So, what should you send? Just another promotional email that’ll get buried in the inbox? A generic newsletter that’ll be skimmed and forgotten? No way! You wouldn’t want to waste your valuable marketing budget, right? In that case, the first thing to acknowledge is the necessity of a diverse selection of marketing emails.

Now, the question is, what are these different types of emails you need for your brand? And how can you design them so you capture attention and inspire action? This blog has all the answers! 

Without further ado, let’s dive right in. 

Email Marketing:: Types Of Emails Your Brand Needs + Design Tips 

1. Welcome Emails – Setting the Stage Right 

We all know about first impressions! The first hello, the first smile, the first virtual handshake in the form of a welcome email are all important. Because you need to make a stellar first impression, make your customer feel welcome, and set the tone for your brand relationship. 

These are emails that you send right after a user subscribes and registers their interest. This could be subscribing to your newsletter, downloading your ebook, or registering for a free trial. Data shows that welcome emails have an open rate of about 91.43% making them one of the most crucial types of emails in marketing. 

So, what are the essential components of a welcome email? 

• A warm welcome message.
• An introduction to your brand. 
• A brief description of what to expect – a preview of the journey ahead or a recommendation of what to do next. 
• Or even an exclusive discount code to encourage them to place that first order. 

KIMP Tips: 

With so much to communicate, the key is to create a clutter-free design. Now how do you achieve that? 

• Break up the information in your email with catchy visuals, bullet points, and short paragraphs. 
• Add color variations to distinguish between sections and to create a hierarchy but stick to a limited color palette so as to avoid sending confusing signals. 
• Use custom graphics that reflect your brand instead of stock photos. 
• Add a clear clickable call-to-action. 

Here’s an example of a welcome email that incorporates these tips. 

2. Promotional Emails –  The Power of Persuasion 

From announcing your latest deals to talking about an upcoming sale, promoting a product to detailing your services, there are various roles that a promotional email can play. The idea is to capture your customer’s attention and drive sales. 

When it comes to the different types of emails for marketing, this one’s tricky though! Why? Because send too few promotional emails and your customers forget you but send too many and you end up annoying your customers. The key is to find that sweet spot and the right timing. 

There are various elements that can boost the value of your promotional emails. For example, exclusive discount codes make customers feel assured that they made the right decision by signing up! 

On the other hand, bundle deals can help customers save more when they shop. Promotional emails focusing on the features and benefits of products and services help eliminate second thoughts and help customers make informed purchase decisions. In such cases, keep the content visually engaging as you see in the below email. 

Emails about limited-time deals and sale announcements can create a sense of urgency and motivate customers to place their orders. In such cases, highlight keywords like “last chance” “limited stock” and “act now” in your design and also in your email subject line. 

KIMP Tips: 

• Use clear product shots to highlight features. 
• Don’t add clickbait titles or use misleading typographical manipulations to distract users away from critical information. 
• Ensure that your visuals and the overall design focus on the value proposition instead of merely highlighting the discount or deal. 

3. Email Newsletters – Unveiling Insights & Updates 

Newsletter emails are a brand’s tool to periodically check in on customers. They are often content-rich, filled with updates and posted based on a set schedule. So, there’s a sense of familiarity they create. And when crafted well, and sent out in the right frequency, this is one of the types of emails that customers look forward to. 

Start by understanding what you wish to communicate through your newsletters. Perhaps company updates or new blog round-ups? Or perhaps industry news or informative guides? Tailor your content to your customer’s interests. Give them the answers they are looking for and your newsletter will not be a bother but rather a conversion driver. 

The key is to make your newsletter content exclusive. Throw in some interactive polls and quizzes or an attention-grabbing GIF. A video that breaks the monotony, or a gallery of images that give a visual summary. 

The below email from Google, for example, includes screenshots and illustrations to tell the story in a visually engaging manner. 

KIMP Tips: 

Let’s now talk about designing newsletters:

• Adding your brand’s flavor, your visual identity is pivotal. Every time your customer encounters your brand colors and signature elements like your mascot in the newsletter, they learn to recognize your brand better. 
• Avoid lengthy text portions. Instead, break your text into different categories and add relevant CTAs to attract immediate action. 
• Make it easy for readers to navigate your newsletter. Use clear buttons, headings, and links to guide them where they want to go.

4. Cart Abandonment Emails – Addressing Unfinished Transactions 

Abandoned carts are a marketer’s nightmare. That’s why this is one of the most important types of emails any business should strategize. 

The idea of cart abandonment emails is to rekindle the customer’s interest, address any issue they faced when placing the order, and help them move to the next step. 

Remember that these are the types of emails you send out to customers who already know your brand well. So, avoid self-promotion and talk about their carts in a crisp and straightforward fashion. 

KIMP Tips: 

Let’s look at some quick design tips for a convincing cart abandonment email. 

• Use relevant images to add visual cues – to jog their memory. 
• If you wish to add a limited-time discount, highlight that in your design along with a clickable CTA. 
• Prioritize mobile optimization so that customers can conveniently place their order from any device. 

For more information about reasons for cart abandonment and tips to overcome the issue, check out our previous blog here.

5. Transactional Emails – Crafting a Seamless Shopping Experience 

We are talking about the different types of emails in marketing because every interaction counts. And one of the most important types of interaction is the one that happens when the customer finally places the order. 

