If you’re an outdoor enthusiast like myself, chances are you’ve probably signed up an outdoor brand’s email newsletter to keep up on the latest gear, news and amazing images of athletes doing rad stuff all over the world. The other day, after having a particularly good day snowboarding with my favorite Marmot shell, I decided to sign up for the brand’s email newsletter. I went to their website, I put in the information required of me and waited for my intro email.
That’s when the email marketer side of my brain kicked in:
I wonder if the email will ask me for more information about myself?
I wonder if it will include an introduction into the brand’s story?
Hmmm I wonder if it will be a generic ‘thanks for signing up email’?
And that’s when I began to wonder: what is the typical user experience when one signs up for outdoor industry email newsletters? Two hour email sign-up binge, commence. I’m planning on doing a follow-up blog post after I’ve had a couple of weeks to see the where the customer journey these email marketing campaigns leads me. But for now, I thought I’d share one email sign-up experience that loved.
BEST OUTDOOR INDUSTRY EMAIL MARKETING CAMPAIGN...THUS FAR Pearl Izumi, “founded in 1950, has been crafting cycling shorts, jerseys, outerwear, essentials and footwear for athletes on two wheels for over 65 years.” I, personally, have only had a handful of times on a bicycle as an adult (don’t tell anyone. I live in Colorado and I’m pretty sure if anyone finds out I don’t cycle on the regular, I’ll be deported), but as a somewhat regular hiker and trail runner, I’ve seen my share of bikers sporting the best Pearl Izumi has to offer ride past me.
I cannot say enough about the user experience from Pearl Izumi’s email newsletter. Once I entered my email to sign up to receive the latest from Pearl Izumi, I’m taken to the following screen:
I believe over the course of two hours, I signed up for exactly 72 email newsletters and only a handful of them asked me for more information. By far, Pearl Izumi’s way of asking for that information was the most visually appealing. (Editor's note: I’ve completed exactly ONE sprint triathlon, which I believe qualifies me to affirmatively click YES, it is one of my activities. Again, mum’s the word). I’ve already received an intro email, which I’ll go over in a second, but I can’t wait to see what tailored content they provide to me over the next couple weeks.
So, quick check of my email to find this (and approximately 71 other outdoor brand emails) and here’s the intro email
Here’s a checklist of things brands could include/offer in their intro email:
Inclusive subject line--You’re excited to have me join you? Sweet!
Gratitude--Because everyone loves being thanked
Exclusivity--Letting me know that I have access to benefits, new products, events before everyone else makes me feel pretty special
Get customer intel--In case I missed that screen that popped up on their website after I put in my email address, here’s another opportunity to get information to tailor content to my interests.
Link to retail site--Because retail brands need to be profitable. I do appreciate that in this intro email, the link to the retail site came last rather than being first, or (gasp) being the only thing included in the intro email.
Some brands included one or two of these elements. Pearl Izumi managed to include all five, prioritizing the customer’s needs and journey over sales, which is why their email marketing campaign really stuck out among the rest of the other outdoor brand emails. I’m definitely excited to see where Pearl Izumi takes me. Stay tuned.
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