Making the Case for Interactive Email What’s Possible, Beautiful, and Relevant
A presentation at IBM Think in March 2018 in Las Vegas, NV, USA by Heidi Olsen
Making the Case for Interactive Email What’s Possible, Beautiful, and Relevant
Your Adventure Guides Cher Fuller Heidi Olsen Senior Strategist Senior Developer @cherfuller @swisswebmiss
eROI @eROI
PORTLAND, OREGON.
THIS ONE 5
NOT THIS
At eROI we... Email Web Social
Today’s Program 1. 2. 3. 4. What Is Innovation Getting Buy-In Tactics Props, High-Fives, and Dreams
Email is not dead. emailisnotdead.com
What is Innovation
Innovation can be so many things Ugh, can’t we just make a plain text email? Ooh! Let’s make a shopping cart in email.
Innovation doesn’t always mean complicated technology usage.
Innovation doesn’t always mean complicated technology usage. It should be built around an idea or a new way to tell your story.
Just because you can... Ask yourself if interactive strategies: ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Provides value to the user Supports a business goal Is supported on a good percentage of your subscriber’s email clients. Provides an opportunity to learn more about your subscribers Means more than impressing your #EmailGeek friends If you can’t answer yes to any of the above, it’s time to re-evaluate.
Getting Buy-In
How to get client buy-in Conversions Engagement Brand Values Data Collection Email Enthusiasts
How to get internal buy-in 3 Biggest Challenges Resourcing Skillset Passion
How to get internal buy-in Brainstorm different tactics, no idea is a bad idea (usually). ▪ Video ▪ Animated GIF ▪ Add to Cart ▪ Tabbed Content ▪ CTA Hover
How to get internal buy-in Add to Cart CTA Hover BUSINESS GOALS Tabbed Content Animated GIF EASE OF IMPLEMENTATION Video
How to get internal buy-in Add to Cart CTA Hover BUSINESS GOALS Tabbed Content Animated GIF EASE OF IMPLEMENTATION Video
How to get internal buy-in ▪ Involve your coworkers in the brainstorm process ▪ Start collecting data to support your strategies ▪ Create a system to enable you to focus on innovation ▪ Encourage team members to join the #EmailGeeks community on Slack + Twitter as well as the Women of Email group on Facebook ▪ Subscribe to emails about email #meta
Tactics
Using Data and Strategy: What works where and why Consumer Data Conversions A/B Testing
Data + Strategy: CSS Animations Device Usage Majority of clients use webkit rendering engine Social Strategy Success of app adoption reliant on social sharing
Data + Strategy: CSS Animations Other use cases: ▪ Animate rich backgrounds ▪ Add hover state to CTA buttons
Data + Strategy: Scrolling Narrative Time of Engagement Majority of subscribers spend 20 seconds or more on email Click Maps Majority of clicks under preview pane i.e. the fold
Data + Strategy: Scrolling Narrative Other use cases: ▪ Ignore the fold, embrace the scroll
Data + Strategy: Gamification Email Audit Audit of top performing emails based on volume of engagement for both email and onsite behavior Incorporate Successful Tactics Interactive storytelling, RPG, Animation, Lo-fi, Full length narrative
Data + Strategy: Gamification Other use cases: ▪ Demonstrate a process through steps ▪ Show/hide different states
Process Tips + Tricks ▪ Create a prototype to ensure the technology is supported. ▪ Ensure fallbacks in other clients using a QA software (like Email on Acid or Litmus). ▪ Live test various devices on different operating systems. ▪ If you are unsure of how successful the strategy will be, A/B test. ▪ Never be afraid to ask for help!
Props, high-fives, & dreams
Add to Cart: Nest Bring shopping cart to the consumer Option to select products, quantity, and style within the email before proceeding to checkout. Provide an opportunity for re-engagement If the user adds products to cart but decides not to purchase, there is now an opportunity to trigger a follow-up Abandon Cart email.
Hover Experience: TOMS Shoes Show, not tell the user about features User can hover over the switch to show how the shoes can glow. Large email client support The toggle works on hover in desktop and web clients, and reverts to click on mobile.
Content Strategy: Uber Simple technology, strong narrative Content personalized to the behaviors of their users. Uses live text, not an image Text is accessible by screen readers as well as provides the option to highlight text to read full copy.
Clever Animation: Kylie Cosmetics Widely supported image format Animated GIFs are supported in about 94% of email clients Easy to implement Provides the ability to showcase products not possible in static designs.
Top 5 Takeaways ▪ Create innovative experiences that enhance, not confuse, the user ▪ Define how your message and techniques will add value to your client’s business goals ▪ Convert your client + internal teams to certified #EmailGeeks ▪ Test, test, test! ▪ Have fun with your channel, because email should be fun
What does the future hold?
Thank you! Cher Fuller Heidi Olsen Senior Strategist eROI @cherfuller Senior Developer eROI @swisswebmiss
