Beefree blog

Tutorial: Tips for Using Stock Photos in Email

Beefree team
Beefree team
Jul 22, 2016
Tutorial: Tips for Using Stock Photos in Email

Stock photos sometimesgeta bad wrap for being cheesy, outdated, and irrelevant. Luckily,many new stock photo resources offer beautiful, high-quality images that email marketerscan actually get excited about using in email.But it's still important to use these images properly.There's an art tofinding, editing, and incorporating photos in email.Make the process of choosing stock images even easierby searching for free photos directly in our visual email builder.Today, we'll give you our top tips for using stock photos in email, along with a tutorial on how to use the photo search tool directly from the BEE editor.

1. Find stock photos that fit your brand.

Formany readers, thevisual elements of your email get more attention than the written components. Eyes naturally gravitate toward images, buttons, and colors first, and we digest that information more quickly. So, when choosing stock photos, it's important to be mindful that those imagesare on-brand. Your brand or style guide should have a section that explains the kinds of photos to be used and details for how they should look—like the kinds of people and scenes that should be depicted, the emotions they should evoke, if they get treated with filters, or if they should be cropped a certain way. If you don't have something for your brand, thencreate one by following these visual style guide tips! Some of the most effective style guides are simple and straightforward.In a recentpost,21 Email Design Tools to Transform Your Emails, we listed some of our favorite stock photo libraries and tools, likeUnsplash andPexels. Since then, we've partnered with three popular stock photo services—Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay—to giveBEE users the ability to search through a hugerepository ofhigh-quality images that are free to use under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.

Search stock photos

How to add a stock image in BEE

When you are editing an email or a landing page with BEE's drag-and-drop builder, simply pull up the file manager by clicking on Change imagewhen an existing image is selected, or by adding a new image block and clicking on Browse. Navigate to the folder where you want to update your image, and the select Search free photos button in the top bar.

Email builder toolbar to search free photos

In the search menu, simply add a keyword and browse the search results for an image that works for you. When searching for "summer," you'll notice that each image preview shows you which of the services photos came from, the link to the original photo, and a blue Import CTA button. Once youimport one of the photosfrom thesearch results, it gets added to yourfile manager. Simplyclick on the Insert button (a plus sign) to add the image tothemessage.

Insert a stock photo in your email

2. Edit stock photos to make them your own.

Email images often include text overlays to make a branded statement. We previously discussedhow effective this SkillCrush header image was at connecting with its target audience and communicating a strong value proposition:

Skillcrush using stock photos in emails

Scanning our inbox today, we can find hundreds of emails with text-and-image pairings from different brands, like these from Jimmy Choo, Restoration Hardware, and Express. As you can see, adding text to images doesn't have to be complicated. You can save time and design resources by skipping Photoshop and editingphotosdirectly in the BEE editor.

Jimmy Choo using stock photos in emails
Restoration Hardware using stock photos in emails
Express using stock images in emails

How to edit images in BEE

Choosean image andnavigate to the menu on the right. Select Apply effects & more.

Editing an image in the email builder

Use the built-in image editor to make edits to your image, without leaving the email builder. You can make almost any adjustment to the image, like setting a filter, cropping or rotating, adjusting the saturation and contrast, and more.

Applying image effects in the email editor

To add text, select the Text option from the image editor's toolbar. In the text editor, adjust the font type and color from the top menu. You can also adjust the size of your text by dragging the corner of the text box.

Overlay text to an image directly in the email builder

Make sure your font color contrasts with the background, so the text is easy to read. Treat text in images like headers: short phrases work best, and keep the total amount of text to a minimum. Your image should communicate a single key message. When you're done editing the image, click on Apply and then Save.

3. Remember image design best practices.

Whether you're using stock ororiginal photos, and whether you edit them or not, keep in mind design best practices for all your email images.

Be cognizant of your image-to-text ratio.

An all-image email is likely to get filtered as spam or it may take too long to download. A best practice is to make sure you have at least 500 characters of text to pass spam filters. Once you design a beautiful header image, complete your email withsupporting text.

BEE Pro photo to text ratio using stock photos in emails

Add a link to your image.

Treat your image like a call to action and link it to the landing page where you're driving readers. All images in your email should be linked.

BEE Pro add link to image using stock photos in emails

Use ALT text.

Even when your images don't appear because of a reader's settings, the ALT text you set for each photo will still show up. This means you can still communicate your message in text form,which is critical when that's all readers are seeing!

BEE Pro alt text using stock images in emails

Lead readers to a call-to-action.

Not only should your image be linked, but it should lead readers to your CTA button. Since images arewhere readers’ eyes are likely to land, the CTA shouldn’t be far away. Plus, if your image doesn't load or show up in a reader's inbox, your bulletproof CTA will still appear. So even if your image is linked, it's valuable to have a button, too.

Check out the free stock photo gallery!

Test this feature yourself within minutes. Load our email templates catalog, which features over 1,000 professionally designed, responsive email templates. Select the template that you wish to start with, or start from scratch. Click on Get started to load the drag-and-drop editor, and off you go!

Thank you emails

Related posts

How to Craft Compelling Internal Company Newsletters

Beefree team
Mar 7, 2024

It’s no secret that newsletters are a powerful aspect of successful and impactful marketing strategies. With 81% of marketing professionals stating that email newsletters are their go-to type of content marketing, deciding whether to create and send regular newsletters to your clients is a no-brainer.

But what about your staff? Could employee newsletters be as effective and compelling for your employees as they are for your clients? The answer is “yes”.

Before creating your first-ever internal company newsletter, read our guide. Here, we’ll reveal the benefits of internal newsletters, the key elements to include, and how to create an internal newsletter for maximum reach and engagement.

According to a study by Ragan Communications, 83% of employees prefer receiving company news and updates via internal email newsletters.

