Here’s something I’d like to confess:
In the last decade or so, with the advent of countless Apps, collaboration/sharing tools, and proliferation of social channels like; Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Viber, Instagram, etc., I was under the impression that, when it comes to ‘communication’ and ‘engaging with the world’, people and marketers have gradually moved away from the ‘Traditional’ emails and inboxes - which these days feel more like a space choked with unwanted ‘spammy’ mails and ‘salesy’ texts all vying to grab your attention and empty your pockets.
But much to my surprise, Emails still seem to rule the ‘Marketing Turf’!
Did you know that email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter?
Come to think of it, with hindsight, no matter how engaged we are with the social media and other networking platforms, at the end of the day (or rather, countless times in a day), we do open up our email inboxes to check for any new updates or to send out replies. In fact by the end of 2019, the number of worldwide email users is estimated to reach over 2.9 billion – which will account for one-third of the world population!
But the statistics also say - 78% of consumers have unsubscribed from emails because a brand was sending too many emails.
How do we then strike the right balance and use emails effectively to market our products? What are the best practices that industry leaders adopt with their email marketing campaigns?
Let's look into some great examples of best industry practices on Email Marketing Campaigns.
1. The Uncommon Goods – Evoking a sense of ‘URGENCY’
The online retail store Uncommon Goods selling jewellery, home décor and unique gifts creates an excellent CTA (Call-To-Action) copy for its email newsletter.
The ‘sense of urgency’ depicted in the newsletter ‘headline’ gently nudges the customers to take action, without being too demanding.
As you can see from the above example, the brand has created immediate ‘value’ for its readers by working on the sentiments everyone has with their mothers, and how one should not miss the opportunity to generate the ‘happiness’ our mums would get with a ‘timely’ delivery of her Mother’s Day gift.
The newsletter, simple as it is, invokes a sense of ‘urgency’ amongst the readers and prompts them to take immediate action – a clever tactic which psychologists prefer to call ‘Loss Aversion’, an urge to ‘not’ miss an opportunity, which seems to be slipping through the fingers, if immediate action is not taken.
What if the CTA copy read “Send your Mum a special gift for Mother’s Day” instead of “Don’t you think your mother would’ve liked a faster delivery?” Well, it does deliver the message, but it's not as appealing or persuasive as the former one.
2. Warby Parker – A Personal Touch
Here, the eyeglasses/sunglasses brand Warby Parker shows how skillfully one can run personalised email campaigns to boost their sales.
With the email subject line, “Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring”, the brand immediately connects with the customers with its ‘urgent’ yet ‘gentle’ reminder about how the prescriptions for their customers’ glasses are expiring soon.
This subject line acts as a quick trigger for the receivers to open up the email and learn more.
Giving the exact date as to when the customer’s prescription expires, the brand has efficiently demonstrated its standards in ‘customer care’, followed by an offer to help find a pair through a simple CTA, which when clicked will take the customer to their website.
If you look closely, Warby Parker has also used a ‘co-marketing’ tactic at the end of the email with the sub heading “Need a New RX?” where it cleverly prompts those needing new prescriptions to make easy appointments with optometrists (links of two partner sites).
With such a ‘personal’ care for the clients’ eyesight, along with well-rounded solutions, it puts out a convincing case for customers to shop for new glasses.
3. Pay Pal – ‘Good Food. Good Friends’ Campaign!
Pay Pal has proven itself to be the most popular payment processor for millions of businesses and people around the world, with its simplified processes of payment, based on apps, emails and phone numbers.
The ‘Good Food. Good Friends’ email campaign is a creative approach to attract customers by coming up with an easy solution for the ‘splitting the bill’ problem, which surfaces often when dining together with friends.
The brand immediately connects with people by cashing in on the behaviourial aspects, or say on the ‘fear’ of having to pay for your friends’ meal at a restaurant and then being left hanging with ‘I owe YOUs', which could never manifest.
With a simple and clear heading, it comforts readers on how one doesn’t need to worry about the pains of splitting the bill, but actually can make it a fun and easy process by using the Pay Pal app on their smart phones with 3 easy steps to settle the bill, right at the table.
It emphasises how with just an email address or the phone number of the receiver, one can easily send/receive payments, and further nudges the receivers to learn more through a CTA. A simple and convenient idea for new users who would ‘jump-in’ at the opportunity, and for the brand - a beginning of a new relationship.
Wrapping it up…
When email campaigns are considered six times more likely to garner a ‘click-through’ than a tweet, and for each dollar spent, if email has an average ROI of $38 – it clearly indicates what well-crafted email campaigns can bring about in generating leads or in achieving brands’ marketing goals.
If you'd like more assistance with your content or would like to discuss anything covered today, we'd love to hear from you.
Call Andy Fox (me) on (03) 5249 5570 or email andy@element7digital.com.au
Our Website is element7digital.com.au
