To break through as a new brand in an already very competitive market, you need a good story and strong marketing. Lemme, the vitamin gummy brand of Kourtney Kardashian-Barker has been going viral for a while now. Not only because of their good reviews, but also because of their noticeable marketing. Their website and communication mix product information, storytelling, educational content, and an emphasis on quality to shake up an otherwise dull and dry sector.
Today, we dive into their email marketing with you to highlight all the elements that contribute to their conversions. And what you can learn from it.
To each their own. You can think whatever you want about the Kardashian sisters, but they excel at leveraging their reality TV success for numerous new business ideas. This article will therefore not discuss our opinions on reality series, the Kardashians, the usefulness of vitamins, or the quality of Lemme products. Consider it an unscientific exploration of the effectiveness of email marketing 😊
Today, we dive into their email marketing with you to highlight all the elements that contribute to their conversions. And what you can learn from it.
To each their own. You can think whatever you want about the Kardashian sisters, but they excel at leveraging their reality TV success for numerous new business ideas. This article will therefore not discuss our opinions on reality series, the Kardashians, the usefulness of vitamins, or the quality of Lemme products. Consider it an unscientific exploration of the effectiveness of email marketing 😊
💡 Also read: What is email marketing and how does it work?
An opt-in form crafted to perfection
To keep your contact database healthy and your ratios in check, you need a steady influx of new contacts. The easiest way to do that is by placing an opt-in form on your website.Simple yet successful
Lemme adheres well to all best practices here:- Visible on every page, at the bottom in the footer. Consumers know that's a logical place to find the newsletter. Sometimes, prioritizing consistency over originality is wise.
- Low-barrier signup process. No lengthy form, Lemme only asks for your email address. If they do apply personalization later, segmentation will be based on click behavior in the emails.
- Simple, clear copy with a touch of wit. They allude to subscribers receiving exclusive offers or sneak peeks (be first). Although one might question if that's clear to everyone.
What not to adopt here?
After registration, there is no double opt-in process. You are immediately added to the database and do not receive an opt-in mail to confirm your subscription. Not only does this go against the spirit of the GDPR, it also makes your mailing list susceptible to pollution and puts your reputation at risk.Welcome flow to warm up new subscribers
Your brand-new subscriber was so interested or intrigued by your website that they took the effort to fill out your opt-in form. If you don't act on it immediately, you'll never get this chance again.Consider what a new subscriber with little to no background knowledge of you wants—or should—know. Lemme also opts for a proven formula of successive welcome emails.
Dag 0: Immediate welcome after signup
A new Lemme recipient receives their first welcome email immediately after signing up.Here, you can find a wealth of information:
- They immediately offer a welcome discount because the chances of your interest are high. This discount is visible both in the banner at the top and in the hero image.
Remember: It's much easier to resell to satisfied customers than to convince potential customers. From that perspective, a welcome gift is always a good idea. - Of course, Kourtney Kardashian being their co-founder/patron saint needs to be highlighted. You can see this both at the top and in the email.
- They assume you're not yet familiar with Lemme. The three product categories are presented quickly and succinctly in three separate blocks.
- An important USP for them is the claim that their products are clean and vegan. This also receives enough attention in the welcome email, as well as on all other channels. Highlight what sets you apart from the rest of the market.
💡 Also read: How to write a good welcome email?
There's also much to say about strategic choices in the templates used. We'll come back to this later in the article.
Day 1: Spotlight on the most popular products
After that initial welcome, Lemme doesn't let you go just yet. The next day, you receive a new email. This time, they lean more towards social proof and want to dive deeper into their range. Still unsure which products suit you best? You might want to know which products are most chosen by other consumers like you.
Persuasion through language and USPs
Various call-to-actions are used to lure you to the website. The copy plays with the key USPs, and at the bottom of the email, there's a button to lead you to those "science-backed" proofs. However, you'll encounter necessary disclaimers everywhere on their website and in emails.Also pay attention to the balance between real images and text. The relatively few copy that is used is always very thoughtful and the right words have been carefully considered. The lists with product properties for each type of vitamin catch the eye and quickly and clearly give you the most important info.
Day 2: Ingredient spotlight with different focus
The next day a new email arrives. Actually, it has exactly the same message as the previous one, but with a different approach. Still the same USPs, still the same products, but instead of focusing on ingredients and scientific studies in the product descriptions, here the emphasis is purely on visible or tangible results. Another noticeable difference is that here the welcome code returns, which was not the case in the previous email.
Day 3: Trying to score with social proof
You don’t trust brands, but do you listen more to testimonials? Then they hit you again with the same products, but this time through reviews. They try to build trust and take advantage of their large following on social media. By using testimonials, they add a layer of authenticity that can certainly contribute to boosting conversions.
💡 When to choose a welcome email or welcome series?
But how do you know how many emails are now suitable for your welcome flow? That is a question that only you can answer. How complex is your product and how competitive is your market? What does your target audience find important? Can you give them something (a discount or free content?) And with what frequency do both you and your target audience feel comfortable? You will have to test this and determine the ideal strategy for your brand, product or service based on your campaign figures.The welcome flow doesn’t end there. In the days afterwards, I kept receiving new emails, each with a different approach. Because no new lessons could be drawn from them, I have omitted them for the relevance of this article.
