Below is an example of marketing email that ticks all the boxes. This is from an online retailer of quality watches based in London.
Sender
This email was sent to people who had already bought products from this retailer. Like in this example 
make sure the user will easily recognise the display name and email address of the sender (your company name needs to be in there). In the example above the email is sent from the business owner himself which reassures the recipient from the start. Always try to have a real person in the display name and email address instead of impersonal ones like info@ or sales@. Avoid no-reply emails except maybe for transactional emails (emails confirming a transaction or registration). Make sure you monitor replies regularly and answer any emails. Once again this will reassure your users that you care about them.
Subject line
Excellent subject line that summarises exactly what the email is about. Good call to action too. The fact that this watch is a limited edition creates a sense of urgency in the recipients. On this particular example, marketing did a great job picking the best offer available and turning it into an engaging email. They could have gone even further in adding a personalisation to the subject line (first name for example) although one should be careful with these as they tend to devalue your message if you use them too often.
Email content
A link to the online version is available at the top of the email as it should be. This always needs to be added anytime there are pictures on an email as you can never be sure which ones will show and which ones won’t, as it depends on the email program your recipients use to receive their emails.
The email header is simple and reassuring. The company logo will be visible through the preview pane of Outlook which is enough for the recipients to relate to the email. A few links are also available for people who wish to browse the website which is a good idea since some recipients may not be interested in this particular offer of the day but may wish to check the website for something else.
Big high quality picture underneath: a great way to introduce the product. The line about an EXCLUSIVE OFFER at the top also helps create connivance with the user who will feel this offer is Exclusive to them. Once again the message underneath the watch emphasizes this sense of urgency by stating there are only 250 pieces available worldwide.
The text underneath signed by the business owner himself is here to explain to people why they should order it now and how they can do so. The fact it is (supposedly) written by the business owner himself helps users feel very special and it underlines as well the importance of the email message.
From a technical perspective this text is not an image but real text on a black background which helps the picture/text ratio that is important to make sure emails don’t go straight to the unsolicited folders. The black background is not a picture but a background table colour which means that even though the text is white it should show in most email programs.
The rest of the email keeps following the best practise rules: unsubscribe link and company contact details in the footer along with a reminder of their previous offer. In conclusion this email is everything a marketing email should be: reassuring, focused on one good offer and ‘clean’ to spam traps. Whatever you do if you follow these guidelines in all your communications your emails should help increase your brand awareness, sales and revenue.
