Email Design Best Practices for Small Businesses

Email marketing is a bit like fishing. You have to pick the right rod (email template), find a good spot (interested customers), and use the right bait (content). Sometimes, it all comes together, and you catch a big fish. Other times, you’re left sitting in the boat waiting for a bite. 

Fishermen aren’t supposed to share their secrets (or maybe that’s magicians?), but that’s one place where email marketing differs. 

In this post, I’ll teach you some of the most important email design best practices for small business owners. We’ll review what you should include in your marketing emails and how to format them to increase your open rates and drive more traffic to your website. 

Marketing Email Design Best Practices

Below is a list of best practices for email marketing. If you’re new to it, here’s what a good marketing email should have:

1. Use a customizable template. 

You don’t have to build your email from scratch. Most software will provide customizable templates that you can use to style your brand. These templates are easy to use and save you time designing emails. Plus, they usually follow email design best practices, so you don’t have to worry if your email is formatted correctly. 

When picking an email template, prioritize readability. The content should be easy to scan and direct the reader downward. Single-column layouts (shown above) are popular because they’re simple and straightforward. Most email software providers offer this template because it’s user-friendly and displays well on various browsers, devices, and apps.

Tip: Thryv’s marketing automation software has templates you can personalize with customer information. 

2. Make your email mobile-friendly.

According to eMailmonday, 26-78% of your audience will use their phone to open your email. In other words, at least a quarter of your recipients will read your messages on the go, so your email must be mobile-friendly and respond to different devices. 

This is called “mobile responsiveness,” and it’s critical for any digital marketing content. Most people always carry smartphones and can access their email while on the go. If your message doesn’t format properly on mobile devices, customers won’t understand it or will ignore your marketing campaign. 

That’s why I recommend using customizable templates. Most will automatically respond to different screens and devices. If you have email marketing software, you can also preview what they look like on each device. 

3. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA). 

Your call-to-action, or CTA, is your focal point. It’s the thing that you want readers to click on. Most of the time, it’s a button, but it can also be an image or a hyperlinked line of text.

Your CTA should be big and noticeable, clearly indicating that you want your readers to click on it. Use bright colors, eye-catching imagery, and motivating text to encourage people to act immediately. 

4. Engage readers with compelling copy.

I know this goes without saying, but your email should be interesting and easy to read. It should hook the reader in right away and speak directly to them in a tone that aligns with your brand. 

I recommend using short paragraphs and bullet points to make your copy more readable. Break up chunks of text with images and bold headers, and switch up the layout to keep the design engaging and clean. 

For example, do you notice how this email switches from one text column to two columns, with images on one side and text on the other? That keeps it engaging because it adds imagery in a visually appealing way. 

5. Add personalization features to your headers and body. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a marketing email, a sales pitch, or an invoice sent by your CRM; your emails should be personalized and include information like your customer’s name, business, and recent purchases. That makes your messages feel like they came from a real person who designed them for each specific customer. 

Unless you want to do this manually, you’ll need a CRM and marketing software to personalize your emails. These tools use “tokens,” which are placeholders that automatically populate with your chosen information. 

For example, you might see one like this, “{{customer.name}}” which would automatically be replaced with a customer’s name. So, when you write an email, it would look like this: 

Dear {{customer.name}},

When you send the email, the token will automatically be replaced with a real name. Most marketing software lets you do this with other information, like invoice numbers and recent purchases. These tokens can make your emails more meaningful and foster stronger connections with larger audiences.

6. Avoid spammy email designs. 

Do you ever wonder why some emails end up in your spam folder? Spam filters monitor incoming emails to your inbox and mark suspicious emails that look like spam. 

There are a few things that spam filters are looking for, but one of them is your email’s format and content. If it’s misleading or missing information, your messages can quickly end up in your customers’ spam folders.  

