials and stories in healthcare emails helps build trust and credibility. When potential patients read or hear about others who have successfully navigated similar health challenges, it reassures them of the effectiveness and reliability of the services offered. These narratives humanize the healthcare experience, which can sometimes feel cold and direct, by showcasing real people and their journeys. 

Much like any healthcare email, this one is particularly affected by the US HIPAA regulations. These emails require explicit consent and the careful handling of personal information. 

Additionally, it is crucial that these testimonials and stories remain authentic. Fabricated or exaggerated stories can damage credibility, and it's important to avoid over-promising outcomes. 

GoodRx

GoodRx provides telemedicine to track prescription drug pricing in the United States and offers drug coupons and medication discounts. In an email promoting their telehealth services, they use a patient testimonial to communicate the ease of their service.

GoodRx balances this strategy with maintaining client privacy by using anonymized testimonials and obtaining explicit consent from the patient. Anonymized testimonials protect the identity of the patients by removing any personal identifiers, ensuring that their privacy is not compromised while still providing authentic feedback about the service.

Transactional healthcare email examples

Transactional emails play an important role in healthcare, allowing providers to share essential information that brings ease to the patient’s experience. More specifically, transactional emails improve operational efficiency. Some examples of transactional emails in healthcare include

• Appointment confirmations and reminders
• Prescription and medication updates
• Follow-up care instructions
• Billing and payment notification
• Patient portal access 

Hims

Hims is an “online telehealth platform that provides virtual healthcare and support for men's health.” In the order confirmation email below, Hims offers the patient important order information such as order ID, date paid, total charge, and payment method. 

This transparency ensures patients have all the necessary details about their purchase, enhancing their trust in the platform. Additionally, Hims goes beyond just transactional information to offer patients peace of mind by reminding them of all the other free services they receive through their platform.

By highlighting these benefits, Hims reinforces the value of its service and strengthens its relationship with its patients. This approach confirms the purchase and reassures patients that they feel supported in various aspects of their health journey.

Start designing healthcare emails with Beefree 

Navigating healthcare regulations can be challenging, but your email design doesn't have to be. With Beefree's intuitive design tools and templates, you can simplify your communication efforts to adhere to industry standards and focus on what truly matters: delivering exceptional care and valuable information to your patients

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