Beach Short's Email Dilemma
I tell people all the time that email advertising is dead, and if not dead, it's dying. Sure, it has its place as transactional emails. You know the ones I am talking about, "Your Order Is Placed," and "Your Order Has Shipped," have a purpose and, in my opinion, the only necessary piece of email strategy for brands. It's nice to mix in some brand emails every now and then, but everyone's inbox is so diluted with emails, it's become noise at this point.
I would like to compare two brands in the same or similar space, Chubbies and Birdwell Beach Britches. They sell fantastic Cali-style casual clothes, and I have purchased from both brands.
Have you heard of them? If not, you should definitely take a look. They both promote a unique brand and lifestyle on their social media. You want to be like the folks in the posts; you want to wear their shorts or at least want to have a beer with them because it evokes a feeling and an emotion that I am personally drawn to, but I know it's not for everyone.
Email is where I feel one gets lazy, and the other is just going through the motions. Truth be told, they probably bought a system like HubSpot, Marketo, MailChimp, or one of the countless others that do the same thing; Marketing Automation Systems are what they are called in the biz and were told they had to be in the game.
"Come on, guys, the big boys are doing email campaigns and strategies, and you should too!" the consultant might say.
Head nods around the table. "He's right! The big boys are doing it, and so should we!"
"HUZZAH! Emails will get us over the top!" Everyone shotguns a beer.
So they sign up for the system, it takes 3 months to implement, and a couple of templates and workflows are set up, and they are left alone to fend for themselves. They do the best they can, but they just don't move the needle.
Email Campaign Comparison:
Birdwell Beach Britches does an excellent job of slow-rolling their emails. I may get one a week that shows products that I didn't know about or updates to existing products. They may show the fuzzy cardigan that looks amazing and warm or the design updates to the masks they sell. They double-down on the fact that they are made in the US and draw me closer to the brand. I feel a part of the brand and part of the family and not pushed into the purchase.
However, Chubbies takes a very different approach with their email strategy that is not consistent with their social media image. They are continually pushing products, "20% off second order," or "Buy 2 and get a third free" kind of emails.
Truth is, if I bought something from Chubbies every time I got an email, I would have more shorts than it's possible to wear. It's just too much, and I believe it's already moved to spam in Gmail.
That is another point that I don't think people recognize, Gmail has over 1.8 Billion users, and over 43% of email market share in 2020. Over time, if you continue to delete vendor emails in Gmail, it AUTOMAGICALLY moves them to "junk."
A helpful service for users but horrible for marketers UNLESS you think about what you are providing.
Recently a peer at a conference mentioned that "there is a lot of inappropriate touching going on" with brands. He meant that many are going too far, being too aggressive about selling products, and need to rethink their email strategy. An email should serve two purposes, inform about transactions, and raise awareness. That's it! Too often, there is a sales goal attached, and that shouldn't happen.
Final thought, if you are going to do it, think it through. Be thoughtful.