It’s important for businesses to invest in internal newsletters because they play an important role in employee engagement, encourage better communication, and promote trust within the company. They represent an efficient way to share information, endorse company culture, and encourage employees to learn from one another.

Here are just some of the things you can expect to achieve by writing great company newsletters:

Enhanced staff commitment, motivation, and retention:

By using newsletters and emails to regularly engage employees in company news, updates, events, and celebrating individual accomplishments helps employees feel like essential stakeholders in the success of the company. This is more likely to help them feel involved in the company's success and be more open to providing feedback and contributing to the company beyond the day-to-day responsibilities.

Higher productivity:

When staff feel more involved and engaged, productivity follows. Gallup reported a 21% increase in productivity from highly engaged teams. Put simply, engaged employees are prepared to go above and beyond to complete their goals.

Better collaboration:

Regularly keeping your entire workforce in the loop allows them to communicate and collaborate more effectively.

How to Craft Compelling Internal Company Newsletters

Understand your audience's preferences

Your workforce likely consists of a range of folks varying in expertise, backgrounds, age groups, and interests.

So, to make sure your newsletters are read and engaged by as many people as possible, it is important to offer something for everyone. Which is, of course, easier said than done. This is where surveys and questionnaires can help. Before you create your internal newsletter, send out surveys asking questions such as:

  • How often would you like to receive the newsletter?
  • What are the three most interesting/useful/important topics you’d like to read?
  • Would you be happy to be featured in the newsletter following a project accomplishment?
  • What are your interests?
  • Are there any resources you’d like for us to include in the newsletter to help support your everyday work? 

By involving your employees in creating your email newsletters, you can curate the newsletter specifically for their needs. Consider segmenting your audience and sending department-specific newsletters if you notice various interests and needs across departments. 

Craft relevant and engaging content

Now, for the most crucial bit: your newsletter’s content. We mentioned how vital it is to use simple, straight-to-the-point language. This, though, doesn’t mean that your content should be bland and dull. For your newsletter to hit the mark, it must include compelling, relevant, and insightful content that your audience loves to read.

Your content needs to not only provide information but also engage your audience if you want to develop a sense of community within your organization. It is also a good idea to seek feedback and revise your content strategy over time, as you want your content to stay fresh and captivating.

Align content with company values and goals

Whatever you decide to include in your newsletter must align with your company’s values, mission, and vision for the future.

Everything about your newsletter should be an extension of these aspects – from its tone of voice to its visuals. This can help reinforce your brand identity and help foster a strong company culture and sense of community among your readers.

Develop a budget for newsletter expenses

Who is going to manage your newsletter? Will you handle it internally or outsource it to an external party? Regardless of which you choose, there will be a varying degree of costs associated with it. To keep track of them, develop a detailed budget – preferably using automated tools. 

The exact budget will vary depending on your organization's size and requirements. You may have to factor in the costs of email marketing platforms, content creation, design, analytics tools, employee time, and potentially staff training. 

One highly effective option for budget management is to utilize budget management software. These tools are designed to streamline your expense tracking process, reduce the margin for errors, and allow you to effortlessly keep a close eye on your newsletter-related expenses.

By combining budget tools with other monitoring tools, you’ll get a good sense of how your internal communications affect your business. 

Make sure you look at various metrics to measure your newsletter's success. For example, quantitative results like open rate and the number of shares can be checked, as well as more qualitative metrics such as digital survey responses and feedback meetings. This will help you determine how useful your newsletter is and means you can create ROI benchmarks.

Managing the workload effectively

Did you choose to handle your company newsletters internally? Great, but you’ll need to ensure this doesn’t become too time-intensive. In all likelihood, the person (or people) assigned to create the newsletter will also handle other tasks.

With tools such as time and expense management software, you’ll be able to check exactly how much time your employee devotes to creating and running the newsletter. Does it seem insufficient, and the content is starting to suffer? Or are they spending too much time on it and not focusing on their core activities?

Tracking all this helps your employees work more efficiently, stay on top of content planning, and keep up with their other tasks.

Choose a format and posting frequency

If you’ve asked your employees how often they’d like to receive the newsletter, you should now know the ideal frequency. Suppose 60% of people said they’re happy with one monthly newsletter, while 40% would like to read it weekly. Go for a middle-ground alternative, such as bi-monthly.

You can use email marketing automation to send newsletters at optimal times, allowing for factors like employees working in different time zones. This allows your team to focus their energy on content creation.

The optimal time to automate your newsletters is midweek mornings, as Mondays can be hectic for workers catching up after the weekend, and on Fridays, they may be less engaged due to the upcoming weekend. Mornings are usually best, as that is when most people check their emails. 

Some things you’ll want to include in your newsletters are unpredictable, such as employee achievements. However, other company newsletter ideas can be planned and outlined in advance, such as details on training sessions, a new leadership team manager joining the company, and company events.

Consistency is extremely important when it comes to maintaining audience engagement. Creating a content schedule for planned content will allow you to deliver valuable information regularly and reliably.

Continuously refine based on feedback

Maybe you think you’ve been sending out the most amazing company newsletters using the best platforms, but how do your readers feel? Ask them! Your audience’s feedback is one of the most precious tools you have in refining and improving your company newsletters.

Whether it’s about the content, the frequency, or the length, keep asking for feedback, suggestions, and input. You can make this a fast and smooth process by leveraging automated feedback software, such as SurveyMonkey and Typeform.

Your audience will likely appreciate being asked for feedback as it will make them feel that their opinions are valued and that the content is being purposefully designed for them.  

Encourage reader interaction and sharing

A newsletter with a strong CTA can retain a lot of its potential. So, remember to include a clear and enticing call to action at the end of your email. This should encourage the reader to interact with the content, share it, and discuss it with their peers.

7 Key elements to include in an internal company newsletter

We’ve compiled a list of the 7 key elements you should include in your company newsletter. This will help you form the basis of your internal communications, which you can continue to reform as you explore what works for you and your employees.