Thoughtful strategic choices, considering disadvantages in the template and witty copy
Let's now take a concrete look at the structure of their template. Lemme goes very far in extending their branding. Of course, they continue the colors of the website. But also pay attention to shapes.
Their vitamins are gummies (so soft), round, and a spiral is printed on top of the vitamin. These same organic shapes are also found throughout their branding. So you see that the edges of all articles and call to actions are always rounded off.
To distinguish one article from another, a subtle reference to that spiral is also brought in there. That should also encourage scrolling.
But all those visual elements (curved lines, playing with special fonts, images running over edges etc), also mean that the entire mail is completely built up out of images.
Is an image-only newsletter a good idea (and what should you pay attention to)?
And that immediately brings us to the biggest disadvantage. If images are not downloaded by default in your recipient's email client, then they see instead of your mail just a white, empty page. The motivation to download images must then be very high. Otherwise, your mail goes straight to the trash.What if I still want to build my entire mail with images?
- Make sure you first know that your target audience can handle it. The big advantage is of course all the creative freedom that comes with it. No need to take into account limitations of email clients, just play with animation, text, fonts, layout. However, do this only if you are sure that your target audience mainly uses Gmail and Apple mail. Otherwise, the advantages do not outweigh the downsides.
- Make sure you can split your large image and make separate links. If you decide to go for it, make sure that each article and each important element is separately clickable. Because 1 image also means 1 link. Nothing is as frustrating as clicking somewhere and then not ending up on the page you expect.
💡 Also watch the webinar: All email design tips and tricks that make subscribers click
Your subject lines and preheaders deserve enough attention
In the caption of the images, we have added the subject and the preheader for each mail. Here too, Lemme continues with storytelling. They opt for short subject lines that try to capture the general message of the mail as best as possible. They keep it short and sweet and add a relevant emoji where possible. All to catch the eye of the recipient and stimulate them to open.The preheader has received just as much attention and is often an answer or addition to the question or message in the subject.
Strong example of the use of animated gifs
Throughout their various emails, animated gifs are used to reinforce the message. However, they do keep in mind that not every email client supports this. You can see this reflected in the hero images (the large image at the top) and the scrolling banner strips at the top of the mail.These small banners are also an interesting element in their marketing. They don't appear in every template, but are used for specific messages: a discount code, a new launch, or limited stock for example. The moving image attracts attention. And even if the email client does not support animated gifs, it’s still clearly a banner.
💡 Do you also want to use animated gifs in your emails?
Then just remember the rule of thumb that the very first frame of your gif will be visible to everyone who cannot display the animation. So make sure your core message is included in it instead of meaningless things.If you do this well, those recipients will probably not even notice that something is actually missing (did you notice it in these screenshots?)
Quirky copy, from product names to email copy
Lemme uses language that connects with their target audience. They know that their target audience mainly lives digitally. That’s why they go for short sentences, mix slang in cleverly, and use playful or cleverly found effects in the copy of their buttons (you will never find a "read more" here). Yet they manage to mix that playful character quite well with more serious topics such as nutritional values, vitamins, and scientific terms. So you don't have to be dry to be taken seriously. The most important thing is that you know how your target audience speaks - and wants to be addressed.💡 Also watch the webinar: Instantly applicable copywriting tips for emails that convert
Make it FAB (features - advantages - benefits)
One thing that Lemme has understood well is that consumers are not triggered by features alone. By using the FAB principle, you can come up with better product features. This is a tip that you can easily apply yourself: try to describe the features, advantages, and benefits in your next description.- Features are the characteristics of your product or service.
- Advantage tells more about how your product is going to help your customer.
- The benefits of your product then tell more about why this is so important for your customer or how it is better than other competitors.
You can also notice the FAB principle throughout the various welcome emails above - and even in their product names (Hello “Lemme Debloat”). And they do the same to sell their loyalty program:
Spreading educational content to become a thought leader
Educational tips, recipes, and trivia are shared throughout the emails. They also share informative content about the benefits of specific vitamins and supplements. They want to encourage their community to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Something that also fits in with Kourtney Kardashian's philosophy and gives them some extra credibility.In the next email, they share educational content, immediately attach a supportive product to it, and with their content calendar, they take advantage of Sleep Awareness Week.
💡 Free download: Download your copy of the content calendar for the most original hooks.
Promote restocks and new launches to your subscribers
If a product was sold out for a while, or are you about to launch a new product, then your accompanying announcements also deserve the necessary attention.In this email, they tap into FOMO with their readers (you don't want to be late again) and immediately apply a number of best practices from above:
- Back in stock rolling banner so you know immediately what it's about (if the subject isn't clear enough).
- A clear, short subject line with an accompanying preheader.
- Proven results after 12 weeks, with a detailed overview of all the benefits you will experience.
- Enough social proof from others who have already purchased the product.
Do you want to give your email marketing a vitamin boost?
So, what have we learned from Lemme's email game? Well, they rock it with their opt-in forms, welcome flows, and creative templates! The FAB principle? They are masters at it! Utilizing social proof, offering exclusive benefits, and sharing educational content all contribute to building a loyal community around the brand.Although this approach works for Lemme and you can certainly extract best practices from it, every brand is different. Therefore, always start from the needs and preferences of your own target group when developing an email strategy.
So, whether you're a start-up or a seasoned marketer, experiment and play around, and be especially critical of your own results! 🚀