From Spam to Success: Email Marketing Lessons from Adidas
Many of us, including me, rarely open our email inboxes to check for news from brands. Most go straight to the spam folder or the trash can. It is indeed a noisy world out here, with lots of messages spamming around and advertisements bombarding your inbox. How can our messages stand out from the crowd? How do we differentiate?
It’s all about the customer’s experience, and you need to see it from their perspective. How do any of our actions build quality relationships with our customers without bothering them?
Did I ever sign up for this newsletter, and did I give consent to email me?
Anyone would be furious if they didn’t consent, but you still decided to bother them. Respecting privacy and understanding privileges from customers is one of the first steps for building a good relationship through email marketing. Adidas did a great job at keeping it transparent by listing all the terms and conditions below. It shows all the info that would be necessary for me as a customer to understand before proceeding.
Well, some may argue that this isn’t the case everywhere…
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No.
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A lot of brands would hide them under a hyperlink and a popup or other sneaky way to tuck it in there without really showing it…
I believe keeping it plain and simple in clear sight is the way to go. It conveys the message that you have nothing to hide and that all the terms and services are here for you to review. If I do sign up, I am aware of what I am getting myself into. I feel in control of what I am putting myself into rather than being surprised by a newsletter that I never agreed to sign up for.
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No one likes surprises, especially if they are annoying.
I don’t care for soccer at all; why am I getting bombarded with deals on soccer cleats?
Imagine if Adidas did that and started sending me tons of things that do not interest me. It would become noise and annoyance, so without hesitation, I would unsubscribe and delete all the junk from my inboxes.
Segmenting and personalizing the messages is the key to staying relevant in the customer’s inbox. If they love running, suggest related topics and some others in similar segments or even top picks for similar demographics.
Leverage your data and customer profile to suggest and predict the preferences of your customers.
I’m a big fan of the Adidas Ultra Boost running shoes, and this is my 8th pair since the debut. I like running and other sports. Adidas allows me to opt in for new categories right from my account, giving me the power to let them suggest things that might interest me in the future.
As a customer, I am still in control of what I want them to suggest, not the other way around.
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I do not want to hear from these guys again because everything is difficult to find, and they hardly ever send exciting topics.
Good content and good value create expectations and anticipation.
Opportunities to create value are in every corner of email marketing, and to do so, you need to remain in the customer’s view. From what we’ve discussed above, being in control as a customer is also a key attribute that customers value. They may not notice, but little by little it all feeds into the overall customer experience of the brand.
For example, our privacy and terms and conditions assure them that what they signed up for is simple and without tricks. Also, for convenience, you can use SSO (Single Sign-on) to join the newsletter, which is a simpler sign-on process. On top of that, it is also easy and hassle-free to unsubscribe. They’ve also added an apologetic unsubscribe page to hope for your understanding.
As a customer, that’s sincere and easy to opt in and out; I think it's great!
Value right there.
Another example is providing discounts and welcome emails to join the team. “You’re on the team. “In sports terms, oftentimes after tryouts, it means you made it to the team. It’s an honor to have you on this team with us. Fine-tuning the delivery here as the message here is important because it is the first touchpoint of engagement, and the impression of the brand is made from the first few times. On top of that, providing a solid 15% on their gear is a decent welcome gift for the customers. I remember those days when you signed up, they only gave free shipping…
Value right here.
Oftentimes, seeing from the customer’s perspective is the first step in building a successful campaign. To implement Adidas’ success, ensuring that customers are in control of each step, personalizing suggestions, and prioritizing good value and content would help elevate your brand to a new level!