1. Easy-to-understand messaging

When writing your internal employee newsletter, leave complexity out of it. Don’t use jargon. Speak clearly and straightforwardly, and try to appeal to as large an audience as possible. 

This is especially important if people from different departments with different backgrounds and interests read your newsletter.

2. High-quality images and graphics

The choice of imagery in newsletters takes on an important role. It's about capturing your audience’s attention and making employees feel seen and represented. When curating images and visual elements for your newsletter, it's essential to prioritize content that resonates with your diverse workforce. Including imagery that reflects a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can foster a profound sense of inclusivity and belonging among your employees.

Adding interactive elements to an email newsletter can help spark your readers’ interest and keep their attention longer. So, remember to give your newsletter design some thought and include hi-res images, graphics, and other visual elements such as video clips and GIFs. 

By including images from all teams and team members, you’ll ensure that your internal company newsletter informs and reinforces a culture of inclusivity where every employee feels valued and represented.

3. Company updates and project spotlights

To get your team’s attention, you’ll want your newsletter to discuss important updates and highlights. Did you recently win an award? Are you going to organize a fun work trip or social event? Have you appointed a new manager for your marketing team? Is there any industry news that might be relevant to your company? Whatever it is, make sure it gets a mention.

4. Training information and helpful resources

Another must-have in your internal newsletter is useful information. This could be anything from the date and time of your next DEI training session to helpful resources about remote work and guidelines on new product releases. Remote work has become increasingly prevalent, and providing guidance and support in this area can greatly benefit your employees' productivity and well-being.

5. Leadership messages and staff contributions

Messages from your company’s leaders and internal shout-outs are two other things you’ll want your newsletter to have. These are especially important if your company has recently gone through something significant or a specific staff member has distinguished themselves in a project.

6. Employee highlights and achievements

Speaking of staff members, regularly include your team’s achievements and highlights. You could refer to a team or department or mention a specific person – it’s entirely up to you.

This practice of highlighting and celebrating employees success is instrumental in making them feel acknowledged and appreciated. It reinforces their sense of value within the organization and contributes to overall morale and motivation.

7. Culture reinforcement and community involvement

Lastly, remember to include a sentence or two about your company’s culture and tie it with anything tangible your readers can do to help the community. 

For example, if your company values becoming greener and more sustainable, you could scout for relevant volunteering opportunities in the area and add them to your newsletters. Or, you could mention what your company is doing to lower its carbon footprint and encourage your employees to help you achieve this goal.

Designing impactful internal newsletters with Beefree

If it all sounds like a lot and you’re not quite sure where to start, then remember: you don’t need to do it alone! Elevate your company's internal communications by leveraging the power of Beefree to design newsletters that captivate and resonate with your team. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can effortlessly create visually stunning layouts, incorporating eye-catching visuals and dynamic content.

Offering a broad spectrum of professionally designed templates, Beefree caters to various internal communication needs, including announcements, team updates, project milestones, and employee recognition. With easy customization options, you can effortlessly tailor these templates to align with your company's branding, tone, and specific messaging requirements.

Sign up for free and start designing! 

How to Write Effective Training Invitation Emails to Excite People About Learning

Want to truly excite your workforce about learning? Read our guide to creating effective training invitation emails that really work.
Beefree team
Mar 5, 2024

A training invitation email is designed to concisely provide the important logistical information relating to a meeting, including the date, time, location, and agenda, while also providing a prompt for recipients to confirm their attendance. It will also inform attendees of any preparations they need to make ahead of the scheduled session.

There are many different types of training, such as employee onboarding, professional development, technical skills improvement, sales, safety, leadership, health and wellness programs, customer education, and specialized training. These are all designed to match specific learning goals and the needs of the organization.

It is well worth investing the time to get your invitational emails just right as they not only provide attendees with important information in a streamlined way, but they can also set a positive tone for the whole training experience.

That said, creating a truly effective training invitation email can be trickier than it looks. After all, your employees are busy people. They can’t always set aside dedicated time to attend every mandatory training session. 

That means you need to persuade them that doing so will be worthwhile. For some the effectiveness of your invitational email may be the difference between attendance and non-attendance, so getting the initial message right is paramount.

Here’s why.

Why do well-crafted training invitation emails matter?

There are many challenges that can impact the effectiveness of your training sessions. These can range from low attendance, a lack of commitment and engagement with the content, or confusion about the training logistics and what is required of attendees. 

A well-crafted training invitation email can serve as a powerful tool to address these issues. 

In the following sections, we will look into how important invitation emails can be in achieving higher attendance, reducing miscommunication, and also how they can support data analysis, simplify the registration process, and boost employee accountability.

With that in mind, let’s explore the power of invitation emails.

Improved attendance and engagement

According to Gallup, only 32% of employees were actively engaged in the workplace in 2022. Their study highlights the challenge companies are facing to make sure their employees are enthusiastic about their work and the organization.

This is a significant problem as a workforce who experience low job satisfaction, will in turn lead to lower levels of productivity. It can also result in a high staff turnover and a negative culture in the workplace. This can leave a company finding it difficult to meet their organizational goals and a loss of a competitive advantage.

It’s crucial to find ways to tackle the problem. When it comes to training, that means motivating people to make the most of learning opportunities. Training plays an important role in boosting employee engagement. When employees realize that their company cares about their professional growth and values their progress, it tends to spark motivation and enthusiasm towards their work and the organization as a whole.

If you are looking for ways to improve employee engagement, an event invitation email can motivate employees by communicating its significance and relevance to their roles. You can also highlight the personal benefits they stand to gain, such as the potential for improved career prospects and valuable networking opportunities. 