Here are a few things to avoid when designing a marketing email: 

• Adding too many images: Your email will be easier to read with a healthy balance of images and text.  
• Missing footer information: Your email should include your business’s physical address in its footer section. That lets spam filters know that your business is legitimate. 
• Hidden unsubscribe buttons: Your unsubscribe options should be clearly labeled and accessible.
• No plain-text version: Your email should have both an HTML and plain-text version. 
• Spammy words: Some words will trigger spam filters if you use them in your subject line or body copy. 
• Wide layouts: Your email width should be between 600-800 pixels. 
• Including attachments: Some attachments (like .exe files) will trigger spam filters. Use attachments sparingly unless they’re critical to your message. 

7. Pay attention to image sizing and file formats. 

In addition to having both text and email, you should keep image files small to prevent slow loading times. Not only can large files trigger spam filters, but they also create a poor reader experience. Your email should load quickly and capture your audience’s attention immediately. If your images fail to load, you should have alt text as a backup solution for inboxes that prevent images from rendering right away. 

You should also avoid putting essential text into your images for the same reason. For instance, if you create a custom graphic that promotes your latest deal, that graphic might not show in your customer’s inbox. If your offer isn’t listed elsewhere, the customer might miss essential information to take advantage of your deal. 

8. Don’t embed videos in your emails. 

One of my first jobs was troubleshooting marketing email software, and the most common question I got was, “How come I can’t embed a video?” 

My favorite answer: email is like the Wild West. You never know what type of inbox your customers have or what security settings will affect your messages. Most email providers do not support video content because it can’t read the HTML. So, while the preview will look great in your marketing software, the customer won’t see anything. 

If you want to embed a video into your email, I recommend adding an image of your video’s thumbnail. Then, you can link that image to your video. It should look something like this: 

9. Use readable fonts and colors. 

One of the most important factors in email design is readability. Being “easy to read” doesn’t just mean people enjoy your content. 

Your email should use simple fonts and colors that complement each other visually. Limit your email to 2-3 font styles and avoid using decorative or script fonts. This will make your messages clearer and help you avoid spam filters. 

Colors should reflect your brand. Like fonts, stick to 2-3 that represent your business and are easy to read. If they clash, use one of your brand colors and stick to combinations that make your text pop.  

10. A/B test your email designs. 

It’s rare to find a winning design on your first try. Most brands will experiment consistently with A/B testing to find the perfect look for their emails. 

A/B testing means sending two variations of the same email to two small groups of customers. Whichever email performs better is sent to the rest of your subscriber list. That way, you can see which layouts, fonts, and images perform best before emailing your entire customer base. 

11. Add an unsubscribe link at the bottom.

This is less of a suggestion and more of a requirement. By law, you must include a link that lets people unsubscribe from your emails. 

Aside from being required, unsubscribe links are actually good for your business. They show customers you respect their time and only want to connect with people interested in your brand. They also reduce the number of complaints you might receive on social media or review sites from customers annoyed by your messages. Since they can easily opt-out, they’re less likely to leave a negative review. 

12. Put contact information in your email footer. 

Here’s another must-have in your marketing emails. According to GDPR and CAN-SPAM laws, your emails must include a physical address (or contact details) in your footer. This will verify your company’s legitimacy and help you avoid spam filters. 

Bonus: 3 Exclusive Email Design Tips From an Email Marketing Expert

Before we wrap up, here are three exclusive tips from Thryv’s email design expert, Daniel Uribe. 

Bonus #1. Write a subject line that stands out. 

Your subject line is like an elevator pitch. It sets the tone for the entire email and greatly impacts open rates. It should be short and sweet but also entice the reader to learn more. 

Bonus #2. Place your most important messages at the top of the email.

Email marketing shouldn’t be a scavenger hunt. The most important information should be listed at the top of your message so customers see it first. You can’t expect people to read all the way through – you have to grab their attention immediately.

Bonus #3. Use whitespace efficiently. 

While your email should include a lot of information, it shouldn’t be crowded or disorganized. Whitespace can help you create a simple and stylish look that isn’t overwhelming to process. Give your content space to shine, and don’t send readers walls of repetitive text. 

Designing Marketing Emails for Small Businesses

The best emails are the ones that get opened – and these design best practices should help you improve email open rates. They’ll also increase engagement with your marketing content, leading to more visitors to your website. That helps you drive more sales and grows brand awareness for your business. Use these tips to get ahead of the game and make your email marketing stand out from the competition.