Evaluation of Email Marketing: The example of Clinique Online
With the development of Internet and the habit change of consumers, Email Marketing plays a more important role in marketing than before. According to a research, the average person looks at their phone 150 times a day. Digital marketers rank email as their most effective marketing tactic, and say it has the highest ROI of any digital channel. (TNW News)
This post will give an evaluation of the email marketing of Clinique, an American manufacturer of skincare and cosmetics. I will assess its daily marketing emails with respect to three criteria: personalization, responsive design and simplicity respectively.
Personalization
Personalized emails generate up to 6x higher revenue than non-personalized emails. There are several techniques for brands to consider when personalizing their email.
1. Personalized email subject lines:
Personalized subject lines increase the open rate, which can lead to higher transaction rates and revenue per email. Yet only 35% of brands personalize their subject lines (MarketingSherpa). This technique is effective, but underused.
2. Personalized the timing
A study by Adobe reveals that 70% Millennials are checking their email from bed and 49% reads email on their smartphone immediately when they wake up sometimes or even often. The time I received the email from Clinique is 7:15AM, which leverages the timing advantage. Company can also use automation to personalize the timing in order to get a higher open rate.
3. Birthday email
75% of marketers say birthday email campaigns are very effective. Birthday email can make your subscribers feel special.
4. Holiday email
Take the email from Clinique, for example. This email reminded recipients of the date of Mother’s Day and offers a free tote with a certain amount of purchase. Then it provides several suggestions for recipients who may want to purchase the products as a gift or for themselves. The simple design is both easy to scan and is quite visually appealing. Each product picture is a call to action in and of itself — click on any one of them and you will be taken to a purchase page.
Responsive Design
The majority of email activity now takes place on mobile devices, but not all marketers have effectively adapted to this rapid shift. Several aspects you can optimize the design of your email on the mobile devices.
1. A strong “From” name
The email from Clinique use a clear and concise sender name of “Clinique Online”. And it is consistent, all emails with the same sender name.
2. Optimize subject lines for mobile
In Clinique’s email, the subject line is: Instant drama for eyes FREE with purchase. It is strong and clear and highlight the reason to open the email: free products.
3. Intro text on mobile.
Sometimes, the intro text on the mobile is the “second subject line. It expands on subject line and gives a preview to the value in the message. The intro text of this Clinique Online email is clear but a bit overlaps with the subject line.
Overall the email displays properly on the mobile phone.
Simplicity
In terms of Simplicity, Clinique let their email subscribers know about deals and promotions by sending an email like the one you see on the left. The initial description is brief, paired with a very clear call-to-action button, which is “shop now” button. This is perfect for subscribers who are quickly skimming the email.
All the emails they sent have a consistent design. Also, the design of their emails is consistent with their brand.
Also, Clinique Online include links to their social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube at the end of the email.