That said, you have to get it right and show that you’re invested in employees’ career growth and value them. Your email must explain:

  • Why you’re conducting the training
  • Why the training content is relevant to them
  • How it benefits their continuous learning

Minimizes miscommunication

Setting out the essential details guarantees everyone is on the same page. Event emails should incorporate the following:

  • Basic details: Include training date and time, location, and key learning outcomes.
  • Training topic: What is the primary training subject? What skills will the sessions cover?
  • Training platform: Will these be in-person interactive sessions? Or via the company learning portal? 
  • Deadlines: Highlight registration deadlines or a time period the training should be completed in.

Supports tracking and data analysis

Training invitation emails are useful for gathering data for analyzing.

For instance, you could include a link to a pre-training survey to collect feedback about employee expectations. Alternatively, you could track interactions, such as open rates, click-through rates, or completion of registration forms. All of these give you a clue as to how engaged your employees are in the process.

Simplifies the registration process

Staff are less likely to register for training if they feel it would disrupt their work or there’s not someone to cover for them. 

One approach is to use shift management software solutions. These tools make it easier to streamline staff schedules and find the best time for holding training sessions without leaving a gap in the workforce. 

Use your training emails to inform staff that their shifts will be covered. By effectively managing their schedule, you simplify the process for them, so all they have to do is confirm their registration.

With that in mind, keep the registration process itself straightforward. This is particularly important for remote and hybrid teams. Implementing regular training is an excellent strategy for boosting remote team productivity, but it’s crucial to handle it correctly.

Avoid asking people to email a particular person to confirm their attendance. Instead, include a registration link that automatically confirms their attendance or directs them to a form.

Boosts employee accountability

Sending out a training email that just provides basic information represents a missed opportunity. Devote time to the email creation process and message. Encourage staff to take accountability for their learning process and explain the impact it will have on others.

Highlight how the training program will help the employee make a direct contribution to the company’s success. Doing this can help foster a sense of community and remind employees that they have an important role to play in shaping not only their own future but also the future of their team.

6 steps for creating effective training invitation emails

So how can you create an excellent training invitation in practice? Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Create attention-grabbing and informative subject lines

Chances are your employees wade through masses of emails daily. So take a cue from tried-and-tested email marketing strategies, and create a punchy email subject line so it stands out in inboxes. Keep it informative and concise, for example:

Boost Your Communication Skills: Mandatory Training – October 12

This has all the basic information, including the date, training subject, and the fact attendance is compulsory.

2. Organize the email for easy navigation and clear information flow

It’s tempting to create a catchy email design. But you should still make sure it’s easy to read and informative. 

Open with a brief intro explaining what the training entails and the benefits. This will pique your employee’s interest from the beginning. 

Then, give step-by-step instructions for how to enroll. This is where you include relevant links for registration and tracking purposes.

Finally, thank the reader for their attention and reiterate the valuable insights they’ll learn. Add  contact information in case they have questions or want to arrange an alternative training time.

3. Tailor training invitation emails, especially for new employees

Before you create your email template, consider the tone you’ll take and who will send it out. For example, an email from the CEO will add a certain gravitas, which is helpful for vital compliance training.

When it comes to new employees, try to be more focused and weave the invitation into the onboarding process. You can set up predefined tasks specific to each new hire using HR onboarding software. For example, let’s say you onboard someone who needs to hone their negotiation skills. You can automatically enroll them in a relevant online course. 

If this is something you discussed during their interview or job offer, reiterate that in your email. Make sure they understand the benefits in the context of their professional development.

4. Request prompt attendance confirmation by providing a deadline

Including a deadline gives employees a nudge to take action. Place this near the end of the email as part of your call-to-action. At this point, the recipient has already digested the main message and is motivated to move to the next stage.

That said, be careful with the tone. You don’t want to come across as too pushy or demanding in case that elicits a negative reaction. A simple, polite one-liner like this works well:

Please respond to this invitation by [time, date] to confirm your attendance.

5. Offer incentives for early registration to drive engagement

Of course, there are ways to up the ante a bit, such as offering incentives for people who sign up early. This is especially helpful when the training date is relatively far off.

Here are a few options to consider:

  • Use an employee recognition platform to generate rewards for early birds.
  • Provide practical perks for the first 20/50/100 sign-ups. This might include a digital coupon/voucher or entry to a prize draw.
  • Offer access to priority list for other specialized role-relevant training.

6. Emphasize the tangible benefits for participating employees

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: make sure you highlight why the training will be valuable to your employees. 

Offering training is a terrific way of boosting employee retention. But only if there’s a clear rationale behind it that will make your employees feel valued.

Avoid conducting one-off sessions. Instead, make them part of a continuous learning program that will genuinely benefit your team. In addition, listen to their feedback and ideas for future sessions. You can then refer back to this feedback in other training emails so employees can see that you are actively listening.

Start designing effective training invitation emails with Beefree

Elevate your training program with Beefree, the ultimate solution for crafting compelling and effective training invitation emails. Whether you're organizing professional development sessions, workshops, or corporate seminars, Beefree provides a user-friendly platform to design visually stunning and engaging email invitations.

Start from scratch or start designing with one of our Human-Resource templates. Create your free account today

Color of the Year 2024: What It Is and How to Harness It in Email Marketing

Elevate your 2024 email marketing initiatives by harnessing the influence of the Color of the Year. Beyond mere aesthetics, incorporating this dynamic hue strategically into your campaigns allows you to infuse contemporary flair into your brand communication.
Beefree team
Feb 21, 2024

This year, Pantone celebrates its 25th year of its unique and inspiring Color of the Year program. While many people find the Color of the Year to be simply an entertaining announcement, for marketers, this color can be a gateway toward better connecting with your customers and audiences.

Let's discuss how email marketing pros can stay ahead of the trends and effortlessly infuse the Color of the Year 2024 in your email campaigns.

What Is the Color of the Year 2024?

Each year, Pantone selects a "Color of The Year" that depicts and illustrates the state of the current culture and recent trends. This year's color is Peach Fuzz, Pantone 13-1023.

