10 Benefits of Using interactive email templates

Although it might be hard to believe, there was a time when emails could only deliver plain text. Emails have seen a sea change since their inception and continue to offer new ways for marketers to reach subscribers.

Interactive emails are one example of how emails have evolved in recent years. They are among the most engaging and intuitive ways of undertaking marketing and can make subscribers feel like they are part of something new.

Emails are no longer static, and user engagement doesn’t have to take place on a dedicated website or landing page. You can be as creative as you want while choosing interactive elements for your email campaigns. And all this has provided the premise for innovations in email marketing.

This article offers an insight into interactive email templates, their many benefits, and examples.

What is an Interactive Email?

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Interactive emails include functional elements that allow readers to interact with the content through actions like tapping, swiping, or clicking. Interactive elements can include anything from an illustration and GIF to a quiz or countdown clock.

Whether personalized or multimedia, interactive emails’ main aim is to attract readers’ attention. They also make it easier for them to follow the instructions in the email.

Remember, it’s not enough to send out interesting email content; you must try to engage your audience in the emails you send with interactivity.

10 Benefits of Using Interactive Email Templates

1. Boost email engagement

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Email marketers value engagement. And they leave no stone unturned to ensure there is adequate user engagement.

Interactive email newsletter templates encourage conversations rather than passive reading and listening to an email’s content. You can enhance users’ engagement by creating highly interactive emails that allow them to click, scroll or type within the email.

Increased engagement with your subscribers will create strong relationships, positively impacting your business and boosting its growth.

2. You witness a rise in conversion rates

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Hasn’t that been your ultimate goal all along? Well, who doesn’t want their email recipients to become their loyal customers? Conversion rate is the most important metric, although the benefits of open and click-through rates are also immense.

By using interactive email newsletter templates, you can build interest in the reader through your emails and subconsciously motivate them to take action. Interactive emails are known to increase conversion rates, which in turn increase sales and nurture relationships with existing customers.

3. Get a competitive edge

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There’s nothing wrong with having that urge to compete, especially when there are good reasons to be the best

It is always a good idea to try your best, and an interactive email allows you to do that. You can provide quality content and encourage participation by designing interactive email templates.

It doesn’t matter if others have done it; all that matters is to ensure your design is the best.

Interactive email templates are more effective than HTML or plain text email templates from a marketing standpoint.

4. Strengthen your brand identity

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Your brand identity should always be the main focus when designing an email template. This is because brand identity and image are what people remember at the end of the day.

It’s easy to create a positive image around your brand by including fun interactive elements in your emails. Interactive features in your emails will help reinforce your brand’s personality, especially if the image is quirky and fun. With the right interactive email templates, you will be able to create stellar emails that will fully complement your brand.

5. You can highlight new product features

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Do you want to share information about your products or tease future products? Well, if yes, then it’s better to show than talk. And your well-thought-out interactive email newsletter templates will help you do that.

There are diverse interactive elements that you can use in your interactive email templates to promote new features in creative ways. You can use a simple GIF to help users quickly grasp the new features or a video to make recipients feel excited about the utilities of your product.

6. You can announce an upcoming event

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Suppose you’re planning for a major sale or an upcoming event. You can use your favorite interactive email newsletter templates and generate buzz around it.

Also, whatever elements you use in your interactive email templates should draw the readers in. But make sure your design stays true to your brand’s visual identity. It’s easy to go overboard while designing interactive email templates or drift away from the brand’s image. If you want to be sure your interactive email template designs align with your brand’s image and identity, then follow the company’s brand guidelines.

7. Stay connected

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You may not always have something to promote, but you still want to improve your metrics.

Maybe you are witnessing a low click-through or open rate and want to encourage subscribers to sign up. Or maybe you just want to stay connected with your subscribers. For any reason, you can include interactivity in your interactive email newsletter templates.

For instance, every newsletter you send out can include a question of the day that pertains to the topic being addressed in the email. After the recipients have submitted their answers, they will be able to see the responses of other subscribers.

This will do two things: engage users and get them excited about the content and allow you to learn more about your audience.

