Do you have a number of email list subscribers who never purchase anything? Recently, I was chatting with a few of my blogger friends who are newer to the blogging game and they asked me what specific emails I use when someone subscribes to my mailing list.
I actually do have some very specific emails that I send when a subscriber signs up, leaves the list, and so on. I believe these emails work to convert subscribers into customers. These are called trigger emails. Some sites send a trigger email when someone places an item in a shopping cart and then abandons it as well.
Unbounce reported that Website getAmplify uses triggered emails for a 152% higher click-through rate and 50% higher open rates. This is significant enough that it is worth testing out on your own mailing list subscribers.
Your subscribers are already interested in what you have to offer and what you have to say. Your mailing list is very targeted because it is made up of your target demographic. Don't overlook your subscribers when planning your marketing campaigns.
In addition, you already have some unique information about these potential customers. You may have collected their name, email, location and perhaps birthday or anniversary, for example. If you use a mailing list management tool like MailChimp, you can also see which newsletters they are opening and which links within they are clicking on. Devesh from WP Kube covers 11 plugins you can use to collect emails on a WordPress site and I think it's a good read for those who are keen. All of this information can be analyzed and used to your advantage for marketing.
However we are not talking about tools or baits to drive more leads today. Instead we are focusing on the root of any email campaign – your emails.
Types of Letters to Send to Mailing List Subscribers
The samples below should give you an idea of the types of letters you can send to your subscribers to spur them into action and convert them into customers. Keep in mind that the mailing list service you use will have specific coding you need to insert to use the subscriber's name or other specifics.
Welcome Letter
Dear [First Name],
Welcome to XYZ Newsletter. Each week, you'll get [Add specific features of your newsletter here that are free and valuable].
As a thank you for subscribing, below is a one-time code you can use for 15% off any purchase on XYZ Website. At checkout, simply use the promo code: XYZ
We're happy to have you on board. Welcome to the XYZ family!
XYZ Owner
XYZ.com
Exit Letter
Dear [First Name],
We're sorry to hear you want to leave the mailing list. If there is anything we can do differently to meet your needs as a subscriber, please let us know [link to feedback form here].
Have you had a chance to check out our new line of [fill in product]. We love both our subscribers and unsubscribers and want to offer you free shipping on your next purchase. Simply enter code: XYZ
If you'd like to resubscribe to the newsletter at a later date, simply go to our home page and click on the “Subscribe” button.
Sincerely,
XYZ Owner
XYZ.com
Reminder Letter
Dear [First Name],
Just a friendly reminder that your discount of 15% off any purchase expires [expiration date here]. Hurry! You still have time to take advantage of this special offer.
Simply enter the following code in the Promo Code box at checkout: XYZ
Thanks!
XYZ Owner
XYZ.com
Birthday Letter
Dear [First Name],
Happy birthday from XYZ.com! We hope you have a very happy birthday. To help you celebrate, we're offering you a free [fill in blank] with any order plus free shipping.
Have a fabulous birthday!
XYZ Owner
XYZ.com
Series Emails
Silverpop reports that according to eConsultancy's UK Email Marketing Statistics report, about 52% of customers sign up for a mailing list hoping to receive a discount or promotional code.
This is where series emails come into play. The minute a customer signs up for your mailing list, he should begin receiving a series of emails from you. A welcome email confirms that he has indeed subscribed to your mailing list. You may then want to follow with a discount offer for free shipping or money off.
In addition to those emails, you can send out special promotions when having sales, holiday discounts and birthday and anniversary promotions specifically for those customers with birthdays or anniversaries in a given month.
On top of these emails, you should send out reminder emails from time to time. For example, if you've offered a discount for signing up and the expiration date is nearing, your autoresponder should send out a triggered email if the person has not used his promo code yet.
Case Studies
When it comes to successful email marketing campaigns, there are a number of businesses doing this really well. Studying their techniques can help you come up with your own emails to send to your subscribers.
LV=
Econsultancy took a look at LV='s mailing campaign and what they are doing right. LV= is an insurance company. Their goals were to improve customer rapport and increase new customers buying insurance online. The emails were targeted based on the type of insurance the subscriber was interested in purchasing and where they were in their quest to buy insurance.
For example, if the customer abandoned the search after choosing a specific type of insurance, the emails would be different than if the customer just looked at what was available.
Some of the things LV= did was to personalize the email with a name, details about the policy the customer was looking at and offering cross selling options, such as travel insurance, home insurance and even pet insurance along with a promised discount if the customer clicked on the link.
The results included a more than 50% increase in the open rate and a 41.83% increase in the clickthrough rate. In addition, the conversion rate went up by almost 20%.
Fashion Store
Canopy Labs took a look at a fashion store, which they don't name specifically. The fashion store saw an increase more than 5 times in conversions after implementing email segmentation.
The store decided to target customers who had purchased something and then hadn't come back for at least a few months. This number equaled around 12% of its users. The email campaign was a simple thank you letter for purchasing in the past with an incentive if they purchased again.
Even though the click rate was only 1.4 times higher, the conversion rate was more than 5 times what it had been. In addition, the per dollar purchase was about 15.7 times higher.
SmartPak Equine
Marketing Sherpa took a look at the unique emails sent out by Smartpak Equine that result in higher sales. The company sends out some very targeted emails that have some amazing results. They have around 40 different emails they send at various times.
These triggered images are both automated and manual batch campaigns. The open rate is around 28% and conversion rate is 11%.
For example, they send out customer vitamin and supplement packs for customers with horses. About 11 days before the customized SmartPak is shipped, the customer is sent a reminder. This lets the customer know when the SmartPak will arrive and gives her a few days to make any changes or additions to the order.
They also send emails that are triggered when a shopping cart is abandoned and requesting reviews of products.
The Importance of Communicating
Email communication is one of the least expensive forms of marketing you will do for your business. Once you've created your initial email letters, you should be able to just plug in a name and send them out in batches as needed. Even if your conversion increases by only a few percent, that can result in higher sales volume and mean the difference between your site succeeding or failing.
