Okay. First I have to tell you my story with ZAO Makeup to explain why I chose this email.
My story with ZAO began on January 21, 2023 with the purchase of a "Fluid Anticerne". As usual, when I buy something, I first check if it's possible to buy it second-hand. But for make-up, buying second-hand isn't really an option. So when I have to buy new, I turn to committed brands. But when it came to make-up, I didn't know of any committed brands. So I did some research on the Internet. After typing in keywords such as "responsible make-up", "committed make-up brand", "ethical make-up", "bulk make-up", etc., I came across an article in the very good media thegoodgoods which talks about ZAO (Unfortunately, the article in question is no longer available online or I can't find it). I continued my research directly on the Zao websitewhere I consulted a Comprehensive FAQ which answered my questions quite well: the composition of the products, the origin of the ingredients, the certifications, the bulk principle, etc. are well detailed. Convinced by the company's sincere commitment, I bought the concealer in question and signed up for their newsletter.
Since then, I've been a bit disappointed.
The products I have received are of very good quality, that's not the problem at all.
What bothers me is number of emails I receive: an email every 3 days. And most importantly, the content of these emails which is essentially promotional (discounts, free shipping and "last minute" offers...) I have received a few emails recently about new product launches, but the pace of the solicitations and the promotional content mean that I don't even open them.
In fact, I'm disappointed because I would have liked to receive content less frequently and on subjects such as the benefits of Zao products compared to "industrial" make-up, the advantages for health and skin, the risks I avoid by using responsible products, why it's important (or not) to care about buying responsible make-up, Zao's convictions, its stances, its criticisms of competitors who practice greenwashing. This is precisely why I chose Zao. That's what I was looking for.
It's true that this way of communicating is still uncommon in our world, but it's beginning to develop. What's more, it's part of the brand's values. At least, I think so. Because now, I'm not sure.
Some will say that this type of editorial topic won't generate conversions. Well, I'm not so sure. This kind of practice (and I see it with some of our customers) quickly leads to low open and click rates. The result is a depleted base and contacts that become inactive.
In any case, responsible communication (some speak of editorial sobriety) is a major challenge for brands: transforming a promotional marketing strategy into a editorial communication strategy or how to meet their subscribers' needs (in terms of information and products) without forcing them to consume.
What else is wrong with this email?
- The writing, the angle, the subject - you get the idea.
- Text written in the image: unreadable message when images are not loaded. What's more, the text isn't useful because it's repeated in the email text afterwards.
- The CTA: "J'en profite vite" ("I'm taking advantage of it fast") is too enticing.
- The reassurance block is all images. The text is small, illegible and unreadable on cell phones.
- Pictograms such as Bio, 100% naturel, Vegan, etc... are illegible on cell phones.
- In the footer,
- the " Please do not reply to this e-mail. "It gives me the creeps. Why not check the inbox? There are always few people who reply directly to these emails, so the time taken to raise the mailbox shouldn't be colossal. And replies to e-mails will send a positive signal to messaging systems and boost the sender's reputation. When it comes to deliverability, that's a big plus! It's a pity brands don't use it. And if, for some reason, it really isn't possible to read the mailbox, a sentence such as " To contact us, please use the following email address hello@zaomakeup.fr" it's still less cold.
- the " Think of our planet: once you've read this e-mail, don't hesitate to delete it to avoid digital pollution. "I'm sure you'll understand that what I've written above makes it hard for me to swallow.