There were about 6-7 images representing each show and the galleries.
There were no links in the body of the email, so I started clicking on the images.
Not a single one took me to the appropriate website. They were just images!
There was no way for me to find more information about all these events without Googling each one.
Compare this to email newsletters I get from people and companies I follow, subscribe to, and purchase from.
Links are clearly present throughout their newsletters. Sometimes they're even repeated, in case I get too far down and don't think to go back and reread.
And every image has a link to that specific referenced article, that particular item for sale, the place where I can order or make a purchase.
So these two email newsletters - It was so frustrating to not be able to easily follow up for more information. At first I thought I was being too grumpy.
But then I realized it would take quite a bit of time to type in all the gallery names, the exhibition names, etc. Some of these organizations have multiple events going on, and getting to that specific one I'm interested in would take even more time.
Even the artist's image should have at least taken me to that image on their website! After all, if I'm interested enough to click, then the purpose of that link would be to keep me engaged in seeing more work, learning more about the artist, etc.
Yes, adding in links takes a little time on the part of the person sending the email.
But whose time are we valuing here? Ours, at the expense of our audience's? Not good.
And that's the last little bit for you today:
It's kind.
It shows we care about our audience's experience. That we're willing to take a little time to ensure that experience is the best we can make it.
So, short and sweet today! (Stop cheering, I CAN HEAR YOU!!) (Just kidding!)
Use good links in your email newsletters.
Make it easy for your audience to engage.
It's worth every minute of your time, and doesn't waste your readers' time.
Trust me--your customers will appreciate it.
Your shares and comments are welcome!
Link back to it here on Fine Art Views, or my blog at luannudell.wordpress.com. I repost my FAV articles on my blog, so if you have trouble leaving a comment at FAV, you can subscribe to my blog here and/or leave a comment on my blog.
If someone shared this article with you, and you'd like to read more in this series, here are all my articles at FineArtViews.com.
