Email Creative That Demands an "I Do"
So my big sister is getting married in July! I’m the maid of honor, which means somewhere along the way I signed up for one wedding planner website or another. Obviously, this means my personal inbox has been overflowing for the last six months with everything from florist promotions to caterers to personalized cufflinks.
Promotions for pretty much any object or service you could ever even vaguely imagine at a wedding have made their way into my inbox. Half the time I’m too lazy to unsubscribe from all these lists, but it turned out for the best because now I get to focus a blog entry on it!
Thought I’d just give you a little taste of a few bridal-centric emails I thought really caught the bouquet. In the spirit of wedding themes, I’m using an age-old nuptials adage as a guide. To be honest it’s probably going to take a little creative fudging to fit my choices into these categories. Work with me here, planning a wedding is stressful.
SOMETHING OLD
From: MyGatsby.com
Subj.: 10 Days Only: Enjoy 40% OFF Wedding Invitations
Why it’s an “I Do”: Subject line cuts to the chase and gives a clear time frame to act within. 40% is an appealing offer for anyone shopping around for invitations which, like all things matrimonial, can lighten your purse quite a bit. The email itself has a nice, clean, elegant look as well.
SOMETHING NEW
From: J. Crew
Subj.: Exciting wedding news…
Why it’s an “I Do”: Big fan of the ellipsis in subject lines, I fall for them regularly, just can’t handle the suspense. Beautiful HTML design that makes it easy to quickly find your fashions—the full email had a section for the groom and groomsmen too.
SOMETHING BORROWED
From: www.BellaPictures.com (From line: Nicole Reilly)
Subj.: Touching base about your wedding
Why it’s an “I Do”: First off, this one’s a Something Borrowed because apparently I’ve borrowed my sister’s name and her role in the wedding. News to me! So they get a few points docked for not looking at the “I am the __________ in this wedding” response on whichever form got me added to this list. That said, the subject line, text-based copy, and conversational tone were all on point. It really does feel like this is someone you’ve already chatted with, making their studio more appealing. The casual question about venue in the beginning is a nice personal touch.
SOMETHING BLUE
From: David’s Bridal
Subj.: Bridesmaids, Get Your Lace On!
Why it’s an “I Do”: When it comes to fashion, sometimes it’s best to let the image do the talking, such is the case here. The few lines of text above and below are just brief and easy-breezy enough to give the extra nudge—plus, of course, a free shipping offer. Not to get all color-psychological on you, but maybe worth noting that pale blue like the shade they chose for this email is by and large considered to be pleasing and calming to the human eye.
Actually, that last one gives me an idea for testing the same copy and creative with varying color schemes. Look out for that in a future post, maybe. As always, feel free to comment if you have more to add about these picks, or if something landed in your inbox you’d like to share.
In the meantime, I’m knee-deep in shower planning and the wedding isn’t until July but I’m already having nightmares about writing my speech. I’m not sure any amount of email marketing analysis can help me there. Wish me luck!
