4 brands with fantastic email marketing

If you haven’t already incorporated email into your marketing strategy, what are you waiting for?

This year, the number of people using email is expected to increase to a jaw dropping 4.8 billion. 

That being said, we can understand why so many businesses are prioritising their email marketing strategy in 2024. 

Executed successfully, email marketing offers endless opportunities for growth and brand awareness. 

But with countless emails landing in our inbox everyday, we have to create captivating email campaigns that our audience can’t resist opening. 

If you’re a marketer looking for inspiration for your next email campaign, we’ve got you. 

Each of these brands never miss the mark when it comes to email marketing. They use different features and tactics to create irresistible campaigns that boost their open rate!

Whether you’re an email marketing expert or just getting started, we can guarantee that these brands will leave your creative juices flowing. 

But first, let’s think about what makes a killer email marketing campaign. 

What makes a successful email marketing campaign?

Before we dive in, you should know that no email marketing campaign will look the same. 

The layout, content, and audience will depend on your business, customers, and email marketing objectives.

Whilst every brand’s email campaigns are unique, a great email campaign should:

Have an eye-catching subject line

A subject line is the first thing we notice when we receive an email, so it has to draw an audience in. 

In fact, a study by Finances Online discovered that 64% of recipients decide to open or delete an email based on its subject line (so it’s got to be good)!

The purpose of a subject line is to catch the eye of a recipient and encourage them to open an email – it needs to convince them that what’s inside is valuable. 

When writing an email subject line try to:

• Use wordplay or emojis if appropriate
• Keep it short so people can read the entire message
• Use a recognisable sender name (e.g. your name, a member of your team, or the name of your brand or business)
• Make it personal using personalisation tokens (e.g. name or location)
• Let your audience know what’s inside
• Use simple language

Think of an email subject line like a call to action (CTA) in that you want to motivate recipients to open your email. 

Be interesting and easy to read

When your audience has opened your email, you want them to keep reading.  

You need to write content that compels your audience and keeps them engaged, use a conversational tone so that it’s easy to read. 

And, don’t forget to make your email look interesting! Create your own email template with colours, fonts, and logos that reflect your brand. Emails with images boost open rate by almost 10%, so add images where relevant. 

Be relevant to your  audience

We know ourselves that we’re unlikely to read an email that doesn’t interest us. 

For example, if you don’t like pizza you probably won’t open an email from Dominoes. 

If you want an audience to read your email, it needs to be relevant to them. 

Separate your email subscribers into groups or segments using different sets of criteria like location, age, gender, interests, or job title. 

By doing so you can create a more personalised experience by delivering relevant email campaigns to your audience. 

Have a purpose

Don’t just send an email for the sake of it!

Maybe you want to promote a product, highlight a limited time discount, or educate your audience on a topic related to your business. 

When it comes to email marketing, an audience is more likely to engage with an email that has a clear purpose or end goal. 

Be sent at an optimal time 

Check your inbox, you’ll probably notice that you received most of your subscription emails between 8 – 12 AM and 12 – 3 PM.

Whilst there’s no right answer when it comes to the optimal time to send an email, it’s widely believed that weekday mornings or afternoons are the best time to send an email.

Every audience is different, so why not test out different times to send your emails and see which has better analytical results. 

The more email campaigns you send, the more you’ll know what works and what doesn’t for your audience. 

Beth O’Malley is an Email and CRM Specialist and founder of Astral Digital. 

She’s been reshaping email marketing for over a decade, so we asked her what she thinks makes a good email marketing campaign. 

‘I get asked this question all the time!

A good email campaign should:

1. Entice an action
2. Evoke an emotion 

And, it should start way before thinking about what content you’re putting in the email or any fancy design elements. 

It needs to be built through a strategic, thoughtful, and ethical approach. 

When it comes down to the features that make up a good email campaign, you’re going to want to ALWAYS remember this…

You never know how your email will look or show up for your subscriber.

A good email campaign delivers concise but engaging copy, user friendly and accessible design, and a simple, prominent call to action. It should resonate with the subscriber, relevant and never unexpected.’ 

If you want to hear more from Beth and learn how to create great email campaigns then our brand NEW email course is the one for you. 

Elevate Your Email Marketing is your end-to-end guide, designed to equip you with the essential knowledge and tools to harness the power of email marketing.

