Ranging from automated email journeys to scheduled dynamic email marketing campaigns, we covered a lot of ground which is why it was a tough when it came to picking our top 5 campaigns for the past year.
So what makes a great email marketing campaign? For us it has to do three things; it has to look great, it has to be technically excellent and it has to deliver the goods. Now, we strive to ensure every email we send out does this, and we sent out some amazing emails last year that aren’t listed below. But after deep consultation among our developers and account managers, it’s these five email campaigns that stand out:
The Greenbank Hotel, perched on the edge of Falmouth’ harbour and boasting stunning views all year-round, were one of the first hotels in the region to fully embrace the power of email. They send automated pre and post stay emails to their guest, triggered through an integration with their property management system. Alongside this, they’ve always sent out gorgeous campaigns which we’ve taken to the next level with the use of subtle animation.
This campaign, promoting the launch of the hotel’s new winter brochure, was a particular favourite with the team, due in no small part to the brilliant animation of a sunrise over the harbour.
A good pun, a bouncing bear and a brilliant offer. What’s not to love about this gem from Willow & Stone? The Falmouth-based store constantly see great returns on their emails and this one was no exception. Sent to their database in late November, this is a great example of a sales email that’s fun, eye catching and beautiful in it’s simplicity. But all this aside it would probably still make our list just for that bouncing polar bear.
Lucknam Park, a simply stunning 5-star hotel near Bath, have fantastic depth to their data which allows us to tailor the content of an email for different individuals. We’re able to show relevant, dynamic content to different sections of the database, depending on recipients’ past behaviour.
In this instance, we separated those with an interest in food, equine and spa (with anyone who didn’t fit the criteria receiving the food version). The dynamic element of these emails doesn’t stop with the content, we’re also able to serve relevant subject lines and preheaders based on the same criteria as the body of the email.This lead to the campaign performing far above the industry average with open rates nearly double what would be expected and click through rates, for the dynamic emails, also double the average for the campaign.
Not only does this pre-Christmas email from Scilly Flowers look the bee’s knees (no pun intended) its performance was off the charts. This email alone generated return on investment of more than 7000%. When email marketing is done right, it’s by far and away the most powerful channel for generating a substantial ROI.
As this example from Scilly Flowers shows, delivering the right message to the right people at the right time is the most effective way of driving sales.
We love this one from Skiline. Not only does the email push some of their deals it creates a sense of urgency in the recipient with the inclusion of the snow forecast for the coming days. There’s nothing skiers love more than some fresh powder to play in and this simple addition can often be a real deal breaker for Skiline’s customers.
As their Sales Director, Sarah Kinloch, says: “Whenever an email is sent, we immediately see a spike in website traffic which results in more sales. Our email marketing is one of the best performing marketing tools we have.”
So there you have it, a selection of our favourite emails from the last 12 months. We’ve made it our mission this year to help people send better emails so if you’d like to talk about how we can help you, we’d love to hear from you.
