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A picture’s worth a thousand words, right? Then a personalized picture must be worth at least 10,000. So here’s a library of ideas for how to add personalized images to your emails, plus suggestions for how different types of businesses could use each one.
1. On a sign.
Have you been collecting company names in your opt-in forms, but you’ve never used the information? Here’s your chance to change that. You could use the data in your company name fields to create a storefront sign. Or you could have people holding a sign with someone’s name on it, like this:
2. In a to-do list.
Got a service business? Or an ecommerce site with lots of great gifts (Black Friday is less than 90 days away…)? Showcasing what you can do for people in a to-do list format, like the image below, is a great way to help people visualize how you can help them.
This image is shown inside the Nifty Images editor.
Here’s a few ideas for this:
For landscapers – a list item “Clean up yard”
For personal organizers – “Clean up garage”
For Mother’s Day – “Gift for Mom”
For CPAs – “Get taxes done!”
3. On a computer screen.
If your business is computer-based, or based on computers (like a computer repair shop), you could create what looks like a note from someone’s computer. Something like, “Angie, it’s time for an upgrade”.
If that doesn’t fit your business, you could also use a more general message that’s just placed on a computer screen.
4. On a notecard – or any other writing surface.
Want your subscribers to save a date for a big event you’re holding? Send each one of them a personalized notecard – in an email.
But don’t limit yourself to just notecards. Any writing surface can serve for a personalized message. Like this coach’s clipboard:
5. On a certificate.
Has one of your subscribers or customers just reached a milestone with you? Or maybe they’ve completed an online course. When you send your thank you or congratulations message, kick it up a notch with a personalized certificate.
6. As a photo caption.
Did you know that captions under photographs are read 300% more often than body copy (https://blog.kissmetrics.com/shocking-truth-about-graphics/)? Maybe it’s worth a test to see how a personalized photo caption might work with your subscribers. Nifty Images makes it easy to set up a test like that – you can split-test your personalized images, too.
7. In a mind map or on a flow chart.
Sometimes, we want to tell our subscribers a story about how things can progress. How people can get from where they are now to where they want to be. Mind maps and flow charts do this in a particularly interesting way. Being able to add someone’s name to one of the squares in that flow chart might drive your message home even more.
8. As a thought bubble (with or without the bubble).
Because if all else fails, you can always fall back on cute kittens.
9. On a birthday cake.
Birthday emails are super-effective. They’re got one of the highest transaction rates of any type of email message. And all you need to personalize these messages is an image of a blank birthday cake… or a blank birthday card… or a blank balloon.
10. On a post-it note.
Want to remind your subscribers about something, or thank them for something they just did? Send them a personalized post-it note.
11. On a gift tag.
Here’s a twist on the standard cart-abandonment email: What if you showed a gift box with the subscriber’s name on the tag, with the headline, “Get yourself something nice. You’ve already picked it out.”
12. On a presentation screen.
All you B2B marketers should try this one.
13. On a book cover.
If you offer editing services, or any type of service that caters to writers and authors, showing their name on the cover of a book is a powerful visualization tool. It’s an image they’ve probably been yearning to see for years.
14. As a personalized message from someone as your company.
This one’s good if you’ve got an owner with a strong personal brand, or if you use a company spokesperson or other type of influencer.
15. On a business card.
Just like authors dream of seeing their names on the cover of a book, aspiring entrepreneurs dream of seeing their name on a business card. Sending an email message that shows them what that business card might look like could be a powerful motivation.
One last word
Excited about everything you could do with these personalized images? So are we. Just remember:
- You either need to have usage rights for any image you personalize, or you need to get permission.
- Images used in NiftyImages emails need to be 500K or less. This is actually really easy. Just use a photo editor, and save your image so it can be used on the web. While you’re doing that, you’ll see some image quality settings that will tell you how big the final image will be.
Back to you
Can you think of any other ways images could be personalized in an email message? Share your clever ideas in the comments.
Author: Pam Neely has been marketing online for 18 years. She has a background in publishing and journalism, including a New York Press Award and a Hermes Creative Award for blog writing. Pam holds a Master’s Degree in Direct and Interactive Marketing from New York University and is the author of a bestselling Amazon Kindle book “50 Ways to Build Your Email Marketing List.” Follow her on Twitter @pamellaneely.