As the
Boston Globe highlighted eloquently on our behalf to announce today's launch of
HubSpot's new email tools,
email marketing is not dead! But over the years, some less than savory
email marketing behaviors by brands -- whether they knew better or not
-- have soured many recipients to the email messages filling up their
inboxes.
On the other hand, it has also made consumers jump for joy when they actually
do
get an email that is helpful, interesting, or innovative. And that's
the kind of email marketing we like to celebrate! We've written about
fantastic ecommerce retargeting campaigns, how to craft
an email newsletter recipients actually read, and even
how to use your email signature to support your other marketing efforts. But we realized we've never compiled a list of just plain awesome
examples of email marketing that could inspire us and our readers.
So, I set out to my inbox (and that of a few friends and coworkers),
and looked for the email marketing that doesn't make me hit 'delete.' I
hope some of these real-life examples inspire changes, additions, or
innovation in the way you approach your own
email marketing campaigns!
10 Examples of Awesome Email Marketing
1) ModCloth Communicates Changes to Its Email Policy ... Via Email
I bookmarked this email from ModCloth several weeks ago, because I
was so impressed that a brand actually cared enough to tell me it was
changing certain components of its email
marketing program. Take a look at the copy called out in orange below to see what I mean.
Great companies are always changing and evolving, and your customers expect it. What they
don't
expect (because too many companies haven't lived up to this end of the
bargain) is to be told about those changes. What a refreshing
change of pace!
If you're going to change the way you communicate with a lead or
customer, give them clear, fair warning so, if they aren't on board,
they can make the necessary adjustments to keep their inbox clean.
2) UncommonGoods Creates a Sense of Urgency Without Being Pushy
You've heard it a million times (a few thousand of those times may
have been from us) -- you should create a sense of urgency with your
calls-to-action!
That's what makes a lead take action, right? Sure, if it's done right.
But often, the call-to-action is positioned in a way that morphs urgency
into pushiness. This email from UncommonGoods, however, succeeds in
creating a sense of urgency because it focuses on the
value of acting now.
Instead of saying, "Order your Mother's
Day gift
NOW before Preferred Shipping ends!", this email asks, "Don't you think
mom would've liked a faster delivery?" Why yes, she would. Thank you
for reminding me before it's too late, and I'm in the dog house because
my gift arrived after Mother's Day.
3) Yapta Gives the Compliment Sandwich
Look, I know what this email is really trying to say: Corey, you
could be using our tool way better than you are now. But they say it
so nicely! Take a look at that first sentence ... they thank me
and call me smart. Awesome! I'll keep reading.
The second paragraph is when they give me some constructive feedback
on better ways to use Yapta. If I follow this advice, I'll be a better
user of their service, and as such, be more likely to complete a
purchase with them.
Finally, it ends with another heartwarmer -- they ask for my
feedback! There's nothing better than asking for (and receiving)
feedback from your users, even if they aren't a power user. In fact,
those are often the ones who can make your product or service even
better, as they've identified roadblocks to success that many other
leads and customers may be facing.
You may also notice that this email doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. Great email marketing
doesn't need to be highly designed! This email message is effective because it gives me helpful information in a brief, clear, positive way.
4) AmazonLocal Wants to Deliver More Personalized Offers
This email from AmazonLocal is short and sweet, with just one
call-to-action: click through this email to tell them what I like and
dislike. That way, the deals they send me going forward can be more in
line with what I'm likely to actually want. What's wonderful about this
experience is not just that they asked, but also how consistent the
experience is from email to
landing page. Take a look at the email below, and the landing page that follows.
Notice how the language in the email above, "like" and "dislike,"
mirrors the language in the buttons below? This is a simple way to get
feedback from your email recipients to provide more personalized offers
in their inbox, thus increasing the chance of a high click-through and
offer redemption rate.
5) ModCloth Makes Personalization Fun
AmazonLocal's method of personalizing email content is effective, but props should be given to this
oft-highlighted e-retailer
ModCloth with its Style Whiz Quiz email. The end results are the same
-- ModCloth and AmazonLocal both know what their email recipients like,
and as a result, they can better segment their email lists to provide
more relevant content. But this email lets recipients take a fun survey
to get the answers! If this type of interactivity appeals to your
audience, it's a great way to get the information you need to
segment your email list and solidify yourself as an entertaining brand!