Source: https://www.pantone.com/articles/color-of-the-year/what-is-peach-fuzz

According to Pantone's reasoning for selecting the color Peach Fuzz, they state that it serves as an expression of the kindness, tenderness, warmth and togetherness that our culture is seeking and driving for in 2024. As Pantone explains, “Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It’s a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.” For many, this color embodies a vintage feel, creating a sense of honoring the past while welcoming the opportunities of the future.

How is the Color of the Year chosen?

For Pantone, choosing the Color of the Year is a long and comprehensive effort. Its team of color experts is continuously at work observing the global culture and the expressions of color across fashion, art and design, lifestyles, travel destinations, imagery on media platforms, and so on.

The Color of the Year is both an expression of our present culture at the dawn of a new year and a result of trend forecasting for colors, attitudes, and social movements that will be pervasive in the year ahead. It’s decided by the emerging popularity of the color itself as well as the emotions and concepts associated with the color.

Why does the Color of the Year matter in email marketing?

The Color of the Year can be an excellent asset to your email marketing (and your other 2024 marketing channels) in multiple ways. First, this color is representative of the present culture, which means it’s likely relatable to your present-day audience. It embodies a mindset that your consumers are likely to share - one of warmth, wellness, and interpersonal kindness - which fosters the connection between your brand and the consumers.

Second, the Color of the Year is in keeping with current color and fashion trends. By incorporating this color into your email marketing, your brand looks to be trendy and up-to-date. Even if consumers don’t know what the Color of the Year is, they notice that your emails have a modern, on-trend look.

Ways to use the Color of the Year 2024 in your email marketing

As we step into the vibrant realm of 2024, the Color of the Year takes center stage as a powerful tool for marketers seeking to infuse their strategies with contemporary flair.It serves as a language of its own, capable of communicating emotions, evoking reactions, and establishing a unique visual identity for brands. By incorporating the Color of the Year into marketing initiatives, businesses can align themselves consumer sensibilities, fostering a connection and positioning themselves as forward-thinking.

Use imagery with the Color of the Year 2024

Peach Fuzz doesn’t have to be the core color of your email design for you to benefit from it. When selecting images to include in your

email campaigns, consider looking for images that have Peach Fuzz or a similar color. For example, this royalty-free images from Unsplash each contain peachy hues that have the same mood and essence as the Color of the Year 2024. You’ll notice that the color isn't too prominent, but still stands out and plays well with the other colors in the image. This is a great depiction how you can incorporate Peach Fuzz to pair well with your brand identity.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/low-angle-photo-of-white-and-orange-concrete-building--T0La6F_WrE

Align your messaging with the Color of the Year 2024

As we’ve noted, the Color of the Year isn’t just a color; it’s a concept and an embodiment of our culture. You can use this to inform the messaging in your email marketing. In the case of Peach Fuzz, infuse your messaging with a sense of kindness, compassion, and warmth to speak to our current culture and appeal to your audience’s mindset in the present time.

Add the Color of The Year to your seasonal and trendy campaigns

By infusing the Color of the Year into seasonal and trendy campaigns, you not only stay relevant and timely but also capitalize on the cultural and emotional resonances associated with the chosen color, creating a dynamic and engaging experience for your audience. Here are some ideas:

Align the color with changing seasons

Embrace the changing seasons and incorporate the Color of the Year into your email campaigns that align with specific times of the year.

Source: https://beefree.io/template/feel-the-holiday-cheer

Capitalize on fashion and design trends

Stay attuned to fashion and design trends that feature the Color of the Year. Incorporate the color into email campaigns that showcase how your products or services align with current style preferences. Additionally, highlight new arrivals or product collections that prominently feature the trending color, catering to the fashion-forward interests of your audience, such as the template below:

Source: https://beefree.io/template/color-of-the-year-collection-email

Create a sense of urgency and exclusivity

Create a sense of urgency and exclusivity by tying the Color of the Year to limited-time promotions or exclusive offers. Use the color to highlight special discounts, early access to products, or exclusive content, encouraging your audience to engage promptly with your email campaigns.

Sourcehttps://beefree.io/template/color-of-the-year-collection-announcement

Develop themed content and storytelling

Develop themed content around the Color of the Year, telling a story that resonates with your brand and the significance of the color. The email template below serves as a perfect starting point to share share narratives, testimonials, or behind-the-scenes content that emphasizes the emotional and cultural aspects associated with the color of the year.

Source: https://beefree.io/template/how-to-design-with-pantone-peach-fuzz

Does the 2024 Color of the Year suit your brand?

Evaluating whether the 2024 Color of the Year suits your brand involves a nuanced exploration of the color's characteristics and your brand identity. Begin by examining the psychological and emotional associations of the chosen color. Peach Fuzz has a warm, welcoming, and peaceful air that can align well with many brands’ voices and messaging. Consider the values, personality, and messaging of your brand; does the color align with these elements, or does it pose a potential contrast that could enhance visual appeal and captivate your audience?

If the color resonates with your target demographic and aligns with your brand's narrative, it may offer an opportunity to play around your visual identity. However, remember that a balance between staying on-trend and maintaining a unique brand identity is crucial.

Strengthening your 2024 email marketing with the Color of the Year

Embracing the Color of the Year in your email campaigns is more than just a visual choice; it's an opportunity to remain competitive and provide users with something new. By strategically incorporating the Color of the Year, you can create visually appealing and emotionally resonant emails that stand out in crowded inboxes.

The easiest way to experiment with the color of the year in email campaigns is to start with a pre-designed template. Beefree’s "Color of The Year" template collection is a perfect place to start. Our user-friendly email editor makes it easy to customize all templates with your brand identity and effortlessly make a few simple changes to bring Peach Fuzz into your design.

Get started with Beefree - it's free!

