According to Hubspot’s Marketing Trends survey, 51% of marketers report that email marketing is the most effective marketing platform. There are many email marketing formats that cover different topics and customer actions. And it’s important that they be sent at different parts of the customer’s journey to ensure they are as effective as possible. Not using these email strategies and sending out random emails at random times will greatly diminish user engagement and business. Let’s take a look at the top email marketing formats and the best times to send them to achieve maximum impact.
Welcome Emails
The first email your new leads should receive is a welcome email. Welcome or onboarding emails can be sent after a lead’s first interaction with your business, whether that be signing up for a program, making their first purchase, or downloading a free tool. These marketing email formats explain your brand, how your company works, and how to finish setting up an account on your website. Be sure to highlight the best parts of your business in the email to draw in recipients to use your services even more. Think of this email marketing format as another business introduction. This interaction should answer any questions new leads may have, build trust in your brand and encourage them to use your products/services in the future.
Promotional Emails
After sending an initial welcome email you can start sending promotional emails to people. Whether these leads have converted into customers yet or not, both can get something out of these emails. Promotional emails can advertise anything from your products and/or services, discounts, access to gated content, or upcoming events. Whatever you are promoting, try to make it something your audience will find value in and therefore engage with.
Promotional emails don’t just reach recipients on your email list though. Oftentimes if recipients are pleased with the advertisement, they will tell others around them, spreading the word about your business and potentially gaining you more leads.
While there are many benefits to promotional emails, it is possible to overdo it. How often you send out emails, promotional or otherwise, will depend on your industry and clientele. You’ll also want to send more value-focused or informational emails than emails just asking for sales. A good rule of thumb is to send 8-10 emails focused on showing people what you have to offer or how you can help them in between every sales email. You should also avoid sending multiple emails in a day as it increases the likelihood of users blocking you or unsubscribing from your email campaign.
Lead Nurturing Emails
Not all recipients of your email marketing campaign will be customers. Some will likely be leads who have shown enough interest in your business to opt in to your mailing list but haven’t made a purchase yet. This is where one of the most specific email marketing formats comes in: lead nurturing emails. These emails are usually automated and target potential customers with content you know they are interested in based on whatever they clicked on to become a lead.
Lead nurturing emails are similar to promotional emails, except that they don’t go out to all of your recipients, just a select few. These emails will advertise company news, blog posts, eBooks, discounts, and really any helpful content to convince leads to make a purchase. And these emails can be sent to potential customers no matter where they are in the marketing funnel, so long as they are relevant to the user’s interests. Lead nurturing emails are vital to converting leads who would have otherwise forgotten about your business into customers.
Thank You Emails
Thank you emails aren’t just a way to confirm a customer’s order or a lead’s sign-up, they also show users that you care. These emails help build a sense of community between users and a business and encourage users to make another purchase. Although these emails are often short and only used after a certain action, the impact they have is immense. In fact, nowadays, users are likely to be concerned if they don’t receive a thank you email after buying something online as that could mean their order didn’t go through. This could create unneeded stress in your customers’ lives leading to an increase in customer service communication asking if your business received their order. All of this could be easily avoided with a simple email expressing your gratitude.
Re-engagement Emails
Sometimes you will have customers who stop responding to your regular emails. Instead of just sending the same old emails or giving up on the customer, send re-engagement emails to recapture their interest. This email should be short and to the point, if the user isn’t interacting with your normal content they definitely aren’t going to interact with a long email.
According to Invesp, it is five times cheaper to re-engage old customers than to try to get new customers. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple email. Message your inactive customer asking if they would like to still receive emails from you. This may seem counterintuitive, but giving customers this option shows them how genuine you are and how much you care. In the same email, show them how they’ll benefit from continuing to receive these emails. Don’t give up on customers once they’ve made a purchase, continue to foster that relationship. Upselling and reselling with the same customer over time helps grow your business just as effectively as obtaining new clients.
Start Crafting an Engaging Email Marketing Campaign Today!
Email marketing campaigns are a great way to reach out to leads and customers to get their business. Sending the right email marketing formats at the right time is what truly makes a great campaign. Depending on where people are in their customer journey you may want to send them a welcome email, or a lead nurturing one, or maybe even a message to re-engage them with your company. All of these types of emails have merit and should be used to develop your relationship with your customers and ensure they stay loyal to your brand.
Using email marketing formats effectively takes continuous work and effort. And as a business owner you may not be able to devote the amount of attention an email marketing campaign requires. Strategy can help by creating an email marketing plan and email automations that run 24/7, saving you valuable time and boosting your business if done right. Schedule a free consultation today and let’s create an email marketing campaign that will engage your customers long after they’ve made a purchase.
