In the world of email marketing, I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep consumers interested. With every email you send out, you should be asking yourself: why would they open this, why would they read this, why would they click through on this, and why would they not unsubscribe.
This most recent marketing email that I got from Amazon gave me the perfect opportunity to discuss the theory that I call, Always Be Dealing.
The subject line, Zachary T. Heller: Pre-Black Friday Deals, lets me know right away why I should open the email. Inside, there will presumably be deals that I could not get elsewhere. Though I’d rather not use personalization in the subject line, I’m okay with it from Amazon because they are so well known.
When I opened it, I had to display images before I saw anything that made sense, a strike against Amazon. Though they did have text to reinforce the deal, I had to scroll down to see it before accepting the images. But once I did accept them, it all came together.
A clear headline, calling out the fact that these are special offers, repeated use of the word “deal”, and a call to action marked by a “learn more” button are all signs of a strong email. I don’t have to scroll down to see that they are going to list some of the deals right here in the email. And while the image above is cut off, I can tell you that there were about 20 different product offerings within the body of the email.
So, they gave me a reason to open, a reason to read, and a reason to click-through, all without any trickery or “spammy” language. Theoretically, without this email I could not receive these offers (though that is not necessarily true). And why would I unsubscribe from a list which sends me “exclusive” deals, deals that are new each time I see them?
Grade: A- (points off for personalization in the subject line and heavy graphics)