A Marketer’s Journey Through Subway’s Email Marketing
Hey there! Have you ever found yourself scrolling endlessly through your email inbox, wondering if you should even bother with half of the stuff in there? Or maybe you’ve gone the extra mile and set up a separate account just to catch all those brand promotions and discounts without clogging up your main email. Guilty as charged here — I do that. It’s a pretty common tactic since loads of brands love to shoot their offers and discounts our way through email, hoping to snag our attention. But here’s the million-dollar question: do we actually pay attention to these emails, or do they just end up in the digital void? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. But what I do know is that I recently embarked on a little experiment with Subway’s email marketing, and I thought, why not spill the beans and share what I discovered?
Before I even had the chance to navigate around, a bold offer in the upper left corner of Subway’s website caught my eye: “Buy one footlong, get one 50% off with code BOGO50.” It was a straight shot of direct marketing right at me, and without a second thought, I gave my email address to snatch up the deal. But, my enthusiasm hit a bit of a snag when it came to the actual sign-up process. Unlike other brands where a single click connects your Google account and Bam-I’m in. Subway asked for a bit more, they required my phone number, and I had to manually enter my email address, birthdate, and…These were a few more steps that I had to take when comparing to other food brands, but for a good sandwich deal, I figured, why not?
My Post-Sign-Up Experience
So to start up I got a welcome email from Subway. The content in the email is like a poster, on the top of the welcome email, we can see that they are telling us we are earning 250 points on our Subway account by just signing up with the email address. There is also a message that says “Wait ’til you get a load of these rewards…” which creates anticipation for what’s to come, hinting at future benefits and reasons to continue engaging with the brand. Subway uses incentives like pro points to encourage customers like me to try their products and get discounts on their future consumption. In addition, I noticed that in the welcome email, Subway uses the words “Order Now” to make a Call to Action to its customers, this can motivate customers to interact and engage more deeply with the brand and services. Lastly, Subway encourages customers to follow their social media accounts on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to foster their relationships with customers.
Besides the points mentioned above. I waited several days to observe the frequency of emails sent by Subway. Disappointingly, the only email I received from Subway was the welcome email. As a customer, does the frequency of the email matter? Absolutely! I think the frequency at which a brand sends out emails can significantly impact how customers perceive and interact with it. Regular emails can keep the brand at the forefront of customers’ minds and gently remind them of its existence and offerings. But the question is, are they using email for best practices? Umm, not really. As a customer, the sole communication I received was the welcome email upon initial sign-up. For someone with little interest in Subway, a more consistent email cadence could significantly amplify my curiosity and engagement with the brand and make further purchases of their products
The Call for Enhanced Email Engagement at Subway
As we wrap up our dive into Subway’s email marketing strategy, it’s clear that the role of email in connecting with customers is more crucial than ever. I think the way a brand uses email is very important, it can encourage customers and remind customers about the brand. However, the problem is Subway lacks the follow-up email after their initial welcome which can push away the customers and can cause them to be less competitive in the overall market. Therefore, I recommend that Subway amplify the frequency of their email marketing, leveraging these communications to motivate customers to make purchases and ensure the brand remains prominent in their customers’ minds.
Anyways, Do you like to eat at Subway? What are your opinions about their email marketing?
Hope you enjoy reading the blog, see you all next week!
