Email marketing is getting much more powerful these days. It is one of the most sustainable ways to gain market share and present your company at its best to your customers. In the midst of all the inbox clutter, optimizing your email marketing is the only way to increase customer attention, retention, engagement and re-engagement. The keys to optimizing are quite simple:
- Have attractive subject lines
- Be customer focused, personalized, and direct
- Be contextual
- Tell stories, beat the monotony
But it's the how-to part that's important. I've analyzed some of the most successful email marketing campaigns ever run to get into the details on how this can be done:
The Case Studies
Discussed here are case studies of three different successful email marketing campaigns that turned the tide and yielded explosive ROI, and analysis of the elements that made these campaigns successful.
Powerful Subject Lines
# Obama’s Re-election Campaign (Political Coverage)
[caption id="attachment_40419" align="aligncenter" width="613"] Source: SimBionics[/caption]
Back in 2012, United States’ President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign via email created a revolution. The campaign made history.
What made this a Successful Strategy?
The subject line
As you see, Obama’s marketing team used a very attractive yet incredibly simple and personal subject line.
The campaign is said to have raised $690 million from approximately 4.5 million supporters, and is much talked about even today.
A true example of having a powerful subject line for a successful email campaign.
Are subject lines still an effective hook to draw in readers?
Yes, subject lines can have an impact on whether users do or don’t read your email. After the Obama campaign, other politicians are following his lead by using subject lines that are more personalized, less formal, and that humanize the sender. The same strategy is now being used in the campaign for the 2016 Presidential election as a means of gathering support for fellow candidates and politicians.
# Uber
Uber is an app based taxi hailing service. The company has been creating strong customer experiences through its powerful email strategy.
Uber’s success Strategy: Customer focused and Personalized Emails
[caption id="attachment_40429" align="aligncenter" width="613"] Source: Reuters[/caption]
Launched in 2008, Uber has been creating possibilities for drivers, riders and cities. Customers rely on Uber for a variety of transportation needs, from their daily commute to running an errand across town to catching early morning flights. Uber has a driver ready anytime and anywhere.
The company's branding strategy is customer focused and personalized, which allows them to connect with people across borders, cultures and languages.
Uber is always finding new ways to connect with its clients
The company is creating unique experiences for its customers via emails by constantly prompting them about new offers, rewards, launches, indication about their credits, free rides, support and a plethora of campaigns (like offering ice cream delivery on a hot day, or roses on Valentine’s Day).
[caption id="attachment_40433" align="aligncenter" width="336"] Source: newsroom.uber[/caption]
Uber's “Gift Your Dad The Royal Experience” Email
The company has a unique way of enriching user experience by building campaigns with timely and topical content that can pique interest.
Here is an email sent out by Uber on Father’s Day to their users, which turned out to be a huge success.
[caption id="attachment_40435" align="aligncenter" width="452"] Source: newsroom.uber[/caption]
[Tweet "“The game is to be a storyteller,” says Travis Kalanik, CEO at Uber."]
# AMAZON
Amazon, the largest online store uses a unique email technique that drives revenue through multiple touch points. Once a customer, they are with Amazon for a lifetime.
What is the secret?
Beat the monotony.
Amazon has mastered the art of keeping their data powerful. Through their email marketing strategy, the company drives sales among existing customers and prospective ones.
The company manages to get a consistently high open rate, whether it is desktop opens, webmail opens or mobile opens.
How?
- Amazon’s emails are specific, direct, personalized, instantly understandable and are always attention grabbing.
- Amazon keeps track of every interest of its customers the moment they start browsing. The company sends emails regarding offers only to those customers who are interested.
- Their emails are all based on relevancy. For example, if a customer has ordered a specific author’s book, Amazon automatically sends off an email with other titles by the same author, encouraging that customer to come back.
- Whether the email is about payment, feedback, sales, sales retention, service, apology, offer, end-of season sale, or just an acknowledgement mail, Amazon ensures that they are drafted excellently with a customer centric approach to increase opens, clicks, conversions and retentions.
Closing Thoughts
With the incredible growth of the internet, more brands are finding that digital marketing is essential in building an online presence, engaging with customers and reaching wider audiences. Marketers are adopting personalized email communication to improve their branding strategy.
Email marketing is not deceptive, not complicated. You just have to invest time to understand the requirements and preferences of your customers. Identify the value your provide, and how it differs from your rivals and mention it in your emails.
There is a simple formula for a perfect email, whatever your purpose may be: focus on what your customer wants!
on
“Hey”
Obama knew that simple words are more friendly and amiable while delivering a message.
Just like we say, “Keep it simple”.
Nice observation and research Jini. Thanks!
on
Great read. Interesting. But as someone who is just starting out with a tiny little list, do you have any advice for how I can grow my list faster using free methods? I have more than enough time to put in…
on
Hi Norma, Thanks. If you looking to grow your email database, i think you should create good lead generating content, cheer up your current email subscribers to share and forward, and be heavily active on social media.
on
I tried this once for my Youtube channel and growth came fast!
on
Yes, it really works. Thanks.