Event triggered email could be considered the workhorse of email marketing. It only requires a simple automated system to run but can be used to serve a multitude of purposes. It saves heaps of time, offers a one-to-one personalized campaign opportunity and according to Forrester Research delivers a significantly higher ROI than general email blasts.
So the question begs to be asked, why are only a reported 4 in 10 email marketers using them?
We’ve looked at 7 different ways a triggered email can be used and I’m sure you’ll agree that they are in fact pretty useful.
- Abandoned Carts.
You know your customer is interested in what you have to offer because they very nearly bought it. You might not know why they abandoned the purchase at the last minute, but you can however try to lure them back with an abandoned cart message. It’s not necessary to send this immediately, but certainly 2-3 days later while it’s still fresh in your customer’s mind. Your message need only include a simple reminder about what the product was they were viewing, why it’s such a great choice and perhaps a look at similar products they might be interested in. A nice gesture, to show that you do appreciate their business could be to throw in a discount or free overnight shipping if they decide to buy the item in the next 24hours. - Email Newsletter Sign Up.
This is one that should be triggered immediately (or at least the same day) after someone signs up for your (awesome) newsletter. A warm and friendly welcome email is important as it sets in motion awareness of your brand and establishes that first ‘contact’ you have with your subscriber. There are a few things you need to consider in this ‘thank you for signing up’ message. Include any contact details they need if they want to get in touch with you, an overview of what they’ve opted in for, reconfirmation that they can unsubscribe at any time, links to your social network pages, a link to their email preference centre and a clear privacy policy statement. - Transactional Messages.
These include purchase confirmations, shipping notices, product recalls, new accounts, expired subscriptions, membership and account balance information, all of which are important triggers. One thing you need to be careful of here is to not abuse the opportunity and turn a triggered email into a full on company promotion. After all, the purpose of a transactional email is to provide your customers with important detailed information that references their purchase, shipping order etc. If however you can’t resist then at least keep the sales talk to a minimum and certainly below the fold. - Event Registration.
This is a trigger that definitely warrants a follow up email. When someone registers for an event, seminar or webinar you need to include the following information in your message. Repeat the important details of the event, any registration number or login password that might be needed, confirmation that their registration was in fact successful and details of their payment, if one was made. - Subscribers Birthdays.
This is such an easy email to automate and yet surprisingly many brands and companies don’t acknowledge them or use them to their advantage. You want your customers to feel like you appreciate them all the time, but their birthday is an added opportunity to show how considerate you are. Be sure to send them a special message with a nice satisfying discount on their next purchase or better yet, a free gift that they can claim from any of your stores. - Updated profile and customer surveys.
This is a no brainer trigger. All you need to do in this message is thank your subscriber for updating their profile and include their new changes as a reference. If they have taken the time to complete a survey, then tell them that their answers will help to keep your emails relevant, interesting and up to date. - Friendly reminders, “remember us”?
You obviously don’t want to hound your subscribers but if they have been a bit quiet for a few months or more then it won’t hurt to send them a quick message to help them remember you. Remind them of what they can expect from your newsletter and the great offers and special deals they can benefit from. If they are simply no longer interested then that’s fine, they can just unsubscribe. But maybe they are still interested in and just need a little prompting, in which case your email will come at the right time.
These are just some of the different ways that you can used automated trigger emails, yet all of them are relevant and valuable in some way.
Whether it’s giving your subscribers important information about their purchase or event registration or simply a light-hearted message letting them know you remembered their birthday, it’s highly beneficial for you and really easy to set up.
About the author:
Georgia Christian
Georgia Christian is the editor for the online Email Marketing service Mail Blaze. She is responsible for communicating Mail Blaze’s five plus years of industry experience and accumulated knowledge into the market.
Experienced in all facets of email marketing Georgia has been tasked with collating and imparting Mail Blaze’s collective knowledge to you. It’s her dream that one day we’ll live in a world where all emails are perfectly formatted, spam free and beautiful to read. You can also sign up for her company’s newsletter, get in touch with her by mail or follow her on Twitter.