This week I’m gonna share some non-ski inspiration. Truth be told, ski is blowing me away with the creativity overall, but there are some other pockets out there I’ve come across.

Oru Kayak makes foldable kayaks. And Oru Kayak loves to do giveaways.

Of the last six emails from them in my inbox, four of them are related to some sort of prize or award or giveaway.

Two Pieces
Now, think about this for a second. If your strategy involves giveaways, how do you ensure that people also open other emails. The sales emails. The ones that actually put money in your pocket instead of simply putting your products in your audience’s hands?

By blurring the lines between the two.

Look closely at this email I got from Oru Kayak last week. Specifically, look at what you have to do to enter.

See it?

“You’re automatically entered when you open Oru Kayak emails.”

I’ve been around email marketing a long time, and this is one of the most simple, clever ideas I’ve ever seen. It gives email campaigns a chance to snowball by turning even open today into an even more likely open the next time you hit send.

Hats off, Oru Kayak. Well done.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.