With global email volumes at an all-time high, fierce competition in the inbox, and increased levels of subscriber fatigue, it’s never been more difficult for email marketers to capture subscribers’ attention.
Luckily, there are many tactics senders can use to appeal to subscribers and get their campaigns noticed.
Let’s look at six of this year’s most clickable email campaigns for inspiration:
1. Spotify
If you’ve had “Driver’s License” stuck in your head for the past 12 months, join the club. Luckily, we’ve had Spotify to fuel our Olivia obsession.
Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service provider, with over 381 million monthly active users. While at first glance Spotify may seem just like any other streaming service, their ability to curate specialized content for their users is unmatched.
Take this email campaign, for example. Spotify provides Olivia Rodrigo’s top listeners—a small segment of their audience—with an exclusive opportunity to purchase a cassette of her debut album.
Segmentation ensures you’re delivering specialized content to your audience that resonates with them. Since this email campaign was sent specifically to fans of Olivia Rodrigo, their interest in the content is already guaranteed, meaning they’re much more likely to click through the email and take advantage of the exclusive offer.
2. Netflix
There’s a good chance you’ve heard of this next streaming giant. Netflix offers a wide variety of award-winning TV shows, movies, anime, documentaries, and more on thousands of internet-connected devices. Perfect for binge-watching on the weekends (or even during a global pandemic).
What earned Netflix a spot on our list is their use of personalization. In this campaign, Netflix makes personalized content recommendations based on the individual’s viewing history. Subscribers can scroll through the email and specifically choose what to watch next.
Subscribers are more likely to engage with content if it’s based on their personal behavior and interests. In fact, a recent study shows personalized emails can lead to a 14 percent increase in click-through rates and boost conversion rates by six times.
3. Judy
Wishing you were more prepared for natural disasters or home emergencies? (Or maybe you’re just nailing down an evacuation plan for a long visit from your in-laws.) Judy’s ready-kits have everything you need in case the unimaginable happens.
There’s a lot to love about Judy’s email campaigns, but what really stands out is their compelling copy. In this campaign, Judy tempts subscribers with an attention-grabbing subject line (Discount Alert 🚨🚨🚨) and body copy that creates a sense of urgency (10% off for 48 hours).
4. Warby Parker
Working from home certainly has its perks. But if daily Zoom meetings have you feeling cross-eyed, Warby Parker may be able to help.
This American online retailer offers high-quality eyeglasses, sunglasses, contacts, and eye exams at an affordable price.
What about their email campaigns caught our eye? The content is clear and concise.
This campaign clearly demonstrates the value of downloading their mobile app, without using lengthy descriptions. This is important because the longer it takes a subscriber to read an email, the less likely they are to click through its contents. (The average attention span is just eight seconds long!)
5. Miro
Large gatherings aren’t as common as they used to be. But with Miro, anyone can join the party!
This online collaborative whiteboard platform enables teams of any size to work effectively together, from brainstorming with digital sticky notes to planning and managing agile workflows.
When it comes to email, Miro has mastered something other marketers tend to overlook: the use of text links.
This campaign asks subscribers to download Miro’s “Hybrid Collaboration Field Guide.” In addition to a prominent CTA button, this campaign includes multiple links within the text. This gives subscribers more opportunities to click. And if clickable images (like the CTA button) fail to load, they still have a way to download the guide or click through to Miro’s website.
6. Canon
The best part of the holiday season is creating memories, and with Canon, you can make sure they last a lifetime.
Canon is a leading provider in the fields of professional and consumer imaging equipment and information systems.
Whether on camera or in the inbox, the folks at Canon are experts at capturing people’s attention. How do they do this in their emails? By including a CTA above the fold.
Placing at least one clickable element above the fold—or in the upper half of an email—increases the chances your subscribers will click through to your website, since the CTA is the first thing they see. This is especially useful for mobile users, who need to scroll more to reach the end of your email.
How else can you make your email campaigns more clickable?
You should now have a good idea of what makes a clickable email marketing campaign. But if you’re wondering what else you can do to help your emails stand out, here are some tips:
Implement Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI)
BIMI is the latest entry into the world of email authentication. If a sender has implemented BIMI, a small icon appears next to their name whenever they show up in someone’s inbox.
This full-color graphic improves your ability to stand out from competitors in the inbox and helps recipients recognize your brand. Validity’s data shows recognition of the sender is the #1 factor in persuading consumers to open an email.
Understand the impact of Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP)
MPP is a privacy feature Apple introduced with the release of iOS 15. It gives Apple Mail users the power to block online tracking, depriving senders of the ability to know if recipients have actually opened their email.
This means any live content, which relies on the email content populating when the email is opened, will be broken by MPP. Countdown timers could be outdated, local weather could be inaccurate, preferred store locations could disappear, etc.
If you’re using live content elements in your emails, it will create a poor experience for Apple Mail users and reduce the likelihood that they’ll click through your content. Keep this in mind when creating email campaigns to improve the user experience and increase your click-through rate.
Conclusion
With only two weeks left until 2022, now’s the time to start building your Q1 email marketing strategy. Incorporating these tactics is the best way to ensure your email campaigns capture subscribers’ attention throughout the new year.
To learn more about optimizing your email program, check out our eBook, Secrets of Best-in-Class Email Senders.