👋 Hello, Branding and Marketing Revealers. How are you doing today?
That inbox interaction and awe
I discovered Substack a few years ago and jumped into the writer’s pool, navigating the mindset of a publication while sharing my journey. I witnessed, as many of you did, how our inboxes got flooded with content, products, and more and more from our favorite creators and mentors. There are some emails I open every time because of the author and how magnetic their work and philosophy have been. I can say that Seth Godin’s emails are golden, as are the sparkling emails from Coucou Suzetteand even Gisou. I also love the wake-up call emails from Alex Hormozi. In a nutshell, there is a world of encounters and bonds happening through email. Many of us readers stay on the receiving side, while others like me also tackle the send or publish button, knowing the feeling inside out of the message.
Our new guest decided to take emails to another level by creating a whole email brand to support better emails in your inboxes. I discovered the upcoming project by Emma Lemon thanks to a post she shared on ILoveCreatives, and I thought it could be interesting for me and my readers to have her share some strategic and mindful insights on the art of sending emails. There is truly a craft within emails, and that emotion is something we all want to experience and share from both ends of the letter.
Association. It's a combination of visual cues, feelings, vibes, desires and needs that form to build an identity.
Emma
Branding is trial and error. Positioning takes effort, time, and dedication. How can entrepreneurs recover from a branding that doesn't yet resonate with their audience?
I cannot believe I'm saying this as I used to be the biggest hater of it, but consistency. Keep going, keep learning but most importantly, keep it simple.
If you're having trouble resonating, it might be a sign that you need to do a little more research into your audience.
Emma
What are the repeated words you hear about your Brand and Branding from your audience, teams, and people who discover you? (3 to 5 keywords)
What is your best branding story from clients, yourself, or an iconic brand?
The first brand that comes to mind is JD Sports. They do a great job of storytelling and being relatable to their customers — from their photography, to the music they use in their reels, to the influencers they partner with. A lot of nostalgia radiates from the brand as well. I think it's a really good example of knowing your audience and leaning into it.
Emma
Do you have any recommendations for mastering branding, such as books, podcasts, conferences, etc.?
But beyond that, if you're an entrepreneur, I'd start with getting to know yourself. Really understand what makes you tick and put it out into the world.
I think the world is losing connection even though we are somehow more connected than ever. The things you likely hide away from the outside world, are probably the things that people want to hear about and would connect to. Try things, fail, keep going.
You can "reinvent" yourself as many times as you want until you find what feels like the truest version of yourself.
Emma
Emails are powerful bonding tools for building connections. How did you get into email marketing? And what inspired your shift from branding projects to CRM-focused design work?
My journey into email design actually began back in 2012 when working as an admin assistant. This was before I went back to get a degree, and I was self-taught. I was spotted reading a book on PHP & MySQL by the CMO and from there, I was given the opportunity to rebuild the company’s website, leading to some really unexpected praise for my writing and marketing skills which in turn led me to creating my first ever HTML emails! I grew up working class and hadn't actually got any qualifications (yet!) so this felt unreal. I honestly thought jobs like this were only for men in suits.
After yearsssss of experimenting in branding, lettering, websites, and working in more corporate roles (where I did the more technical marketing side of things) I honed in on email design in 2022 while working as a senior digital designer at Not On The High Street.Just a little over a year ago, I quietly (no website, so socials, no ads — just chatting to brands) started nicemail® after rediscovering that love for emails but also after being made redundant.
I had interviewed at some pretty epic companies to do email-specific roles but I just had this calling to go it alone. So I bet on myself.
Why emails? WELL, they are like tiny little websites packed with so much potential.They can be systemized (which my brain lovessssss), and you can utilize so many different areas of design, from editorial to illustration to motion. I have experience in design, branding, marketing, web, and just being super organized from my many years of admin work, so my service offering is quite unique. I also love that you get real, tangible data. Does my email/copy make X more money? Yeah, yeah it does. You can see it in the numbers. That was always what I lacked in my other endeavors — the proof of the impact my work had.
Emma
There are people, including myself, who rely solely on email to follow and receive updates from certain brands. What makes an email a unique brand experience? And how can design hierarchy and principles align with a brand's goals or ambitions?
It really does come back to good Branding.
Could you tell who the email is from with the images turned off? Would the TOV (tone of voice) be recognisable? Could you just see the subject line and have that gut feeling of who sent it?
In terms of design, having a well structured email is key, this looks like engaging/relevant imagery, copy that is scannable and easy to digest, layout that follows best practices (thinking of white space and alignment here), a clear goal (is it to educate? convert? build awareness?).
Treat each email like it's own mini-campaign instead of an after-thought or an add-on, after all email is one of the most personal places you can be - treat the inbox with respect, let your customers/readers know you listen and adapt your content based on feedback/data.
Emma
You are building a company callednicemail®. Could you share more about your vision?
When it comes to employment, I've always felt like I just didn't fit in. Over the years I've had some pretty unsavoury experiences and I decided that when I started my own company I wouldn't follow suit of what is considered "normal".
Before starting nicemail® I took note of how working on emails made me FEEL. And I always felt like I was having a nice time. And really that is how nicemail was born. What is the point in doing anything if you're not having a nice time? We spend so much of our time working, should it really have to be sufferable to be a success? I know I'm not the only person who feels this way but it is why I do what I do. It benefits me, it benefits my clients. I can genuinely say I love my work. I get satisfaction from my work. It makes me want to do more, to be better.
I am currently hiring for my first part time role, and I've had so many compliments on my job description for calling out the BS that exists in the design industry. I want people to be able to enjoy what they do, which is super important for creatives. To be able to work from where they want and when it works for them. The same applies for clients, I want everyone to be having a nice time. I want them to feel like CRM can actually be stress-free, to open their inboxes and be like ahh d'ya know what, that IS a nice email.
Emma
That feeling when you see your favorite brand in your inbox. Do you have a brand whose emails you’re always excited to open? If so, what keeps you hooked every time?
At the moment, I really enjoy emails from Beards & Daisies(plants and flowers!). They always have really great subject lines that make me want to open and the design of their emails is always really on brand. I know I'm an email DESIGNER, but copy and messaging play such a huge part in building emails that perform well
Emma
If your brand was a food, what would it be, and why? (It can be a dish, a fruit, any kind of food.)
Food: Probably just a good steak, cooked to perfection.
Emma
You can connect and discover more about her work@ Emma Lemon
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I leave you with Emma’s song selection. Sending inbox vibes 📩 Keva.