Work your way through 6 comprehensive modules that will guide you through the world of email marketing, and unlock business growth.

If you’re ready to elevate your email marketing campaigns, this is the course you’ve been waiting for.

Brands that have fantastic email marketing

Vitl 

Founded in 2015 to revolutionise the way consumers approach personal nutrition, Vitl creates compelling email campaigns.

Whilst Vitl’s email campaigns differ, they prioritise educational content with a positive tone of voice. 

For example, last month Vitl sent an email newsletter about the top nutrients related to mood so customers could learn how to ditch the January blues using their products. 

Vitl uses email to chase conversions, nurture new and existing customers, help their audience understand their products and purpose, and share offers and promotions. 

Vitl’s email campaigns are personalised and easy to navigate, perfectly reflecting the brand – who make it simple for people to use their products. 

GRIND

Sustainable, London based coffee company Grind launched in 2011 and has become one of the UK’s best known coffee brands.

GRIND targets coffee enthusiasts, offering good quality coffee in the heart of London or direct to their door thanks to their subscription and delivery service. 

Pre-pandemic, email marketing wasn’t a huge part of GRIND’s marketing strategy. But with everyone stuck at home, and unable to go to a coffee shop, GRIND were keen to increase their online presence and customer base. 

To do so, they leveraged email marketing. 

According to GRIND’s Brand Coordinator,  Frankie Cooke, ‘If you’re sending content that’s interesting, relevant, and personalised then it’s no different from in-person marketing.’

Their secret? Automation. 

From abandoning cart to subscription renewal, GRIND set up automations to nurture potential and existing customers (and keep them coming back). 

GRIND worked out the average amount of time it took their customers to finish a tin of coffee pods, then set up an email automation to remind them to buy more. 

For those who had cancelled their subscription or were thinking about it, GRIND set up automations offering advice and recommendations to help solve common problems. For example, showcasing different blends of coffee or educational emails on how to use GRIND with different coffee machines. 

If that wasn’t enough, GRIND switched up the appearance of their content to look more editorial and began highlighting their members of staff. 

This decision encouraged GRIND’s audience to buy into the brand, its story, and aesthetic as well as their products. And, to keep GRIND feeling fresh their email content often incorporates humour and relevant pop culture plays. 

With 43% of salespeople stating that email is the most effective sales channel, we’re not surprised it worked well for GRIND.

TRIP 

After personal experiences with CBD, husband and wife Olivia Ferdi and Daniel Khoury launched TRIP in 2019.

Five years on, TRIP has become the UK’s best selling CBD brand. From soft drinks to oils that help you unwind, TRIP’s premium CBD is the first choice for many. 

According to NielsenIQ data, as of February 2023 TRIP became the fastest growing soft drinks brand in the UK after 522% growth in just 12 months! 

TRIP delivers consistent messages across all channels and has a strong email marketing strategy. 

One thing TRIP does well? Emojis. 

Emails with emojis in their subject line have up to 56% higher open rate.

TRIP’s use of emojis is a core part of their branding and messaging. 

For email, this helps drive open rate and spark interest for readers, immediately catching their attention and making the brand feel current. For example, they often use emojis to convey the importance of an email (and what’s inside it) to sway their audience to take action and look inside.

Whilst TRIP sends a variety of emails, they often send value-led content with handy tips and tricks and to educate their audience on the benefits of using CBD. 

Papier 

We’ve all lusted over Papier products, right? 

Papier believes that stationery is more than just pen and paper and specialises in personalised products. 

For Papier, email is a big focus!

For one, it’s how they communicate and maintain relationships with loyal customers offering discounts and perks to make them feel valued and maintain high retention rates. 

Papier uses segmentation to appeal to customers at different times in their lives. Whether they’re getting married or focusing or starting a new job, Papier wants to be people’s first choice. 

Like Moonpig, Papier sends opt-out emails on days like Valentines or Mother’s Day for those that don’t want to receive related campaigns. This ensures their customers feel heard and acknowledged. 

What can we learn from these email marketing campaigns? 

We told you, these brands know how to make the most of email marketing. 

But what can we learn from their email marketing? 

• Don’t underestimate the power of personalisation
• Take advantage of automation
• Add an emoji
• Segment your subscribers
• Create value-led content.

With 87% of brands saying that email marketing is critical to business success, you need to give it a go if you haven’t already.