How to Craft Compelling Internal Company Newsletters

Beefree team
Beefree team
7 Mar
2024

It’s no secret that newsletters are a powerful aspect of successful and impactful marketing strategies. With 81% of marketing professionals stating that email newsletters are their go-to type of content marketing, deciding whether to create and send regular newsletters to your clients is a no-brainer.

But what about your staff? Could employee newsletters be as effective and compelling for your employees as they are for your clients? The answer is “yes”.

Before creating your first-ever internal company newsletter, read our guide. Here, we’ll reveal the benefits of internal newsletters, the key elements to include, and how to create an internal newsletter for maximum reach and engagement.

According to a study by Ragan Communications, 83% of employees prefer receiving company news and updates via internal email newsletters.

It’s important for businesses to invest in internal newsletters because they play an important role in employee engagement, encourage better communication, and promote trust within the company. They represent an efficient way to share information, endorse company culture, and encourage employees to learn from one another.

Here are just some of the things you can expect to achieve by writing great company newsletters:

Enhanced staff commitment, motivation, and retention:

By using newsletters and emails to regularly engage employees in company news, updates, events, and celebrating individual accomplishments helps employees feel like essential stakeholders in the success of the company. This is more likely to help them feel involved in the company's success and be more open to providing feedback and contributing to the company beyond the day-to-day responsibilities.

Higher productivity:

When staff feel more involved and engaged, productivity follows. Gallup reported a 21% increase in productivity from highly engaged teams. Put simply, engaged employees are prepared to go above and beyond to complete their goals.

Better collaboration:

Regularly keeping your entire workforce in the loop allows them to communicate and collaborate more effectively.

How to Craft Compelling Internal Company Newsletters

Understand your audience's preferences

Your workforce likely consists of a range of folks varying in expertise, backgrounds, age groups, and interests.

So, to make sure your newsletters are read and engaged by as many people as possible, it is important to offer something for everyone. Which is, of course, easier said than done. This is where surveys and questionnaires can help. Before you create your internal newsletter, send out surveys asking questions such as:

  • How often would you like to receive the newsletter?
  • What are the three most interesting/useful/important topics you’d like to read?
  • Would you be happy to be featured in the newsletter following a project accomplishment?
  • What are your interests?
  • Are there any resources you’d like for us to include in the newsletter to help support your everyday work? 

By involving your employees in creating your email newsletters, you can curate the newsletter specifically for their needs. Consider segmenting your audience and sending department-specific newsletters if you notice various interests and needs across departments. 

Craft relevant and engaging content

Now, for the most crucial bit: your newsletter’s content. We mentioned how vital it is to use simple, straight-to-the-point language. This, though, doesn’t mean that your content should be bland and dull. For your newsletter to hit the mark, it must include compelling, relevant, and insightful content that your audience loves to read.

Your content needs to not only provide information but also engage your audience if you want to develop a sense of community within your organization. It is also a good idea to seek feedback and revise your content strategy over time, as you want your content to stay fresh and captivating.

Align content with company values and goals

Whatever you decide to include in your newsletter must align with your company’s values, mission, and vision for the future.

Everything about your newsletter should be an extension of these aspects – from its tone of voice to its visuals. This can help reinforce your brand identity and help foster a strong company culture and sense of community among your readers.

Develop a budget for newsletter expenses

Who is going to manage your newsletter? Will you handle it internally or outsource it to an external party? Regardless of which you choose, there will be a varying degree of costs associated with it. To keep track of them, develop a detailed budget – preferably using automated tools. 

The exact budget will vary depending on your organization's size and requirements. You may have to factor in the costs of email marketing platforms, content creation, design, analytics tools, employee time, and potentially staff training. 

One highly effective option for budget management is to utilize budget management software. These tools are designed to streamline your expense tracking process, reduce the margin for errors, and allow you to effortlessly keep a close eye on your newsletter-related expenses.

By combining budget tools with other monitoring tools, you’ll get a good sense of how your internal communications affect your business. 

Make sure you look at various metrics to measure your newsletter's success. For example, quantitative results like open rate and the number of shares can be checked, as well as more qualitative metrics such as digital survey responses and feedback meetings. This will help you determine how useful your newsletter is and means you can create ROI benchmarks.

Managing the workload effectively

Did you choose to handle your company newsletters internally? Great, but you’ll need to ensure this doesn’t become too time-intensive. In all likelihood, the person (or people) assigned to create the newsletter will also handle other tasks.

With tools such as time and expense management software, you’ll be able to check exactly how much time your employee devotes to creating and running the newsletter. Does it seem insufficient, and the content is starting to suffer? Or are they spending too much time on it and not focusing on their core activities?

Tracking all this helps your employees work more efficiently, stay on top of content planning, and keep up with their other tasks.

Choose a format and posting frequency

If you’ve asked your employees how often they’d like to receive the newsletter, you should now know the ideal frequency. Suppose 60% of people said they’re happy with one monthly newsletter, while 40% would like to read it weekly. Go for a middle-ground alternative, such as bi-monthly.

You can use email marketing automation to send newsletters at optimal times, allowing for factors like employees working in different time zones. This allows your team to focus their energy on content creation.

The optimal time to automate your newsletters is midweek mornings, as Mondays can be hectic for workers catching up after the weekend, and on Fridays, they may be less engaged due to the upcoming weekend. Mornings are usually best, as that is when most people check their emails. 

Some things you’ll want to include in your newsletters are unpredictable, such as employee achievements. However, other company newsletter ideas can be planned and outlined in advance, such as details on training sessions, a new leadership team manager joining the company, and company events.

Consistency is extremely important when it comes to maintaining audience engagement. Creating a content schedule for planned content will allow you to deliver valuable information regularly and reliably.

Continuously refine based on feedback

Maybe you think you’ve been sending out the most amazing company newsletters using the best platforms, but how do your readers feel? Ask them! Your audience’s feedback is one of the most precious tools you have in refining and improving your company newsletters.

