10 of the Internet’s Best Email Marketing Campaign Examples
“To be the best, learn from the best” – Someone, probably.
It’s not always easy to conjure up inspiring, revolutionary e-marketing ideas. Sometimes the creative juices flow, and sometimes… nothing. It’s okay though, because there are hundreds of successful companies paying agencies big bucks to come up with tried and tested e-marketing campaigns that really work. We’ve compiled a list of our favourites to draw inspiration for your next campaign…
1. Starbucks (The Connection)
Customer retention is key. One way to keep your audience engaged is to interact with them from the get-go, giving them reasons to click links, sign up and engage with your brand even further. Don’t bombard them with text but keep it sleek and simple with key call to actions. Starbucks demonstrates this perfectly right here, even if coffee is an easy sell.
2. Apple (The Launch)
Whether you’re an Apple fan or not, you can’t deny that Apple know how to market a product. This email uses a simple design with key features highlighted and readers can immediately see the colour options for the iPhone SE with an on-brand sleek graphic. It even reaches out to Android users, persuading them that switching is easy. If you’re looking to launch or market a product, look to Apple for inspiration.
3. Airbnb (The Helpful Hint)
Airbnb do email marketing REALLY well. Research shows that emails with a ‘welcome’ message generate more engagement than any other types of messages. As well as nailing the welcome emails, Airbnb also keeps tabs on the searches its users make and then uses this data to send targeted, personalised emails. Having recently been to Porto and booked accommodation through Airbnb, they even send you emails whilst away on your travels with top tips and suggestions of things to do, places to see and things to eat… (I was too busy drinking Port but still, the thought was there).
4. Buzzfeed (The Intrigue Sell)
One of Buzzfeed’s top sources of traffic is its newsletter. They thrive on creating engaging content that encourages click-throughs and gives their audience easily digestible, fun articles, quizzes and other content. Buzzfeed know their audience and use images, GIFS, puppies, cats and anything else that’s ‘trending’ to reach out to them.
5. Nike (The Simple Segmentation)
This seasonal email from Nike is simple, fresh and features one simple call to action – to shop! This particular email was most likely aimed at a certain demographic of their distribution list as ‘shop men’s’ is the main call to action, but no doubt women received a similar email with ‘shop women’s’ as the main button. This is an example of using list segmentation really well and using good quality, crisp imagery, which is also fundamental to any good email campaign.
6. Uber (The Human Angle)
Uber have got creative with content in this email. To encourage users to try UberPool, they are suggesting that whilst it saves money, it also allows you to connect with other people and ‘get a story’. To sell the idea, they’ve included examples of said stories. Whether they are made up or not, they sound pretty convincing and relatable, which is not only key to email marketing, but marketing in general.
7. Netflix (The Short but Personal)
Netflix emails have the potential for disaster. There are so many films and TV shows on the platform that they must have a hard job to pick just a few to include in their e-marketing! However, they manage it remarkably well. Netflix is great because it gives you a personalised experience; suggestions are made based on your viewing history. Their email campaigns are no different and are tailored to each user. According to research, open and click-through rates are higher for shorter emails. The key to the success of Netflix’s emails is providing focused, valuable content and not confusing customers with a million call to action buttons.
8. Adidas (The Abandoned Basket)
For e-commerce websites, abandonment of baskets is a common issue. This is a great email example from Adidas showing their attempt to draw customers back and complete a transaction. It’s tongue-in-cheek and provides answers to possible reservations that the customer may have had. Whilst these types of emails can be annoying to receive (especially more than once!), Adidas get away with it with this effort. An improvement? The image of the trainer could be a colour-changing GIF to visually promote their customisation option. Call us, Adidas.
9. MyFitnessPal (The Click-Through)
This is an example of a good, clean, easy-to-read email. Modern-day readers HATE reams of text. This is a skim-friendly email that allows readers to quickly see if there are any recipes or articles that they may be interested in. The images are crisp and appetising, which also helps. It’s a simple design, but it’s fit for purpose.
10. Michaels (The FOMO)
A great email technique is to use FOMO, or ‘the fear of missing out’. All of us experience it, and it’s why you check Facebook when you first wake up or why you agree to going to that party that all your friends are going to, even if all you want to do is binge-watch Netflix and eat nachos on a Saturday night. Anyway… enough about me. This email uses FOMO really well and with any luck, their audience will panic and buy three blank canvases that they don’t need, instead of just the one.
The five key ingredients to successful email campaigns?
- Keep your text to a minimum.
- Use high-quality, crisp imagery.
- Get creative with your copy, especially the subject line and headline.
- Personalise and segment your emails where possible and if relevant.
- Use clear call to action buttons.
We have created hundreds of successful email marketing campaigns for our clients and love coming up with creative ideas to send those open and click-through rates through the roof.
