Interactive Emails: The Key to Increasing Your Conversions

If you’re looking to add something new to your emails and spice things up to entice your audience to take action, interactive email elements are what you need!

Remember those days when BuzzFeed quizzes, GIFs, and memes were the trend on social media? We bet you took some of those quizzes and laughed at those memes too! It’s elements like these that add interactivity to your emails and instantly grab your subscribers’ attention.

According to Martech Advisor, emails that contain interactive content experience a boost in click-to-open rates by 73%, and those that have videos tend to generate click rates of up to 300%. Impressive, right?

But, why do customers and subscribers prefer interactive content over static images?

An interactive email survey from Zembula revealed that consumers want their favorite brands to entertain them more than they want to be informed or made to feel curious.  

This is where cutting-edge interactive content comes in.  

Adding interactive elements in your emails - such as quizzes, calculators, videos, etc. - can create a fun, light, immersive experience for your subscribers.  

Because it requires their participation, they don’t feel like they’re being sold to. Instead, they feel like they’re involved in the experience, which creates a positive engagement with your brand. No wonder interactive content converts 2x more than static content.  

As your go-to SEO company in Florida, we’ll be sharing with you some of our favorite interactive elements to give you an idea of what to include in your upcoming email campaigns.  

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Must-Try Interactive Elements That Convert

Creating the perfect interactive emails isn’t a walk in the park. You need to experiment and try out which elements work best for you and your audience. Here are some interactive elements to help you get started:

Responsive Accordion Tabs

Responsive accordion tabs, a graphical control element, allow you to stack up content and present them in a tabbed or accordion format. Each item can be “expanded” or “collapsed” to reveal information associated with it just like an accordion.  

You can use accordion to switch between showing and concealing content.  

Accordion tabs are a must-have in your email campaigns since they show you a large amount of content within a limited space and without necessarily lengthening your emails.

No two subscribers on your list are looking for the same information. So, make sure that you deliver the right content to your subscribers in a short time.  

What’s more, accordion tabs enable you to categorize your content, making it easier for your customers to find what they need right away. Your recipients will also have the freedom to skip content they’re not interested in.  

By clicking on each item in every accordion, your email list will see different information, links, and visuals specific to each item. As a result, you can create visually stunning emails that engage your audience.  

Below are two common ways to use accordion tabs:

• Onboarding email campaigns: Walk your subscribers through a step-by-step process.
• Event information: Present details about your upcoming events in an orderly manner.

Consider these things when using accordion tabs in your emails:

• Optimize your header titles. Each title should be up to three words only, and you want to make sure that they’re meaningful. These titles are what your customers will read to decide whether or not they should check out what's in the panel.  
• This format is best for mobile. The tabbed layout makes navigation seamless for mobile users.  
• Present your most crucial call to action or content as soon as possible. Don’t hide it on a deeper accordion tab because your readers will not see it.  

Email Countdown Timer

Whatever your business type may be, counters are always a good addition to your emails, especially when you have limited-time offer announcements.

Whether you’re trying to get more people to register for an event or nudge your subscribers to buy products on limited-time offers, using countdown timers can create a sense of urgency, draw customers in, and get them to convert.

Countdown timers can also make your emails look exclusive.  

There are many ways you can use countdown timers in your emails, including the following:

• Offer deals and discounts on your products to reduce customer churn. With the help of countdown times, you can urge your email list to jump on your limited-time offers.  
• Many people tend to wait until the last minute before they RSVP. When organizing a company event, you can use countdown timers to encourage your email list to avail of early bird tickets or register before the guest list closes.  

• Put an expiry on the items on your customers’ shopping carts. Remind them about it using countdown timers.  
• If you have a special announcement to make, like a new product launch or special packages, you can use countdown timers to get your recipients excited about it.  

As an SEO company in Florida, we suggest that you use countdown timers in your emails to instill FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in your customers and get them to jump on deals and promos immediately.  

Interactive Forms

Creating highly personalized experiences for your customers means gaining insights into their preferences and intent. In short, you should gather some data.  

