When you have strong customer retention, you have more potential to grow. You quickly create brand promoters who talk about you and help you build a following. And this is a crucial component of the flywheel model that will help you generate leads and increase customer retention.
Email campaigns can help you get there. Because email is not invasive and you have a bit of space to work with, you have many options for using this tool to your advantage. And you can automate techniques to speed up processes.
So how do you do it? Let’s walk through seven best practices for customer retention campaigns when you’re creating your email strategy.
What’s friendlier than a warm welcome? When a customer signs up for your email newsletter or shows interest in your brand, it’s the perfect time to engage with them. Start the relationship as soon as they give you their email address. Make them feel encouraged and appreciated.
Let them know how to get in touch with your team in case they have questions. Try personalizing your welcome emails with an executive’s name and photo in the signature, so they feel like they’re communicating with a real person.
Anytime a customer buys something, downloads your content, or takes some other desired action, send them a thank-you note via email. This gesture gets your name in front of them again and lets them know that you’re paying attention. It shows a lot of gratitude, which signals that you are a caring and empathetic brand.
Make sure these emails are genuine and well-written. Think through how you sincerely want to thank people that support you. Consider mentioning your core values and how you’re glad that you made a new connection with them.
Just because your existing customers already know about you doesn’t mean they don’t need gentle reminders now and then. People are busy, and sometimes they might just forget to finish an action. Put a plan in place to remind them when something is in their cart that they haven’t yet purchased, or if you have a product recommendation for them based on their last purchase or browsing behavior.
Keep your brand at the forefront of your customers’ minds with friendly prompts. But remember: always be friendly and supportive and never pushy in email reminders.
Email is a great format for sending out special offers and rewards opportunities. If an existing customer hasn’t signed up for your rewards program yet, why not let them know the benefits? Be specific about how much they can earn on each purchase and emphasize how easy it is to set up.
You can also send out offers exclusively for existing customers. Show them that you value their support with a special deal that others aren’t receiving. This can be a great way to keep them interested and get them to convert again.
Your email marketing plan should also work hand in hand with your plans for gathering customer feedback. Send a link to your customers asking them to complete a survey or leave a review on an online platform.
Feedback requests are a win-win: your customers can share their real thoughts and opinions while you gather key information about your brand and products. This can help you improve the customer experience and keep them around for a long time.
Reengagement email campaigns focus on customers who have stopped engaging with the brand or never took that final step after showing interest. You can automatically set up reengagement emails that are triggered when a follower unsubscribes or has been inactive for a set period. Sometimes all these customers need is a gentle push to reengage with your brand. Email is the perfect format to use since it’s not too invasive.
This is where automation is the tool you need to boost customer retention: set up actions that will trigger an email, which eases your team’s workload and keeps that flywheel moving.
Finally, try sending out time-sensitive emails so that your customers need to act fast to get the benefits. This could be a special, limited-time offer on a product or a notification that their free trial is ending soon, and they need to act to keep it going. Make it clear in the email’s subject that they only have a certain timeframe to do something.
This tactic generates immediate interest and forces them to make a decision quickly. They may not be ready to end things just yet, and this kind of email will get them moving in the right direction toward becoming brand promoters.
To make sure your email content really shines, work with the team at ContentBacon on your email marketing campaigns. We get to know your brand’s voice and your goals. Then we create original, sizzling newsletter or email copy that will resonate with your audience. We know the ins and outs of email marketing best practices and can help you continue to engage and nurture your existing customers.
The team at ContentBacon helps you take email to the next level as part of a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy. Check out our subscription packages to get started.