Critic's Corner Marketing

The Critic’s Corner: 3 Brands with Email Marketing Strategies to Watch

3 Brands with Email Marketing Strategies to Watch

Email inboxes are saturated the world over, how are you leveraging creativity to get results?

Writing emails can be tough when you know you need to write them on a regular basis and they’ve got to communicate so much in such a small amount of space. Emails are a huge part of brand awareness and even if the campaign doesn’t get opened, the sheer fact that it is showing up in your consumer’s inbox can reinforce the brand.

Email is a broadcasting touchpoint. It communicates the most important information about the brand: new collections, customer service initiatives, collaborations, behind-the-scenes, etc. I recently came across three awesome emails that are worth discussing. They came from ASH + AMES, a jewelry brand; AYR, women’s RTW; and Amour Vert, another women’s RTW brand. By the way, first and foremost, all three are direct-to-consumer brands.

AYR

AYR – All Year Round – was founded in 2014. Originally DTC online, the brand has now expanded into brick-and-mortar—sound familiar? Think Outdoor Voices, Warby Parker, Everlane… In an initiative to bring the individualized experience to the masses, AYR launched FaceTime Fridays. FaceTime Fridays connects consumers with AYR Co-Founder Jac Cameron so they can learn more about everything and anything AYR.

Jac Cameron, AYR Co-Founder

FaceTime Fridays with AYR

AYR - Email Marketing

Announced over email, I thought the campaign was perfect. Here is what they did well:

  1. Great photos of Jac that are fun, not overly edited and very on brand.
  2. Clear and simple messaging. One big CTA to book a virtual call supported by free shipping and returns and a smaller secondary message regarding sale.
  3. The technology used to support the call bookings. AYR connected the appointments with Square instead of asking you to email to schedule or using a scheduling software. This is great because Square can connect purchasing history to the customers who scheduled calls.

Appointment Booking via Square

Amour Vert

Amour Vert, founded in 2009, has been slowly making waves in the world of sustainable fashion. With six brick-and-mortar stores in California, Amour Vert is positioned to take sustainability to the mass market. In this recent email marketing campaign, they took an approach to individuality and profiled Natalie, one of their customers. Do you know who also did this recently? Rebecca Minkoff. Customers are looking to see themselves in the brands they purchase from and in the content they consume.

Amour Vert Email Marketing

Amour Vert - Email Marketing 2

Amour Vert Gift Card Promotion

Amour Vert - Sustainability

So why was this email so effective?

  1. They used a customer to model a product and let her take centerstage.
  2. They reinforced their brand message via the bottom CTA for sustainability.
  3. They promoted a giveaway on Instagram to spread brand awareness.
  4. The design is very clean and simple- even though there are a few CTAs. Brands sometimes overdo it and over-design emails when trying to get the point across.

ASH + AMES

ASH + AMES is the last brand on my list. This jewelry line launched in 2014 and it’s an MLM business with a DTC component online. I love their mission to empower artisans. MLM businesses are on the rise. Companies like LulaRoe and India Hicks are entering the market by creating a market for independent resellers. ASH + AMES launched a DTC campaign that creates a connection between the co-founders, consumers and products.

ASH + AMES Co-Founders

Why do I love this email?

  1. The picture of the founders seems genuine. They aren’t all made up in a studio. This literally looks like it was taken on someone’s porch. Genuineness is a great way to connect.
  2. Connecting product to a monthly curation by the co-founders is a smart idea. Customers will feel connected to the personal touch.
  3. They cross-promoted another brand. This is a great way to build brand equity and build reach.

Now the point isn’t to see what everyone else is doing and just copy and react accordingly. No. You can’t be seen as a savvy, original brand if you only employ the strategies you’ve seen work for everyone else. So why is it important to follow the brands making the best moves in the industry? Inspiration.

Pay attention to how I’ve broken down these email marketing strategies, and those are the principles you can apply to campaigns of your own. Think about incorporating everyday, totally genuine images of your founders, making your customers the star of the show, keeping your layouts clean and simple… It’s a matter of seeing how effective characteristics from winning campaigns can bolster your own communications with consumers.

If you’re looking for more in-depth support for your digital marketing strategy, contact us at hello@scalingretail.com. Our global team of consultants offer expertise and execution assistance with everything from email marketing campaigns to e-commerce launches and initiatives. To learn more about our agency, visit www.ScalingRetail.com.