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. If you are bombarded with emails from the time you sign up but then there’s silence from the moment you place the order, do you think you will like transacting with the business again? Of course not! So, yes transaction emails are vital. 

They go beyond order confirmations; they could be digital receipts and timely shipping notifications, that ensure a seamless and trustworthy customer experience. Send these in real-time based on specific actions and triggers. 

The click-through rates are high for transactional emails because you are providing customers with the information they are looking for and this personalizes the experience for them. Therefore, ensure that there is a clear and focused message along with an easily accessible CTA that’s relevant to them. 

KIMP Tips: 

Reportedly, the open rates of transactional emails are about 40-50%. So, ensure that your transactional email dresses to impress. Here’s how: 

• Keep your transactional emails to the point. 
• You do not want important information to get lost amidst lines of text. Therefore, identify this one crucial detail in your email and place it in immediate view so that the user does not have to scroll endlessly to understand that it’s a mail relevant to them. 
• Use text and color-based contrast to highlight this detail. 
• Incorporate ample white space for easier comprehension. 

6. Post-Purchase Feedback Emails – Let Them Know That Their Opinion Matters 

There are two essential types of emails to send after a purchase – one is transactional emails and the other is post-purchase feedback emails. While the former keeps customers informed about the progress of their orders, the latter makes meaningful contact with them when their initial impressions of your brand are still fresh. 

Post-purchase feedback emails when designed right, can turn satisfied buyers into long-term customers and eventually into brand advocates.

What are the essential ingredients in a post-purchase feedback email? 

• A “thank you” is of course the first important detail to acknowledge their decision to choose your brand. 
• You could also add useful details like a product manual, usage guide, or any special product care instructions for positive reinforcement. 
• Of course, the one main detail to include is the question about their experience – their feedback on the purchase. For this, include an easily accessible survey but keep it brief. 

KIMP Tips: 

To ensure that all these important details you add in your post-purchase feedback email actually strike the right chord, here are some design tips to keep in mind: 

• Include visuals that remind customers of their recent purchase, the products/services in the picture. 
• Create a sleek and responsive landing page or include an interactive poll to allow customers to effortlessly provide their feedback. 
• Make the CTAs like your social media handles to tag with their reviews prominent in the design.

7. Re-engagement Emails – Rekindling That Lost Spark 

Sometimes, leads become customers, transact with your brand but then do not come back for a long time. It’s a well-known fact that customer retention is simpler and more cost-effective than customer acquisition. Therefore, re-engagement is a crucial topic in marketing and about 71% of marketers state that re-engagement campaigns are effective. 

Furthermore, email is one of the best channels for re-engagement. Retargeting ads and push notifications delivered through apps are the other options. 

To begin with, add a compelling and personalized reason for reaching out and make the language and visuals sound less promotional and more conversational. In terms of the language and tone of the email, acknowledge their absence and let them know you miss them and want to reconnect. 

Since these types of emails are valuable in customer retention, there are a few more elements that you could add to boost their effectiveness: 

• Incentivize the customer’s return in the form of exclusive cart discounts and promo codes. 
• Take them down memory lane with a glimpse of their past orders highlighting what they saved. This is one way to remind them of their past positive experience. 
• Talk to them about what’s in store – like exciting product updates. 

The below email impresses in terms of the content and the design that captures the core message. From a special discount code to a request for feedback and a quick option to unsubscribe, this email encompasses all the essential elements that make a good re-engagement email. 

KIMP Tips: 

• Use symbolic and illustrated communication to instantly convey the idea (like the frowning emoji in the above design).
• Segregate the information into sections and highlight all the main components like discounts and feedback. 

8. Event Invitation Emails – Igniting Excitement & Increasing Participation 

Events are pivotal elements in experiential marketing as they leave a lasting impact on your customers. However, how you promote the event and keep your customers informed about it influences the participation in your event. 

Social media ads, posts on your social media page, and sliders on your website are all great ways to promote an event. But the personalization that email marketing delivers beats them all. One of the most important types of emails to promote your email is the invitation itself. 

These emails are crafted to evoke excitement, spark interest, and ensure your audience feels special. Deploy these emails strategically, well in advance of the event, to generate anticipation and secure attendance. 

So, how do you design event invitation emails that win registrations? Let’s find out. 

KIMP Tips: 

• The design should be such that the details like the date, time, venue (or platform for virtual events), and agenda. 
• Use visuals to strongly highlight the value proposition or the main speakers at the event so as to build; credibility and convey why the event matters to your customers. 
• Add a single focused clickable CTA that leads customers to a landing page for more details and registration or ticket purchase. 

Need help designing visually cohesive landing pages and emails for your upcoming events? Get KIMP! 

Elevate Your Marketing Email Design With KIMP 

In conclusion, there are several types of emails that every brand needs to target different types of leads and at different stages of the sales funnel. The key is to maintain visual cohesion across these so that you communicate your message while also retaining your brand’s identity. Working with a dedicated team for all these designs makes this consistency simpler. That’s why an unlimited design subscription with a dedicated design team for your designs, like KIMP, can make a big difference to your email marketing. 

Register now for a free 7-day trial.