Whether it’s about the content, the frequency, or the length, keep asking for feedback, suggestions, and input. You can make this a fast and smooth process by leveraging automated feedback software, such as SurveyMonkey and Typeform.

Your audience will likely appreciate being asked for feedback as it will make them feel that their opinions are valued and that the content is being purposefully designed for them.  

Encourage reader interaction and sharing

A newsletter with a strong CTA can retain a lot of its potential. So, remember to include a clear and enticing call to action at the end of your email. This should encourage the reader to interact with the content, share it, and discuss it with their peers.

7 Key elements to include in an internal company newsletter

We’ve compiled a list of the 7 key elements you should include in your company newsletter. This will help you form the basis of your internal communications, which you can continue to reform as you explore what works for you and your employees.

1. Easy-to-understand messaging

When writing your internal employee newsletter, leave complexity out of it. Don’t use jargon. Speak clearly and straightforwardly, and try to appeal to as large an audience as possible. 

This is especially important if people from different departments with different backgrounds and interests read your newsletter.

2. High-quality images and graphics

The choice of imagery in newsletters takes on an important role. It's about capturing your audience’s attention and making employees feel seen and represented. When curating images and visual elements for your newsletter, it's essential to prioritize content that resonates with your diverse workforce. Including imagery that reflects a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can foster a profound sense of inclusivity and belonging among your employees.

Adding interactive elements to an email newsletter can help spark your readers’ interest and keep their attention longer. So, remember to give your newsletter design some thought and include hi-res images, graphics, and other visual elements such as video clips and GIFs. 

By including images from all teams and team members, you’ll ensure that your internal company newsletter informs and reinforces a culture of inclusivity where every employee feels valued and represented.

3. Company updates and project spotlights

To get your team’s attention, you’ll want your newsletter to discuss important updates and highlights. Did you recently win an award? Are you going to organize a fun work trip or social event? Have you appointed a new manager for your marketing team? Is there any industry news that might be relevant to your company? Whatever it is, make sure it gets a mention.

4. Training information and helpful resources

Another must-have in your internal newsletter is useful information. This could be anything from the date and time of your next DEI training session to helpful resources about remote work and guidelines on new product releases. Remote work has become increasingly prevalent, and providing guidance and support in this area can greatly benefit your employees' productivity and well-being.

5. Leadership messages and staff contributions

Messages from your company’s leaders and internal shout-outs are two other things you’ll want your newsletter to have. These are especially important if your company has recently gone through something significant or a specific staff member has distinguished themselves in a project.

6. Employee highlights and achievements

Speaking of staff members, regularly include your team’s achievements and highlights. You could refer to a team or department or mention a specific person – it’s entirely up to you.

This practice of highlighting and celebrating employees success is instrumental in making them feel acknowledged and appreciated. It reinforces their sense of value within the organization and contributes to overall morale and motivation.

7. Culture reinforcement and community involvement

Lastly, remember to include a sentence or two about your company’s culture and tie it with anything tangible your readers can do to help the community. 

For example, if your company values becoming greener and more sustainable, you could scout for relevant volunteering opportunities in the area and add them to your newsletters. Or, you could mention what your company is doing to lower its carbon footprint and encourage your employees to help you achieve this goal.

Designing impactful internal newsletters with Beefree

If it all sounds like a lot and you’re not quite sure where to start, then remember: you don’t need to do it alone! Elevate your company's internal communications by leveraging the power of Beefree to design newsletters that captivate and resonate with your team. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can effortlessly create visually stunning layouts, incorporating eye-catching visuals and dynamic content.

Offering a broad spectrum of professionally designed templates, Beefree caters to various internal communication needs, including announcements, team updates, project milestones, and employee recognition. With easy customization options, you can effortlessly tailor these templates to align with your company's branding, tone, and specific messaging requirements.

Sign up for free and start designing! 

How to Write Effective Training Invitation Emails to Excite People About Learning

Want to truly excite your workforce about learning? Read our guide to creating effective training invitation emails that really work.
Beefree team
Beefree team
5 Mar
2024

A training invitation email is designed to concisely provide the important logistical information relating to a meeting, including the date, time, location, and agenda, while also providing a prompt for recipients to confirm their attendance. It will also inform attendees of any preparations they need to make ahead of the scheduled session.

There are many different types of training, such as employee onboarding, professional development, technical skills improvement, sales, safety, leadership, health and wellness programs, customer education, and specialized training. These are all designed to match specific learning goals and the needs of the organization.

It is well worth investing the time to get your invitational emails just right as they not only provide attendees with important information in a streamlined way, but they can also set a positive tone for the whole training experience.

That said, creating a truly effective training invitation email can be trickier than it looks. After all, your employees are busy people. They can’t always set aside dedicated time to attend every mandatory training session. 

That means you need to persuade them that doing so will be worthwhile. For some the effectiveness of your invitational email may be the difference between attendance and non-attendance, so getting the initial message right is paramount.

Here’s why.

Why do well-crafted training invitation emails matter?

There are many challenges that can impact the effectiveness of your training sessions. These can range from low attendance, a lack of commitment and engagement with the content, or confusion about the training logistics and what is required of attendees. 

A well-crafted training invitation email can serve as a powerful tool to address these issues. 

In the following sections, we will look into how important invitation emails can be in achieving higher attendance, reducing miscommunication, and also how they can support data analysis, simplify the registration process, and boost employee accountability.

With that in mind, let’s explore the power of invitation emails.

Improved attendance and engagement

According to Gallup, only 32% of employees were actively engaged in the workplace in 2022. Their study highlights the challenge companies are facing to make sure their employees are enthusiastic about their work and the organization.

This is a significant problem as a workforce who experience low job satisfaction, will in turn lead to lower levels of productivity. It can also result in a high staff turnover and a negative culture in the workplace. This can leave a company finding it difficult to meet their organizational goals and a loss of a competitive advantage.