8. Make your email standout

In marketing, setting yourself apart from the crowd is extremely important. This applies to email marketing too. You can make sure your email stands out by sharing interactive content with customers.

With interactivity incorporated into your emails, you can make sure your emails are educational or informative and not pushy sales pitches. This way, you don’t just earn customers but also their loyalty.

9. Get valuable customer feedback

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Interactive emails can also give you valuable insight into your customers’ preferences and leads. Customer feedback is important to make relevant changes to your products, services, and even business ways. It’s also helpful in assessing customer satisfaction. With feedback, you also know how your customers view your products, your brand, and the support you provide.

This will also make your future remarketing and retargeting strategies relevant to your audience.

10. Users want interactive emails

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Respondents to a Zembula survey stated that interactive content is more appealing and engaging than static content. 69% preferred GIFs, while 65% preferred watching videos, and 82% simply preferred interactivity in any form.

Respondents also said that interactive content was their favorite because they liked to be informed, feel curious, and have fun. Clearly, interactive experiences are what the respondents expected from brands.

Demand Gen Report also conducted a survey, and 91% of their respondents indicated that they preferred interactive content.

One simple truth lies behind all these numbers: Consumers like interactive content and will probably do business only with brands that offer it. And that is why you should consider creating interactive email newsletter templates.

5 Interactive Email Newsletter Template Examples

1. CompTrain

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CompTrain, a well-known company that provides training programs for athletes to maximize their potential, is known for its highly interactive emails.

One of their marketing emails was simple and attractive with a black-and-white design. The email included a video that explained the details of their next training cycle, their goals, and the contents of the weekly training programs. With such detailed information in one e-mail, CompTrain must have hooked quite a lot of athletes.

However, the embedded video in the email can be accessed only by those who received the email. The recipients can also view the content they have missed with this email. If you want to create some good interactive email newsletter templates, you can take inspiration from CompTrain’s emails.

2. BBC One

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This email by BBC-One is an excellent example of interactive email newsletter templates. Clicking on the image of an animal in the email will reveal more information.

This email is full of interactive details and is a treat for the eyes. You can also choose your preferred viewing mode—dark or light for comfort.

This responsive template layout features an intuitive design and cleverly used animated gifs. Each panel has a description to allow users to know more about the images.

3. Forever 21

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The company successfully reproduced scratch cards in an email. As a discount, the reader receives three scratch cards.

The offer is revealed when the reader scratches the cards. This technique captures the reader’s attention and makes it seem as if they have won the discount, which creates a sense of urgency.

4. Amazon

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To improve a company’s products and services and ensure customers are happy with delivery experiences, getting their feedback is imperative.

There are many types of surveys, depending on how complex the product is or how much information the company wants to collect from its customers. But, it is not guaranteed that customers will complete the responses.

Amazon sends emails to users asking for their feedback on their experience to address this issue, which is a great way to incorporate interactivity into interactive email templates.

5. Netflix

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Netflix uses ‘cinemagraphs’ in their emails for interactivity. Cinemagraphs are a combination of photos and videos in responsive templates that companies often use in their marketing emails. Cinemagraphs may appear like a video on loop, but only one of its elements usually moves.

This example shows a static image displayed against a moving background. This is an amazing way to capture recipients’ attention.

Interactive email is just beginning to take off in many industries. And that is why users of interactive email templates have the potential to be ground-breakers in their respective industries by being early adopters.

Hence, if you haven’t already incorporated this strategy into your marketing plan, now is the right time to do so. An interactive email can offer far more valuable results than sending out non-interactive emails, regardless of how intriguing the content is.

Key Takeaways

● In the past, emails only included plain text. Emails have undergone a massive change since their inception.

● Interactive emails are a great way to boost user engagement and conversion rates.

● While designing interactive email templates, you can be as creative as possible. But your design should be in line with your company’s image. To ensure this, you can refer to your brand guidelines.

● Some of the many benefits of interactive email templates include gaining a competitive edge, strengthening brand image, improving engagement, etc.

● Brands like Netflix and Amazon have highly interactive emails. You can take inspiration from their campaigns for your interactive email templates.

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