With inboxes increasingly flooded with messages from marketers, the competition is fierce for your emails to stand out from the crowd.
It’s only going to get worse with the upcoming onslaught of events and holidays that usher out the end of the year: Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, New Year’s. The list goes on and on. But before you rush head-on into planning for the upcoming holiday season, take a moment to look back at October 2017 email campaigns.
These are just a few of the email marketing campaigns we thought stood out from the rest last month. Look at them, learn from them, and leave your thoughts.
#1: the punniest Halloween email
Halloween was a large part of the strategy of many email marketers in October, much like it is every year. Retailer and eCommerce player Modcloth ushered in the holiday in style with this themed, on-brand message.
Subject line: Don’t let Halloween sneak up on you!
View the entire email right here
what we like
Modcloth uses creative puns (not the same old trick-or-treat ones that seemingly every other retailer uses) that tie the holiday into its existing styles and branding. It’s brand voice carries a sweet, sassy tone overall, and this emails plays right into that. The company also spotlights the best of its holiday attire by showcasing each piece in its own module.
Can you say well executed gif? This is a great example of exactly how to include those little moving pictures we all love so much in your emails. Even if you’re not a retailer or eCommerce player, you can take pointers from Modcloth’s great gif game.
what could be better
Most of this email is just one big image, which means if it breaks, nothing will show up. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it is something we’d go back and change if we had the chance.
#2: the Halloween game is on
The other Halloween-themed email we’re including in our roundup is from a company you’re probably familiar with. Email on Acid is an email testing and rendering company that had some fun with its holiday email.
Subject line: Will your email survive these inbox gremlins this Halloween?
View the entire email right here
what we like
During the holidays, most email marketers are asking their subscribers for something. Over and over again. This email doesn’t ask you to buy anything, download anything, or sign up for anything. How refreshing! There’s nothing over-the-top about “the game” it asks you to play. But the activity is cleverly inserted and the message is on point for its audience.
The email’s design is simple, and we like that. It matches the holiday theme (black) and the company’s branding (green). The copy is short and concise, always a thumbs up for mobile reading.
what could be better
The design is good, but we’ve come to expect much more from anyone who holds themselves up as an email marketing expert. A little more pizzaz on the design would be an area of improvement. And could Email on Acid have added a CTA button to push subscribers to helpful content? It’s definitely a possibility and might have been worth an A/B test.
#3: when you’ve got something new to show off
Feature releases are huge for SaaS companies. Translating that excitement into a concise, impactful message is easier said than done. Peloton, an exercise bike manufacturer with software included, faced this challenge in October when it released its new class preview feature.
Subject line: NEW! Preview On-Demand Class Playlists
View the entire email right here
what we like
Make sure you click to view the entire email. If you don’t do that, you won’t be able to see how the gifs are threaded together to create a mini-tutorial on how to use the new feature. It’s slick, it’s helpful, and it’s what every feature release email should look like.
In addition, the simple copy conveys the value of the new feature and why users should take advantage of it. A bold CTA button beckons at the bottom, and the rest of the email design is clean, taking up the entire width of the screen.
what could be better
There’s nothing we don’t like about this email. A few more modules with links to tutorials or to the product would have worked, but they’re not necessary. This email stands on its own two feet as is.
#4: a promotional email that lights it up
Promotional emails from eCommerce companies are a dime a dozen no matter what month it is. But it always gets your pulse racing to see someone draw outside the lines. The well known furniture company and online retailer Ikea looked forward to an upcoming event that wasn’t Halloween for one of its October 2o17 email campaigns.
View the entire email right here
what we like
Unlike almost everyone else in October, Ikea chose not to focus on Halloween, but to call out Daylight Savings Time. The uniqueness of the topic and the emojis in the subject line surely garnered Ikea a hefty open rate.
Once you open the email, you slide into the brand’s usual muted – but comforting – style: margin-to-margin images stuffed with furniture, and copy that gets to the point with just a touch of the playful. The tie in to lamps and the light-losing holiday seems like an obvious marketing play for Ikea. Whether it was or wasn’t, the company did an excellent job executing it in its email marketing.
what could be better
The first thing we noticed was all the modules, even the ones containing text, are images. If we could suggest improving this email, we’d start there. The other notable change would be to upgrade the first module with a can’t-miss CTA button. What if people open the email and don’t scroll down, as so often happens? Even though the top image is linked, there’s no psychological cue telling them to click. CTA buttons are a must!
#5: keeping customer engagement simple
Hitting all the key messages in the customer lifecycle can be tough. But this customer engagement email from Nokia Health, a health tracking tool, reminds us that an email doesn’t have to be fancy for it to be effective.
Subject line: Have a look at your weekly report
View the entire email right here
what we like
This update email keeps the customer engaged with the brand. It has everything a subscriber would want to know, and nothing he or she wouldn’t. The design is clean, with just enough graphs to help you grasp the information within a few seconds of opening.
what could be better
From a design perspective, each number could be differentiated by shades of the same color. It would add just another subconscious cue. There may also be an opportunity to add a call-to-action at the bottom. Perhaps customers want tips to lose even more weight or want to compare their stats to other users? Finally, the subject line could use a makeover; it doesn’t address the age-old marketing question, “What’s in it for me?”
looking ahead
It’s important to learn from other email marketers’ successes and mistakes as you move forward with planning for the rest of 2017. The holidays are upon us and you need to be your sharpest if you’re going to hit your goals.
What did you think of these October 2017 email campaigns? Did you agree or disagree with our assessment? What emails did you love or hate from the month?
Leave your thoughts in the comments. We’d love to compare notes!