6) Focus Pointe Global Gets to the Point
Focus Pointe Global provides focus groups so businesses like you can get some
meaty market research.
This is an email I received from them to participate in one of their
online surveys. I'm on a lot of mailing lists for this type of research
-- and this is by far the simplest email I've received! All of the
information I need to know to determine whether I want to participate is
called out in bold, with extremely short explanatory copy following it.
What is the survey about? What do I get for taking it? How long will it
take? Where can I begin? All emails should provide such clear
instruction!
7) Zipcar Brings Back an Abandoned User
This example comes courtesy of my coworker who started signing up for
Zipcar, got busy, and had to abandon the form. Take a quick browse of
the copy!
The email calls her back to the website with some lighthearted copy
that nudges her in the right direction, and also reminds her of the
value of using Zipcar -- being economical and helping the planet. If
your site visitors are
abandoning shopping carts or
landing pages, use your email marketing in this way to remind them they have some unfinished business on your website!
8) ModCloth Promotes Its Referral Program
Do you have a
referral program?
Cool! Do your customers know about it? I didn't know ModCloth had one
... until I saw this email. Good thing, eh? This email is great because
it recognizes that even engaged customers -- you know, the ones that are
likely to refer customers -- might not know you offer referral
benefits. Email marketing is ideal for ongoing communication with
engaged leads and prospects; never forget about keeping them in the
know!
9) UncommonGoods Lets Customers Sell for Them
Another repeat offender (in the nicest way!) on this list, UncommonGoods leverages
the power of social proof
to beef up its Mother's Day email marketing campaign. Not only does
this email provide recommendations for those struggling to come up with a
gift, but it also highlights what other customers have to say about
them. And in case you forgot,
user-generated content is wicked important -- so important, in fact, that
8 in 10 people's purchasing decisions are influenced by user-generated content of complete strangers.
10) Zizinya Web Solutions Reminds You Who They Are
HubSpot customer
Zizinya Web Solutions uses this email in one of its
lead nurturing email series, and it's one of my favorite examples of a principle so many email marketers forget.
Your inbox recipients don't always remember who you are!
Take a look at the callout in orange -- the first paragraph of this
email tells the reader why they are being contacted. With the amount of
inbox overload we all suffer, reminders of this nature are critical to
preventing deletions and unsubscribes. Once your relationship with
readers has been re-established, you're more likely to enjoy high
click-through rates on your email's
call-to-action.
There are hundreds of other examples of excellent email marketing. Share some of your favorite campaigns in the comments!
Image credit:
moonlightbulb
May 15, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Inbound Marketing Feed
Chris Krasovich 12:24 PM on May 15, 2012
Thomas Fuller 3:31 PM on May 15, 2012
Corey Eridon 3:38 PM on May 15, 2012
Karen Nierlich 3:53 PM on May 15, 2012
Take it you are a Modcloth fan Corey. Me too!
Corey Eridon 3:56 PM on May 15, 2012
Kevin 6:20 PM on May 15, 2012
Pradeep 1:34 AM on May 16, 2012
Roshan 4:57 AM on May 16, 2012
Bob 5:58 AM on May 16, 2012
Jayati 6:03 AM on May 16, 2012
Justin Kownacki 3:50 PM on May 16, 2012
Hannah Hamilton 1:15 AM on May 17, 2012
Claire 1:57 AM on May 17, 2012
Cari Sultanik 8:42 AM on May 17, 2012
Rolv Heggenhougen 8:17 PM on May 17, 2012
The basic idea behind WRAPmail is to utilize the facts that almost everyone have websites (corporate and/or social network site) and also send emails every day. These emails can become complete marketing tools and help promote, brand, sell and cross-sell in addition to drive traffic to the website and conduct research. WRAPmail is available for free (with 3rd party ads) or for a small license fee at www.wrapmail.com. No routines change as users simply download a toolbar or routes emails via Google or WRAPmail’s servers.
WRAPmail also helps search for missing children with every email sent by free users incorporating an RSS feed from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Thereze 11:51 AM on May 18, 2012
Sean Murphy 11:49 PM on May 20, 2012
Corey Eridon 12:33 PM on May 21, 2012
Bob Hebeisen 8:10 PM on May 21, 2012