American psychologist Barry Schwartz in his book, ‘The Paradox of Choice’, says that when faced with too many decisions, we won’t arrive at a decision at all. So, too many call-to-actions kills the purpose of the email and results in lower click-through-rates.
Allen P Adamson in his book, ‘Brand Simple’ too mentions something similar. He says brands with simple ideas succeed, because, we live in an information rich world. When something is made too complicated to understand, we tend to turn off the receptors. A content cluttered email with a complicated design turns away your attention. Have a look at the below email-
I wasn’t too excited to read this email, because it looks drab, with lots of information loaded in the email along with many calls-to-action which confused me. The features that highlight the benefits of buying the product could have been presented more effectively too.
As opposed to the earlier example, have a look at the below email. It’s not too cluttered and the objective is simple.
How do we create simple emails?
One aim, one message:
Define clearly the aim of sending an email? Explain it clearly to the designer and content creator. One idea per mail is the key. Too many ideas in a single mail will confuse your audience. Your aim hides in between other ancillary ideas. If you wish the customer ‘Happy Birthday’ and attach a gift coupon, just stop at that. Don’t add any other message.
Say ‘no’ to content clutter:
Your audiences have less patience. If they see too much of content cluttered in one email they will turn away their attention to something else. Your idea can be presented in simple words. Let it be focused, crisp and clear.
Calls-to-action:
The below example has too many calls-to-action. When audiences are given multiple choices, they get confused and probably choose none. Though it’s picturesque and attractive it loses it’s purpose of directing the audience down the sales funnel, by giving many calls-to-action. According to WordStream, in some occurrences, emails with a single call-to-action as opposed to several ones, have increased sales by 1617%.
Simple designs:
According to Litmus Email Analytics study conducted in March 2016, 55% of emails are opened on mobile devices, so mobile friendly email designs are a must.
In the field of visual arts minimalism means using pared down design elements. You use no unnecessary features, and reduce the design to the simplest form. The email design should follow the concept of minimalism. Avoid using jarring colors and don’t override the mail with too many images. It’s time consuming to open the full email till the images load. Audiences surely won’t wait. Use a balance of images and content, again following the idea of minimalism.
In an age where we are bombarded with information, it’s tough to register and remember messages until they come to you in the simplest and interesting way. Try Juvlon to create emails that result in high-click-through rates.