Welcome to The Retention Newsie by The Email Marketers, the retention building experts for 8-& 9-figure e-commerce brands.

Every week we bring you the best case studies, strategies, and tips around keeping more customers, turning them into raving fans, and increasing revenue.

Up this week:

• 📷 How GoPro Made Customers Creators

• 📧 Retain Customers with Impactful Launch Emails

• 📊 Evolving Customer Loyalty, Unified SMS & More!

Reading time: 4 minutes 15 seconds

How GoPro Shifted Customers into Creators

Nick Woodman just wanted to capture his surfing adventures. Little did he know that his quest for the perfect action camera would revolutionize not just photography, but marketing as well.

Founded in 2002, GoPro has grown from a niche product for extreme sports enthusiasts to a global brand synonymous with adventure and creativity. But GoPro's true genius lies not just in its innovative cameras, but in how it has turned its customers into a powerful marketing force.

GoPro's approach to user-generated content (UGC) is at the heart of its retention strategy. As Nick Woodman puts it, "We're not just a camera company anymore. We're an enabler of great content."

This strategy has transformed GoPro's customers into brand ambassadors, creating a virtuous cycle of engagement, loyalty, and organic growth. Let’s see how they do it:

Launched in 2015, the GoPro Awards Program is a powerful initiative that rewards exceptional user-submitted photos and videos with cash prizes and significant exposure. Winning goes beyond financial gain; it puts creators in the spotlight on GoPro's official channels, giving them an expansive platform to showcase their talent.

The Million Dollar Challenge, which started in 2018, excitingly celebrates user-generated content. Users are invited to submit clips captured with the latest GoPro camera, and winners share a prize pool of $1 million. In 2023, the challenge saw an impressive 43,000 submissions from users in 21 countries.

GoPro has seamlessly integrated social media sharing into its product ecosystem. The GoPro app enables users to edit and share content directly to platforms like Instagram and YouTube, significantly reducing friction and encouraging immediate sharing.

Additionally, GoPro's social media team curates the best content from thousands of daily submissions — keeping their social media presence vibrant and engaging.

The results speak for themselves. By 2023, GoPro's Instagram following had grown to over 16 million users. The #GoPro hashtag has been used over 40 million times on Instagram alone.

Perhaps most impressively, user-generated content now forms the backbone of GoPro's marketing efforts, from social media posts to TV commercials.

• Celebrate Your Customers: Recognize and reward your customers for using your product in creative and inspiring ways.

• Make Participation Easy: Provide clear and simple ways for users to share their content with your brand, whether through hashtags, submission forms, or uploads.

• Showcase User Content: Feature user-generated content on your social media and website to provide social proof and motivate others to engage.

• Offer Incentives: Host contests that reward exceptional user-generated content with prizes and exposure, driving creativity and participation.

• Create a Community: Use user-generated content to build a brand community, encouraging users to engage with each other's work and connect over shared passions.

We help 8-& 9-figure e-commerce brands increase revenue and build strong customer relationships through retention marketing: Email, SMS, direct mail, subscriptions, memberships, loyalty programs, and more.

Drive Retention with Smart Launch Emails

Product launch emails are a golden opportunity to boost retention, but many brands miss the mark.

Launching a new product, feature, or service is the perfect time to re-engage existing customers and turn them into repeat buyers. But too often, product launch emails fall flat, failing to build excitement or drive action.

Here's how to craft product launch emails that not only announce your new offering but also strengthen customer loyalty:

1. Create a Launch Sequence

One email isn't enough. A series of emails builds anticipation and maximizes impact, like a series of movie trailers leading up to the big premiere.

• Start with a teaser email hinting at what's to come

• Follow up with a more detailed feature announcement

• Close with a launch day email including a special offer or incentive

This sequence keeps your product top of mind and gives customers multiple opportunities to engage.

2. Segment Your Audience

Not every customer will be interested in every new product. Segmenting your list allows you to target the right audience with the right message.

• Segment based on past purchase history, browsing behavior, or expressed preferences

• Customize your emails by adjusting content and subject lines to match each segment's interests

Segmentation ensures your launch lands with the customers most likely to convert, rather than getting lost in a one-size-fits-all blast.

3. Provide Social Proof

Customers trust other customers more than they trust brands. Incorporating social proof into your launch emails can lend credibility and FOMO.

• Include quotes or mini case studies from beta testers or early adopters

• Showcase user-generated content like unboxing videos or social media posts

• Display pre-order numbers or waitlist stats to demonstrate demand

Social proof makes your launch feel like a community event, not just a sales pitch.

4. Offer Exclusive Perks

Your existing customers are your most valuable asset. Make them feel valued by offering exclusive benefits with your product launch.

• Provide early access or a special VIP purchase window

• Include a bonus gift or discount code for launch day purchases

• Tie the launch to your loyalty program with bonus points or rewards

Providing exclusive perks boosts immediate sales and cultivates long-term loyalty, allowing customers to feel like valued members of your brand community.

Product launch emails are a powerful retention tool when done right. By creating a strategic sequence, segmenting your audience, providing social proof, and offering exclusive perks, you can turn a simple announcement into an event that strengthens customer relationships and keeps them coming back for more.

• Explore how customer loyalty is evolving in Ecommerce, including the importance of personalized experiences.

• How one brand achieved 125% growth, showing off the rising demand for unified SMS and email marketing solutions.

• The three steps to gear up your email marketing for the holidays, including regular audience outreach and list maintenance.

• Discover how to create more customer value without changing the product, focusing on perceived value and brand associations.

• A comprehensive guide to content attribution, offering practical tips for improving measurement and reporting of content marketing efforts.