When it comes to successful marketing strategies, email continues to lead the pack. In fact, email is 40 times more effective for gaining new customers than social media. But what can you do when you’re feeling uninspired? If the content isn’t top-notch, your emails won’t yield any significant results. To help spark your creativity, we’ve compiled a few out-of-the-box email ideas (beyond the typical newsletter) that you can send to your loyal subscribers to stay top-of-mind and keep them engaged.
1. Progress Updates
No matter what industry you’re in—technology, agency work, or even nonprofit—your subscribers (and customers) are invested in your journey. Sharing research findings, client success stories, or usage reports is an easy way to keep your audience informed about what’s going on behind the scenes. For instance, Givable, an online platform for charitable giving, sends a monthly impact report to its users detailing where their donations are going and who they are helping.
2. Holiday-Themed Emails
While it’s common practice to offer discounts and send out newsletters around major holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, consider capitalizing on lesser-known holidays like National Donut Day or National Dog Day to grab your recipients’ attention. It’s highly unlikely that your competitors will be promoting similar holiday content on National Talk Like a Sailor Day. You’ll have a less crowded inbox and might even get a chuckle or two from your subscribers. Instead of pushing sales, LastPass used their Valentine’s Day email as a chance to spread goodwill (and share some password security advice).
3. Valuable Discounts
The emphasis here is on “valuable.” Insignificant discounts and uninspired, desperate offers won’t achieve anything except for annoying your recipients. A mere 5% off isn’t going to motivate potential buyers. The larger the discount, the stronger the incentive. If you can’t offer something enticing, it’s better not to send anything at all. As an added tip, create a sense of urgency by incorporating a time limit, like “one day only” or “purchase by the end of the month.”
4. Content Roundups
You invest time and effort in creating content that you believe will be valuable to your audience, but are you effectively sharing it it with those who would benefit from it the most? Content roundups are a straightforward and helpful way to extend the reach of your content. Unsplash, for example, offers a vast library of stunning, royalty-free images that their subscribers may not even be aware of. Compiling a roundup of their newest or most popular images is a simple way to keep their subscribers informed.
5. Advice and Resources
You don’t have to give away free products to entice subscribers to open your emails; however, you should provide something perceived as valuable. Checklists, email templates, or videos are all easy-to-create resources that your subscribers will find useful. The key is to offer something free of charge that your target audience will appreciate and find helpful.
6. Product and Service Updates
Have a new feature or service offering? Share it! Don’t assume that individuals who already subscribe to your site or social media pages are regularly checking for updates. You never know which long-time reader will be thrilled by a particular update or where there’s an opportunity for an upsell.
7. Personal Notes
There are times (read: often) when an HTML email isn’t the right approach. No one wants to feel like just another number, and with the sheer volume of emails sent daily, it’s crucial to make your recipients feel valued. A genuine, text-based email can often be effective (even if it’s not technically a personal email). Marketing automation can be instrumental in helping you connect with everyone in a more personalized manner. This approach leads to higher open rates, making your subscribers feel more appreciated. Flywheel excels at achieving high open rates and maintaining subscriber interest. Their text-based outreach feels much more authentic. As mentioned earlier, utilizing an email automation platform can be beneficial in adding this personalized touch.
8. Company Milestones
If you’ve successfully nurtured relationships with your email subscribers, they’ll be genuinely interested in your company’s progress. Your achievements are their achievements, and vice versa. By openly sharing milestones, accomplishments, and improvements, you foster a stronger sense of community and make your followers feel like valued members.
9. Surveys
Everyone wants to be heard. Requesting feedback is a quick and effective way to make your subscribers feel valued and gather insights to improve your products or processes. You can’t fix problems you’re unaware of. This Chargify’s email simply requests feedback—nothing more, nothing less. There’s no need for elaborate explanations. When you ask for input, you’re more likely to receive the feedback you seek.
When crafting your next email to your subscriber base, try thinking beyond the conventional. Ensuring that your contacts feel like there’s a reason to remain subscribed is the simplest way to enhance retention rates. Otherwise, that unsubscribe button will start getting more attention than your emails ever will.