It’s crucial to find ways to tackle the problem. When it comes to training, that means motivating people to make the most of learning opportunities. Training plays an important role in boosting employee engagement. When employees realize that their company cares about their professional growth and values their progress, it tends to spark motivation and enthusiasm towards their work and the organization as a whole.

If you are looking for ways to improve employee engagement, an event invitation email can motivate employees by communicating its significance and relevance to their roles. You can also highlight the personal benefits they stand to gain, such as the potential for improved career prospects and valuable networking opportunities. 

That said, you have to get it right and show that you’re invested in employees’ career growth and value them. Your email must explain:

  • Why you’re conducting the training
  • Why the training content is relevant to them
  • How it benefits their continuous learning

Minimizes miscommunication

Setting out the essential details guarantees everyone is on the same page. Event emails should incorporate the following:

  • Basic details: Include training date and time, location, and key learning outcomes.
  • Training topic: What is the primary training subject? What skills will the sessions cover?
  • Training platform: Will these be in-person interactive sessions? Or via the company learning portal? 
  • Deadlines: Highlight registration deadlines or a time period the training should be completed in.

Supports tracking and data analysis

Training invitation emails are useful for gathering data for analyzing.

For instance, you could include a link to a pre-training survey to collect feedback about employee expectations. Alternatively, you could track interactions, such as open rates, click-through rates, or completion of registration forms. All of these give you a clue as to how engaged your employees are in the process.

Simplifies the registration process

Staff are less likely to register for training if they feel it would disrupt their work or there’s not someone to cover for them. 

One approach is to use shift management software solutions. These tools make it easier to streamline staff schedules and find the best time for holding training sessions without leaving a gap in the workforce. 

Use your training emails to inform staff that their shifts will be covered. By effectively managing their schedule, you simplify the process for them, so all they have to do is confirm their registration.

With that in mind, keep the registration process itself straightforward. This is particularly important for remote and hybrid teams. Implementing regular training is an excellent strategy for boosting remote team productivity, but it’s crucial to handle it correctly.

Avoid asking people to email a particular person to confirm their attendance. Instead, include a registration link that automatically confirms their attendance or directs them to a form.

Boosts employee accountability

Sending out a training email that just provides basic information represents a missed opportunity. Devote time to the email creation process and message. Encourage staff to take accountability for their learning process and explain the impact it will have on others.

Highlight how the training program will help the employee make a direct contribution to the company’s success. Doing this can help foster a sense of community and remind employees that they have an important role to play in shaping not only their own future but also the future of their team.

6 steps for creating effective training invitation emails

So how can you create an excellent training invitation in practice? Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Create attention-grabbing and informative subject lines

Chances are your employees wade through masses of emails daily. So take a cue from tried-and-tested email marketing strategies, and create a punchy email subject line so it stands out in inboxes. Keep it informative and concise, for example:

Boost Your Communication Skills: Mandatory Training – October 12

This has all the basic information, including the date, training subject, and the fact attendance is compulsory.

2. Organize the email for easy navigation and clear information flow

It’s tempting to create a catchy email design. But you should still make sure it’s easy to read and informative. 

Open with a brief intro explaining what the training entails and the benefits. This will pique your employee’s interest from the beginning. 

Then, give step-by-step instructions for how to enroll. This is where you include relevant links for registration and tracking purposes.

Finally, thank the reader for their attention and reiterate the valuable insights they’ll learn. Add  contact information in case they have questions or want to arrange an alternative training time.

3. Tailor training invitation emails, especially for new employees

Before you create your email template, consider the tone you’ll take and who will send it out. For example, an email from the CEO will add a certain gravitas, which is helpful for vital compliance training.

When it comes to new employees, try to be more focused and weave the invitation into the onboarding process. You can set up predefined tasks specific to each new hire using HR onboarding software. For example, let’s say you onboard someone who needs to hone their negotiation skills. You can automatically enroll them in a relevant online course. 

If this is something you discussed during their interview or job offer, reiterate that in your email. Make sure they understand the benefits in the context of their professional development.

4. Request prompt attendance confirmation by providing a deadline

Including a deadline gives employees a nudge to take action. Place this near the end of the email as part of your call-to-action. At this point, the recipient has already digested the main message and is motivated to move to the next stage.

That said, be careful with the tone. You don’t want to come across as too pushy or demanding in case that elicits a negative reaction. A simple, polite one-liner like this works well:

Please respond to this invitation by [time, date] to confirm your attendance.

5. Offer incentives for early registration to drive engagement

Of course, there are ways to up the ante a bit, such as offering incentives for people who sign up early. This is especially helpful when the training date is relatively far off.

Here are a few options to consider:

  • Use an employee recognition platform to generate rewards for early birds.
  • Provide practical perks for the first 20/50/100 sign-ups. This might include a digital coupon/voucher or entry to a prize draw.
  • Offer access to priority list for other specialized role-relevant training.

6. Emphasize the tangible benefits for participating employees

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: make sure you highlight why the training will be valuable to your employees. 

Offering training is a terrific way of boosting employee retention. But only if there’s a clear rationale behind it that will make your employees feel valued.

Avoid conducting one-off sessions. Instead, make them part of a continuous learning program that will genuinely benefit your team. In addition, listen to their feedback and ideas for future sessions. You can then refer back to this feedback in other training emails so employees can see that you are actively listening.

Start designing effective training invitation emails with Beefree

Elevate your training program with Beefree, the ultimate solution for crafting compelling and effective training invitation emails. Whether you're organizing professional development sessions, workshops, or corporate seminars, Beefree provides a user-friendly platform to design visually stunning and engaging email invitations.

Start from scratch or start designing with one of our Human-Resource templates. Create your free account today

Stay informed on all email trends

From the latest creative design strategies that inspire your next campaign to industry best practices and tech advancements, our newsletter is the go-to for all things creation.

By clicking Subscribe you're agreeing with our Privacy Policy