Boost Customer Engagement & Loyalty with Interactive Email Elements

In my last blog, I talked about the importance of using a mobile responsive template to ensure the best experience for your readers. Having a mobile responsive template that looks great across all types of devices is the first step to designing an email that encourages engagement. Now, let's look at ways you can increase customer engagement WITHIN the email itself. We’ll start with interactive email elements.

What are Interactive Email Elements

Features that allow your readers to take action within your email are referred to interactive email elements. They include polls, videos, shopping cart integrations and forms. Interactive email elements act much in the same way as elements on a website. They allow readers to actions without ever leaving your email.

Why Use Interactive Email Elements

There are so many reasons to use interactive elements! Interactive elements provide convenience to your readers, improve engagement and ultimately help increase your revenue. Too often, we as business owners dismiss the true value of engagement, and only focus on immediate ROI.

Engagement is important because it helps build loyalty and trust through positive experiences. Over time, engagement can spark conversations (online and/or offline) and help foster developing brand ambassadors. Every time a reader engages with your email, you are strengthening the relationship with that person. As these relationships strengthen, the result can be increased sales and revenue.

How Interactive Email Elements Benefit Your Readers

The most obvious benefit to your readers is convenience. Interactive email elements improve the readers’ experience by allowing them to quickly and easily provide input via a poll, let you know if they are attending an event or even add a product to their shopping without having to navigate outside your email. It’s all right there! One-click solutions!!

Interactive elements also add interest. Readers can watch a video, scroll through a gallery of images or learn more by hovering over an item. And again, the do not need to leave your email.

It’s all about the ease and convenience to your reader to engage!

How Interactive Email Elements Benefit You and Your Business

Interactive email elements also benefit you. Imagine being able to display items from your Shopify account directly on your email, so that your reader can add it to their shopping cart directly from their email. This is a great way to feature a few products, reduce decisioning fatigue and make sales. In a similar fashion, non-profits can incorporate a Donate Now button into an email to increase donations.

Another great example is the ability to estimate a head count for an event. Let’s say you are hosting a networking event or a seminar. You need to have a general idea of how many people are coming, but you don’t need an exact count. Include a RSVP section and your readers can tell you if they plan on coming with one simple click!

Learn how to use the RSVP block in your email in Constant Contact and see what your responders will view after they select Yes.

You can also easily gather information by inserting a short poll. Your customers are much more likely to provide input when they can click a single button within the email than if they have to navigate to another page. This allows you to easily to measure the success of an event, webinar or course without a lengthy, time-consuming survey.

To summarize, interactive elements reduce barriers to engagement for your readers. They keep the reader in your email, which is increasingly important with the amount of distractions we all experience. They increase your engagement rate, and you can measure the success of these elements by reviewing your email reports. By incorporating interactive elements, you are staying up-to-date with industry trends, your competition, and most importantly, what your customers are coming to expect!

Samples of Interactive Email Elements

Your options will vary based on what Email Service Provider (ESP) you use. The following list represents common interactive elements. It’s likely your ESP may not currently offer all these elements, as most ESPs are constantly updating their systems to keep pace with technology changes.

• Video Links
• RSVP to Events
• Polls
• Donations
• eCommerce - Shopify Add to Cart
• Gamification features
• Other: Menus, Countdown Timers, Forms, Search Feature, Sliders, Hover Buttons, Hot Spots, Image Carousels, and Quizzes

Remember, interactive elements are meant to benefit your readers, to provide value and convenience. One of the most sure-fire ways to have these elements backfire is by trying to do too much.

Simplicity Wins! Keep it Relevant. For best engagement, pick only one or two interactive email elements per email.

This is part 2 of a 5-part series on Email Marketing Design and Layout. The full series consists of the benefits of a mobile responsive email design, the use of interactive elements, placement of your call-to-action, incorporation of colors and use of images, gifs and animations.

About Simone G: Simone G is owner of The Small Biz Shop and has been offering email marketing services for over 10 years. She believes you can grow your business one conversation at a time through engaging email marketing. Her proven creative process helps her understand your business, your goals and your audience. She also provides online coaching courses and private training to help you be more successful with your email marketing. As a certified Constant Contact Solution Provider, she stays on top of new industry trends, helping you navigate through and benefit from the newest technologies in a personable and engaging way that leads to results.