Recently in Forward to a Friend Category

From: J. Crew
Subject Line: SUMMER SALE starts right now
Date:Thursday, June 02, 2011

Totally loving this simple, joyful little email from J. Crew. The colors and typeface are lovely and summery, but my favorite part is the Forward to a Friend treatment at the top. Such cute copy! Even if FTAF isn't the draw it used to be, it's great to see a copywriter giving it a little TLC.

Bonus cuteness: this adorable popsicle animation!

From: Cool Material

Subject Line: Today's Cool Material

Date: April 20, 2011

 

I frequent CoolMaterial.com for the latest news on things from gadgets that I want but don't need to gear like the pair of high-end, leather Chuck Taylor shoes I've been eyeing for a while. I also subscribe to their emails, which give a round-up of the day's blog posts.

 

Cool Material is a blog that heavily relies on social media for market penetration. In their email, each individual post has links for sharing content via email, Twitter, Facebook and Digg. This is great thinking in their part because it allows subscribers to share only the sections they find interesting and not the whole communication.

 

Cool Material depends on subscriber interaction with its website, email and social media for marketing, advertising and brand-building. In the bottom of the email, a clever call to action encourages its target audience to forward the email along: "Real Men Share. Forward to your Friends." Here lies another example of how social media can be leveraged effectively in the email channel.

I've been thinking about additional, unique ways to get cause-related messages out. Then voila--when I ran out of stamps and visited usps.com to purchase stamps, I saw their new green stamps (click on image). Brilliant. The stamps describe easy ways we can be greener. This gives the action of adhering stamps on envelopes just a little more purpose and viral impact. Order up or support this effort with a like or tweet of this post.

This brought me to the following idea; wouldn't it be interesting if Paperless Post or another ecard company melded the traditional with the unconventional and incorporated cause-related messaging into their digital designs? A simple design element a customer could select and add to their cards? What would the impact be for their business?

"Send Me a Copy" Example	Personalized Subject Line	Nice Use of Branding
	Nice Cross-Promotion	Personalized Text Stands Out
With all the hype about sharing with your network, don't forget to also include a Forward to a Friend (FTAF) link in your emails. Not everyone has a facebook account, but almost everyone has an email address. It's also fewer steps to share an email with a specific person this way. Using the email program's forward functionality can distort your code and your email may not render properly. Having a FTAF button will ensure that your email looks as you intended it to. In my search for the perfect FTAF experience, here's what I found... In the FTAF Form: Allow the sender to add a personal message (and make sure to include that message in the forwarded email). Add a check box allowing the sender to receive a copy of the forwarded email. Include your branding and logo on the FTAF form page. Allow the sender to forward to more than one person, but don't overwhelm the page with boxes. I suggest 3 fields, or 1 taller box allowing the sender to separate email addresses with commas. Include a reassuring note that your friend will not be added to your mailing list. Do not ask for the sender or recipient's name if you don't plan on using it. I suggest not using it to make the forwarding process quick & easy for the sender. Do not ask for the sender's email. You can generate this info yourself, don't require extra work for the sender. Subject Line: I suggest doing what Godiva and Guess do. Have "Subject Line" as one of your form fields. Auto-populate it with the original email's subject line, but give the sender the option to overwrite it with their own message. A personalized message can increase open rates and the auto-populated field will save the sender time/hassle. In the page following the form submission: Give a simple "Thank you, your message has been sent to [email address]" message. Cross promote similar products that the email featured, add/or add a button to shop the website. In the Forwarded Email: Make the personalized message easy to spot and place it at the top of the email. Separate the message from the forwarded email so it doesn't get lost/overlooked. If you can make it look nice, kudos to you! Include a link to sign up for your emails. BUT, place it below the personalized message or your message may look like spam to the recipient. Other Thoughts: Should the "From" line of the email be: 1) the sender's email 2) the sender's name or 3) retailer's name? ...What do you think? (See samples below)