Since third-party cookies are no longer an option, you’ll have to find creative ways to collect data about your email list.  

Typically, marketers will redirect them to a dedicated landing page and encourage them to fill up a form. But, if we’re being honest here, nobody really has the time to go through all the additional steps just to provide their information.  

To get your email list to fill out your forms, make it effortless for them to do so. One way of doing this is by incorporating interactive data sheets in your emails.  

Other engaging ways to learn more about the people on your list are incorporating these:

1. Quizzes and Surveys  

People love taking quizzes, especially if it has something to do about their personality or future. By incorporating quizzes in your emails, you can get your customers to provide information about themselves and discover their preferences, which means that you don’t have to guess what your audience really wants.  

Quizzes and surveys can also help you determine what type of content you should be serving your customers online. GoDaddy uses interactive emails to ask questions before directing its subscribers to the right content.    

2. This or That Polls

Another good method to collect insights about your customers is through polls. Asking the right questions can lead you to figure out what your email subscribers are looking for.  

Get creative by using visuals in your poll. They’ll be able to understand your questions quickly and decide if it’s “this” or “that” that they like.  

3. Product Recommendation Quiz

A lot of customers often have a hard time deciding which products are best for them and what they should buy. This is why you must educate them so they can make informed decisions. Turn it into an exciting task by adding a product recommendation quiz to your emails.  

For example, if you’re selling perfumes, consider putting a recommendation quiz above the fold of your email content. This will engage your email list and drive your subscribers to buy your products.  

As a leading SEO company in Florida, we recommend you come up with creative ways to learn more about the people on your email list. Then, use the gathered details to further segment your customers and provide personalized content and custom experiences for them.  

Kinetic Emails

Modern consumers want to be in control when it comes to their interactions with brands. They want everything to go their way - whether it’s the type of content they consume, their communication with you, and their purchase decisions.  

Your goal is to let your prospects and customers take the lead.  

This is where kinetic emails come in.  

Kinetic emails provide a website-like experience.

They are composed of interactive email design elements that give your readers an opportunity to explore multiple interaction points. That way, you get to promote an engaging experience for everyone in your email list.

Since your subscribers can freely interact with your content on their terms, they feel involved and are making decisions on their own.  

The best part about kinetic emails is that they allow your subscribers to view and interact with your content directly via email without having to commit to visiting your website.  

By making it more convenient for your subscribers explore your products in a commitment-free way, you can build trust and confidence, and boost brand loyalty in the process.  

Interactive Calculators

Did you know that adding interactive calculators in your emails can act as a powerful lead generation machine?

According to research by Robert Ciadini, humans are psychologically hardwired for reciprocation. This means that if you do something for someone first, they’re more likely to repay you.  

By adding a free calculator to your emails, you're making it easy for them to solve equations or evaluate their standing in a particular situation.  

Suppose you're a lender for small businesses. You can embed a calculator on your emails through which your clients can determine how much they can loan from you without even logging into your website. Based on the responses you get; you can reach out to them with a specialized loan plan fit for their needs.

This, in a way, is like helping your customers make their lives easier. In return, there’s a huge chance that they’ll give your business a try.  

A calculator can add value to your leads and improve their experience with your brand. For this, those in your email list would happily do business with you.  

Are Your Emails Interactive?

Accordion tabs, countdown timers, interactive forms, kinetic emails, and calculators are just some of our favorite interactive email design elements.  

There are a bunch of others out there that you should also try incorporating in your emails to see what works best for your customers and your brand.

Using the right interactive elements for your email campaigns can make them more visually appealing, interesting, and share-worthy. They make great lead magnets, and they’re super easy to implement and track.  

Digital Resource is an SEO company in Florida. Our team of digital marketing specialists can create a custom email marketing strategy that will not only engage your email list, but also drive them back to your website and get them to convert.  

Start sending interactive emails today!

Which interactive email elements do you think will work best in generating leads for your business? Let us know in the comments below!

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