1 CommentHere at Jungle Scout, we keep telling you that email campaigns are one of the most effective ways to generate reviews…right?! And up until now, we’ve focused primarily on the text in those emails.
But adding attachments to your Amazon emails could be pure review-gold too!
Ignoring the opportunity to add value to your product by adding detailed ebooks and images to your campaign means you could be losing out on precious shopper feedback.
So, let’s get down to what you can and cannot attach to your campaign emails, and how these simple add-ons could reap HUGE benefits, in terms of reviews.
Attachment do’s & don’ts.
When it comes to the types of files you can attach to your campaign emails, you have a decent selection.
DOs:
Here are the files and documents you can use:
- Send text files (.txt)
- Include images (.png, .gif, .jpg, .tiff and .bmp files)
- Attach word documents (.doc and .docx)
- Upload PDFs
DON’Ts:
Actually, there isn’t a whole lot you can’t do (yay!). But here’s the (short) list of those no-nos anyway:
- You can’t add video files
- Attachments can’t exceed 6 MB
And that’s it. No video and no large files.
Now, if you go to Amazon’s Buyer-Seller Messaging System FAQs page (which is the system we use to send out your campaign emails), you’ll see that they say the attachment limit is 10 MB:
BUT, because Jungle Scout has to account for Amazon’s encryption process (that’s what ensures your email, and your customers’ emails, are anonymized) and the formatting of the campaign emails, attachments have to be capped at 6 MB.
How big is six MB?
This is a really tough question, since page formatting will vary from document to document.
Some attachments will have pages that are single-spaced throughout, other will have a mix of spacing. Some documents will have images that are low resolution, others will be high. Large font size. Small font size. Each of these variants will change how many pages you can get out of those six MB.
But here is an overview of an average number of pages you can get per megabyte, based on the type of file you are using:
Be creative!
Just because your product doesn’t lend itself to immediate attachment ideas (like a kitchen utensil logically leading to a beautiful ebook of recipes), you can still find a way to add value to your product through an email attachment.
If you’re selling clothes, then images of models pairing your garment with a variety of unique, but complimentary pieces will go far in giving your customers ideas on how to get the most out of that shirt, skirt, etc.
Or maybe a ‘How-To’, if you’re selling an item that might be an unknown (or relatively new) to your customers.
Selling origami paper? Why not include instructions on how to create basic, intermediate and expert-level folds:
Even mason jars. You might not think there’s a way to add value to something so simple. But lots of your customers will be looking for new ways to use those jars.
Show them how to make an outdoor space more inviting by creating hanging lights. Or how an indoor space becomes more fun by painting the jars and making individualized glasses. A kid’s room is more interesting by creating and adding mini terrariums.
SO many possibilities!
Examples:
These are just a few examples, using actual products from Amazon, to help set the scene. Hopefully something from this list of potential attachments, meant to help build rapport with your customers, can add sparkle and value to your product(s) too:
- eBooks/PDFs
- Instruction Manuals
- Infographics
- Recipes
- Humorous Memes or GIFs
- Special Offer Banners (increase return orders or cross-sells)
- Images (lifestyle, the product in use, aspirational…)
- Warranties (printable or savable documents; this is great for high-value items)
- Social Media Banners (invite people to share the news about the awesome new product they just purchased)
Even if you’re selling a product you think your customers will know how to use, don’t let that stop you from including images and directions on different ways to use it.
You never know. One of your suggestions may be just what someone is looking for.
So think outside the box. Look for new ways to enrich your customers’ experience with your product. Using extras like ones mentioned above will ultimately build your brand’s reputation and, fingers crossed, get those reviews flying in!
Find inspiration everywhere.
It would be worth making the following resources your new best friends (depending on the type of product you’re selling, some resources will be more helpful than others).
Researching similar products, on a variety of different sites, will provide you with fresh ideas for your product that you can then share with your customers:
Remember, nothing is ever really ‘new’, so don’t be afraid to take inspiration from others.
Example:
Here’s a walk-through of how we could add value to the Jungle Scout collaborative product, Jungle Stix.
Let’s take a look on Pinterest first. I tried searching for ‘marshmallow roasting’ and ‘smores’ and came up with some beautiful lifestyle photography. I could take inspiration from this and maybe create an ebook full of ideas of recipes, ideas and things to do with marshmallow roasting sticks.
There’s some interesting stuff in there for kids, weddings, parties and more:
Next, I searched for ‘marshmallow bonfire’ and got the following results:
There’s a really neat infographic in there, with lots of recipe ideas. I could create something like that and send it out to our customers.
You could also include an infographic like that on your product’s website (if you have one), and provide a link to it in the body of the email too. That will encourage people to share the infographic on social media, increasing awareness of your product.
Not confident in your design skills?
You might want to hire a designer to create ebooks or infographics for your products, rather than creating them yourself. It will save time and ensure you get the job done properly. If you’re unsure of where to find someone, check out the Jungle Scout Market. The freelancers listed are all vetted and familiar with Amazon.
If you want to have a go yourself, however, you could also try a tool like Canva. It’s amazing! With loads of templates and free illustrations to help non-designers (like me), you can create pretty nice graphics, like this:
Promote additional content in your listing.
If you’ve created a really awesome ebook, list or recipe and are giving it away to all customers, why not mention it on your Amazon listing?
For example, you could include the add-on in your product’s title, or name it as a feature, give it a spot in your description field, and/or make one of your ‘other images’ a picture of your freebie.
Here’s an example of a seller in the fitness niche who is doing just that:
Finally, attach that attachment!
Now that you’ve created your add-on, all that’s left to do is attach it to your email. And that’s the easiest step of all, thankfully!
Regardless of what email campaign service you use, just decide which email template is best-suited for the attachment. In our experience, the first email to go out is usually the best. Now, all that’s left to do is to upload that review-generating file!
If you use Jungle Scout’s email campaign feature, here’s where you can find that attachment button:
Remember, there is always a way to show your customers how much more your product can do for them!
You can really get across how much more value it can add to their lives, if only they looked at it in a new way… a new way that only you can show them. 🙂
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below, or if you have a success story you want to share regarding attachments you’ve used with your products to great effect!
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