Quick question: What results from the union of viral marketing and email marketing?
Email viral marketing is the answer.
Viral email marketing is very similar to email marketing in many ways, with the exception that viral emails are sent with the intent that recipients will forward them to their friends and other contacts. Even though viral email marketing is not the most traditional type of advertising, it can be a successful way to increase brand awareness if you develop a strategy that is centered on the needs of your target audience.
Our blog will explain how to use this type of marketing if you're thinking about doing so. Let's move forward!
What is viral email marketing?
Even though creating a viral email marketing campaign may seem "fun," it is crucial to follow best practices to guarantee that it complies with anti-spam laws and reaches your target audience's inbox. Your viral email campaign's goals are the same as those of a conventional campaign: to raise brand awareness, educate your subscribers, make an offer, share noteworthy (or entertaining) news, and ultimately forge long-lasting relationships with your customers.
4 examples of successful viral email marketing
The key to a successful viral email marketing campaign is to understand your target audience. By understanding what resonates with them, you’re able to create an email marketing strategy that engages your viewers. More importantly, it can motivate them to share your message with others.
To inspire you, below are 4 examples of successful viral email marketing campaigns.
1. Mejuri
Most of us love a bargain, and the only thing we love more than a bargain is the sense of belonging to an exclusive club!
The above email from jewelry designer Mejuri goes viral because:
- It offers practical value. Getting a preview of the sale goods can give you a chance to get what you desire at a reduced cost before anyone else.
- It has social currency. “Social currency” makes you want to be the one that gives the benefit to others. Early access to the sale goods is valuable to you, so it’ll surely be valuable to some of your friends.
- There’s a trigger. The above email provides a reason to act now before everyone can see the special pricing.
Mejuri encourages its email subscribers to spread its message to their own wider networks by providing an exclusive benefit. This promotes the company and what it has to offer.
2. BuzzFeed
It is more likely that readers will share messages that can connect with their emotions. In fact, a number of studies indicate that humorous content has the highest viral potential.
Another essential component in developing emails that go viral is storytelling. People's tendency to become invested in a narrative is quite normal. A strong cliffhanger can pique your audience's interest in learning more about your company. So think of a series of emails each revealing more of your story. These increase brand awareness while generating interest and arousing curiosity.
BuzzFeed creates a relatable and humorous story with clickable and shareable content for this viral email marketing campaign. It sends preferred messaging right to the inboxes of its customers. Receivers remain interested in it because it appeals to their emotions and is something they are likely to tell their contacts.
3. Think with Google
By including social media buttons in your email, you can invite recipients to share your emails and make the process as quick and easy as possible.
On social media, a message can spread like wildfire just as easily as it can via email. Making the information available to the public is a great way to accomplish this. For instance, mention how many people have watched your video or the amount of money your customers have saved. People are more likely to copy others' actions when they observe them.
Take a look at the email from Think with Google below. It is very spreadable in a variety of ways:
- - A clear CTA to learn more about its services provided
- - With prevalent social media links, the email can be shared online
- - A link geared explicitly towards converting recipients into subscribers
4. Poncho
In fact, there is so much content vying for our attention that you need to take a different approach to get past our natural tendency to "scroll on" and enter the world of conscious attention.
An excellent example of clever writing that works well in email content can be found below: a personalized weather forecast email from Poncho. You can view the complete email right here. It is humorous and personalized, and it gets your attention.
Why not post this on social media, though? Why use email?
It comes down to trust.
Social media is fantastic for extending your marketing reach because the majority of Facebook friends and Twitter followers are loose networks. You can view the content that your network shares, but it hardly ever seems to be a personally endorsing statement from people whose opinions you respect. It's possible that you'll like it or not.
The opinions of many people regarding their email inboxes vary, though. We frequently assume that an email must be important to our friend or coworker and pertinent to us if they would take the time to forward it to us.
6 viral email marketing tips
You can use the following six suggestions to ensure that your viral email campaign goes off without a hitch (and then potentially make the news).
1. Send to your select target audience
Avoid coming across as a spammer.
Your chosen target audience should receive your emails because of this. It's also the reason you'll caution your recipients against simply forwarded your message to anyone and everyone.
It's crucial that they use the unique "forward to a friend" or "share" buttons in the body of your email if they're going to distribute it. In contrast to if they simply forwarded your email on a regular basis, which would prevent you from tracking it moving forward, this enables you to track it easily and obtain the statistics you require.
The amount of forwarding might increase if incentives are provided. But it might also make it more likely that recipients will spam their entire mailing list, which might hurt your brand.
Therefore, it's imperative that you make it clear to your recipients that they should exercise extreme caution in deciding who they share your email with.
2. Make your emails unique
Just consider what prompts you to act and respond to an email right away. It is probably because it has something original in it, something that surprises or excites you, or perhaps something that causes you to reconsider how you view an important topic.
Think carefully about your content and the information you're about to potentially send to thousands of people if you want your email campaign to have a similar impact.
Think creatively and resist the urge to rely solely on concepts that "typically work." People are innately interested in anything that is "new," so your innovative strategy may help you achieve greater levels of success.
3. Offer a reward of substantial value
Make sure what you're offering is valuable; this can be done by offering something for free (such as goods, services, reports, or white papers) or by providing a tempting coupon or discount (with an expiry date).
If your offer has material value, make sure you have enough stock or the ability to fulfill your promise to send it out on time.
Nothing is worse than promising a reward but being unable to deliver on it. Your customers will instantly lose faith in you, and any future campaigns you deliver will unavoidably be ignored.
However, if you deliver as promised, word about your company will spread like wildfire.
4. Check and optimize your message format
Have you verified the format of your message? Do you have a message in plain text and HTML? Have you made it mobile-friendly for those who read and forward your emails on smartphones?
Remember that most of the time, people read and open your emails on their smartphones. It's imperative to plan strategically and take advantage of this.
Adapt the following advice to mobile email campaign optimization:
- - Don’t use images that are too heavy
- - Use responsive email templates
- - Be straightforward and brief in your email copy
- - Break up your content into short sentences and paragraphs
- - Use the CTA button instead of only text links
5. Don’t forget a CTA
Remind your audience to provide clear instructions on what to do and how to do it.
Even though the advice to include a strong CTA in your email might constantly be hammered into your head, it has merit. People won't take action if you don't tell them what to do. That's easy!
Your CTA might be something like "forward this to a friend now" or "share on your social networks" in the case of a viral email marketing campaign. Make certain that this is also plainly visible.
6. Send a follow-up campaign
Consider sending out a follow-up to those who responded favorably to your initial efforts based on the feedback and statistics you receive from your first campaign.
It might take the form of a survey of the campaign's outcomes; people are frequently curious to learn how their actions affect the project's overall outcomes. You might send the unedited version of a video you've already sent, particularly if it contains amusing material. Your customers will perceive you as being more "human" if you do this.
Alternatively, inform them of any upcoming sales and remind them how to use any coupons or vouchers you included in your initial email campaign as a thank you for sharing your message.
Thank you for reading
Comments
Post a Comment