		From: Apple Subject Line: Fitness made fun with iPod and iPod gear. Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 From: Apple Subject Line: Sounds like love. Give iPod this Valentine's Day. Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010
There's no doubt that Apple has AWESOME design sense. Every email I get from them is breathtaking: They use vibrant, crisp and creative imagery Their newsletters have a great sense of flow and balance They're often using new creative treatments like having their images break out of the grid They include interactive/eye-catching treatments like ratings and videos They're not always about the "Hard Sell" -- Apple "Adds Value," as we would say at Smith-Harmon, by providing informative content with "Did you Know" sections They optimize for viewing without images by using HTML text in the majority of their emails But have you noticed that they're missing a few key best practices? Such as: A preheader A View this Email with Images link Social/Sharing Options I think a few of those small tweaks could show even more activity for them. But awesome job Apple, you are an inspiration!

From: Fresh Pair
Subject Line: The 12 Thongs of Christmas + Shop Our Biggest Sale of the Year
Date: Friday, December 9, 2009

I want to thank the Smith-Harmon team for building a great blog and allowing us to contribute. It's an honor.

I don't know about you, but I have a ton of emails pouring into my inbox right about now and it takes a lot to get me to open them. The subject line of this particular email made me smile, but more importantly, it got me to open it. 12 thongs of Christmas is a funny theme and it definitely made me want to find out more - isn't that the perfect formula for a winning subject line? 80 percent of respondents decide whether to click the "Report Spam" or "Junk" button without opening the actual message, while 69% base their decision on the subject line. (Source: A survey conducted by the ESPC and Ipsos).

Once I opened the email, the theme and the copy "Getting a little cheeky for the holidays" made me laugh. I'll admit the ornaments in the wreath are racy - and the landing page made me blush - but my level of engagement was up. I would have posted this to my Facebook page, had Freshpair included a SWYN (Share With Your Network) option next to their other social options in the email. I really wanted to talk about this email, so I forwarded it to three friends instead.

Another feature that I really like about this email is how Freshpair created a sense of shopping urgency, and then anticipated my questions about shipping dates for getting my order processed in time for Christmas. Contact information for their Customer Care Specialists is also very easy to find.

I'm looking forward to the next Freshpair email. :)

From: Krispy Kreme
Subject Line: Raising Funds with Krispy Kreme!
Date: September 1, 2009

Having grown up in Michigan, I'm a die-hard Dunkin' Donuts fan, but a former coworker of mine LOVED Krispy Kreme, which is how I started subscribing to their emails. I dig the huge image. I can just taste that sugar glaze, can't you? But, the letter format just isn't working for me here. There's too much copy, there's no clear call to action, there's no top nav, and there's no preheader. I'd think that the fan base for Krispy Kreme has to be huge, so the fact that they don't have a SWYN element is also a big miss. On a really basic level, there isn't even a store locator to help me get my Krispy Kreme fix stat. Add in the fact that they don't even link directly to the fundraising landing page that's live on the site, and the misses just keep stacking up.

It's also interesting because their website maximizes content buckets, but their emails don't. IMHO, they need a complete email overhaul that brings their retro-feeling brand to life. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a donut sitting next to me that needs some attention. Don't tell Dunkin'. 

From: Tobi
Subject Line: 20% Off, Happy Friday!
Date: Friday, August 28, 2009

Just when you thought you were out of clever ideas for how to spin a sale...check out Tobi. They're TGIF approach is refreshingly simple and cleverly executed, not to mention that it's 20% off regular-priced merchandise...not sale and clearance! While most retailers are waiting to use the Labor Day handle for their big fall savings push, Tobi's smart approach makes sure all their loyal fans spend their hard-earned cash on their site first. Nice thinking. Still wishing they had a preheader and FTAF in their emails, but they do have the SWYN icons at the bottom, so that's a step in the right direction. And let's not overlook the straightforward subject line that tells the entire story in only four words and still has personality. Well done.