It's the time of the year when businesses need to say "thank you" to their customers during the holiday season. Campaigner®, an email marketing service that empowers companies to better attract and retain business through creative email marketing campaigns, and brand of j2 Global™ Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: JCOM), is sharing five ways for businesses to show gratitude to customers using event-driven email campaigns.
"A timely thank you can have a tremendous impact on building a customer relationship," said Mike Pugh, vice president marketing, j2 Global. "Creating a sequence of messages to show appreciation lets the customer know that a business truly values that relationship, regardless of whether a purchase was made. When a customer feels appreciated they are more likely to return, more likely to purchase, and more likely to recommend."
Each of the following five trigger points can be a separate opportunity for businesses to send a touch point email campaign to customers.
Click through for five tips on building customer loyalty through email, as identified by Campaigner, an email marketing service provider.
Thank new subscribers to your list by using an email template that includes information about when customers will be contacted via email (new products, sale opportunities, discounts, etc.) and how often (monthly, bi-monthly, yearly). Also include instructions for adding your company's email address to an email address book or safe list to ensure delivery of emails.
Include clickable "calls to action" that take email readers to specific pages on a company website. Track page visits in order to determine which campaigns and offers customers find most interesting. Customer profiles can also be updated regularly to track interests and follow-up emails can be automatically sent regarding related products, new inventory or even new website content when updated.
Develop a short thank-you template for sales. Ask customers if everything was delivered correctly and completed to their satisfaction. This is also a good time to ask for additional customer information to help segment lists. Segments allow specific sub-groups of contacts to be defined based on demographic or other information
When a customer shares a review on your website, Facebook page or other social media site, use a template email to show appreciation for their point of view. Ratings and reviews are a form of social media content that attract prospects and support purchase research. Customers can even be invited to become part of your company's social media network.
When a shopper leaves a retail store, a good sales clerk will say "thank you for visiting." Why not do the same with your website? Have an email template at the ready for follow-up that says: "Thank you for visiting our site. If there is anything we can do to better serve you, please let us know."