It’s April Fool’s Day, April 1 – a day for pranks and good-natured fun. When I opened my inbox this morning, I had several emails that were April Fool’s-related. Some messages were genuine pranks and others included a reassurance that the email’s offer was genuine.
Is it wise to send out an email campaign that ties into a current event or holiday? Not always, but if your content is engaging and relevant, I say go for it.
Here are a few of my thoughts on getting the most out of topical event in your email campaigns:
Have a little bit of (relevant) fun with your audience.
Take this Boden email I received. The British clothing label usually sends cheeky messages, but today’s addition of a man skirt to their inventory was also relevant to their brand. The subject line – Breaking Boden News! Direct from London! – gave the message a sense of urgency that likely led to an increase in opens just because people wanted to see what the fuss was about. Also key to this message is the placement of the call to action – Find out more! – above the fold. Funny enough, the link takes you to a page on their site offering their new “product.”
Show the fun side of your brand
Half Off Depot, a website which offers discounted passes to local restaurants and attractions, sent a message promoting a 100% off deal today. Alas, this one was too good to be true. But the message caught my eye and stood out from their usual fare. HOD made good use of the real estate at the top of the email with a bold banner image featuring the “offer.” Upon landing on their site, the real offer was revealed.
Be relevant: it’s so important I’m repeating it
With inbox management such a hot topic, it’s highly critical for email marketers make sure their messages are read. Don’t want your message to be part of a mass purge of someone’s inbox? Create an engaging subject line and keep the content in line with your past campaigns. Target made the most of its real estate in the preview pane while acknowledging April Fool’s Day. You’ll see that the retailer listed its offer in the subject line and used preheader text to back up the deal.
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