9 Emails Every Business Should Be Sending
We predominantly use Campaign Monitor Software for our clients email sending needs. They provide us with a easy to use platform, with some very advanced database tools to help us get the best results for our clients. They've put together a list of the 9 emails every business should be sending below.
A welcome email to new customers and subscribers is an easy win. You’ve got a captive audience in the form of people who’ve clearly taken an active interest in your product or service, plus you’ve got a reasonable amount of space to get a few tips or messages across. But first thing’s first: be sure to thank them for coming aboard.
Keep it casual
Welcome emails should be energetic and easy to read. You’re bringing a new member into your virtual world, so make it warm and inviting by using a conversational tone.
Give a perk
Membership has its privileges, right? So give your new subscribers a welcome gift like a discount, reward, or perk of some sort (even in the form of free content like this guide).
Give them some next steps
Reinforce their interest in your product or service by letting them know how to take advantage of it. Offer links to tips, training, user groups, surveys and customer support.
Sending regular email newsletters is a powerful way to keep people up-to-date with the latest events, news, and promotions. It’s also a great way to drive your customers back to engaging with your site.
Create a plan
It can be a challenge to create content for your email newsletters, and those due dates always seem to sneak up on you. Be sure to have a planning calendar ready to plug content in as needed.
Make it snack-able
People tend to skim and scan their emails, so include bite-sized chunks of info in your email newsletters: bold section headlines with 2-3 sentences of copy. That way it’s easier for them to find content that’s relevant.
Mix it up
Don’t just offer a laundry list of news. Offer varied media – videos, images, screenshots, guides, how-tos, and more.
Your existing customer base can be an exceptional driver of new revenue. Let them know when you’ve got new products available. They’ve already proven their interest in your offerings and the best evangelists will even help you spread the word via social channels and word of mouth.
Stay focused
The goal here is to build excitement about new product availability. Drive people to your site to learn more; there you can use a call to action to purchase or subscribe.
Include images or screenshots
Unless you have an incredibly loyal audience, just telling people you have something new isn’t enough. Entice them with compelling images or screenshots to spark a desire to see the full range.
Consider your links
To maximize the sales and revenue you get from your email marketing, make sure you drive people to a specific page on your site that shows them all the new arrivals and gives them an easy path to purchase.
Customers can learn a great deal from other customers. Testimonial emails are an easy way to facilitate that. This type of email can offer customers new ways to use products, tips for success, and an overall “temperature check” of your user base.
Seek approval
Securing the express approval from customers to use their quotes, feedback, and photos is important.
Consider your design
These emails are more fun and less informational, so you want something that stands out. Highlight the best quotes you can find, include eye-popping images, and create an energetic tone.
Create a path
Keep in mind that the goal is for customers to learn something; if they do, they might want to learn more. So be sure to include a link to additional testimonials, case studies, and tutorials.
You want your customers to get the most out of your products and services, so help them out with simple ways for them to learn and improve.
Concentrate on content
Helpful content is king. You need to offer something that helps subscribers solve a problem or improve in some way. Tips can be proactive, reactive, or a combination of both.
Mix your formats
Our learning styles can vary so switch up your formats. Create some videos and infographics, write a how-to guide and find an expert for a Q&A column. Be creative!
Send at regular intervals
Since these emails offer valuable content, your subscribers should get them at regular intervals. Consider a “Tip of the Week” or “Case Study of the Month” type message.
Don’t let your products or services go interrupted! Sending an advanced email to remind customers that it’s time to reorder or resubscribe is a no-brainer. Automate this one—and be sure to set an alert for a follow-up, too.
Be clear and concise
The purpose of this email is strictly to encourage your customers to replenish a product or renew a subscription, so make the experience as simple as possible. Include obvious call-to-action buttons with clear copy.
Talk yourself up
Just because they’ve ordered or subscribed before doesn’t obligate them to do so again. So let them know what value they’ll get in return. You could even offer a discount or perk for re-upping in a specific timeframe.
Mention usage or purchases
Be sure to include what was ordered in the past, so they can reorder the same thing. Or use this as an opportunity to upsell; if they’ve maximized their usage, perhaps they’re ready to upgrade.
Once your customers have learned the value of your product, they might be tempted to move forward with the next level of service. Send an email outlining the benefits of a new product or service-level to see if they bite.
Start with a trial
The try-before-you-buy phenomenon works. Once your customers get a taste of a more powerful product or system, they often won’t want to return to a more basic one.
Include testimonials
Customers want to validate the decision to upgrade, so include quotes from other customers who’ve been there before.
Keep it short
Customers don’t often enjoy being “marketed to” when they’re already bought in. So keep this email concise and include a link to a landing page with the harder sell.
Surveys help you collect valuable information you can use to improve both your products and the customer experience. Take care up front to craft a survey that’s going to give you the data you’re looking for then set-up an email to send it out. Consider including some kind of incentive to encourage responses.
Include an incentive
If you’d like a customer to take the time to fill out a survey, you need to offer a reason. Perhaps that’s a discount on a future purchase, a code for free shipping, or entry in a contest.
Make it easy
Be sure your email contains an obvious, clickable link or button that leads to your survey. And definitely, make sure your survey only takes a few minutes to complete.
Give a reason
Tell your customers why you need this information. Customers are more likely to help when they understand the purpose.
The win-back email is a campaign you send to customers who haven’t purchased from you in a while in an attempt to get them to re-engage with your products. Giving dormant customers an offer that they wouldn’t normally receive gives them an extra incentive to come back to your site.
Automate it
No need to spend time sending these manually. As long as you have information like the customer’s last purchase date, it’s easy to set this up as an automated campaign that goes out in a given timeframe after their last purchase.
Include mouth-watering images
Although it’s useful to offer readers 20% off their next purchase, they may not have an immediate need for your products. Encourage them to at least click-through by including beautiful images that may stir their impulse buying habits.
Original Article - Campaign Monitor
Photo by Niko Soikkeli on Unsplash