Every small business can send succesful emails. The good news is that you don’t even need to have a master degree in Marketing to do so.
Using proven tactics of high-performing emails is a smart and powerful way to engage with your subscribers without spending too much time on reinventing the wheel.
These 5 email campaigns have proven to boost subscriber engagement for all businesses. And because they are easy to automate, you will get continuous value from them.
Let’s go…
The welcome mail of Kickstarter does a great job at guiding their newest members to the next steps they should take. By using the 1-2-3-method new subscribers get a clear and prioritised overview of what they should do to make the most of their Kickstarter account.
TrueBlue uses their welcome mail to highlight the advantages of their program. It reassures the new subscribers that they are in good hands and that they will receive tons of value from TrueBlue.
Headspace wants to help you to achieve a healthier and happier life through meditation.
Their welcome mail encourages their new users to start meditating immediately (and therefore, use their app).
iZettle sends out an email when they notice someone didn’t complete their registration. Smart! This way they avoid people falling out of the registration flow.
Okcupid their profile update email is on point. By adjusting the design according to the steps you have already taken they are able to visually show which steps you still need to take to complete your profile.
A short and powerful email from Twitter. With the launch of their new web profiles, they ask their users to make some changes to their existing profile, while highlighting the new features.
I really like this survey email from Amazon. Why? Because they gather customer feedback and use it to update product information on their website.
Let’s say this jacket is ‘Somewhat small’ according to most customers. Amazon will use this knowledge on their website to inform other customers about the size. Very smart!
I love how Headspace keeps their survey mail clean and simple with a focussed call to action button. They also tell why they need your feedback and reassure that the survey is super-short.
Azendoo goes even further and asks customers to answer a question directly in the email. I’m pretty sure you end up on a longer survey form though. But even if you don’t fill out the entire form they still know – based on your click – whether or not you’d recommend Azendoo.
If you refer Bombas to people you know and they make a purchase, you get free socks. That’s awesome. The advantage is clear and I love their no-nonsense approach.
Airbnb gives away free travel credit if your friends book their frist trip.
Their referral email is short, to the point and has a focussed call to action button. 10/10.
Treehouse offers reductions and even a free account if your bring your friends along.
Your friends also get 50% off. The advantage of the referral goes both ways.
The Bakerista offers 25% off when you place an order. A simple and easy tactic that works.
JetBlue does an amazing job at framing the message as a love relationship. Funny and accurate. This email doesn’t really has an offer but it highlights the advantages of being part of the JetBlue-family. I think this email is sent specifically to the most disengaged subscribers. They want to know if you are still interested or not. That’s why they offer 3 options: Yes, Change email preferences or Unsubscribe.
Armed with inspiration and tips on which automated emails you should send, you should now have a look at how you can do the same for your business.
All examples come from our main source of email inspiration reallygoodemails.com
1. Welcome mail
The welcome mail is absolutely crucial. It’s your first hello and as we all know, you only get one shot at making a great first impression. The goals of this email are to reaffirm your new subscriber that they’ve made an awesome decision joining your community, to deliver them your offer (like an ebook or a coupon) and to guide them towards the next steps.
The welcome mail of Kickstarter does a great job at guiding their newest members to the next steps they should take. By using the 1-2-3-method new subscribers get a clear and prioritised overview of what they should do to make the most of their Kickstarter account.
TrueBlue uses their welcome mail to highlight the advantages of their program. It reassures the new subscribers that they are in good hands and that they will receive tons of value from TrueBlue.
Headspace wants to help you to achieve a healthier and happier life through meditation.
Their welcome mail encourages their new users to start meditating immediately (and therefore, use their app).
2. ‘Update your profile’ email
Signing up to a mailing list should be as easy as possible. Usually this means limiting the amount of form fields that need to be filled out. At first, a first name and an email address are enough. But what do you do when you want to learn more about your subscribers? Or you want them to complete their profile? That’s right… you can send them an email to update their profile and/or preferences. Because in the end, the more you know about your subscribers the more your emails can be personalised and adapted to their specific preferences and interests. And that’s what you should always aim for in email marketing. Don’t forget: preferences can change over time. Therefore it’s important to ask your subscribers to review and update their profile information from time to time.
iZettle sends out an email when they notice someone didn’t complete their registration. Smart! This way they avoid people falling out of the registration flow.
Okcupid their profile update email is on point. By adjusting the design according to the steps you have already taken they are able to visually show which steps you still need to take to complete your profile.
A short and powerful email from Twitter. With the launch of their new web profiles, they ask their users to make some changes to their existing profile, while highlighting the new features.
3. Survey email
Getting valuable feedback from your subscribers about your services and products is crucial to the success, the growth and revenue of your business. Automated email surveys can be a powerful way to get continuous feedback from your customers. These campaigns can be triggered based on a purchase, contact with your customer service or after a trial period…
I really like this survey email from Amazon. Why? Because they gather customer feedback and use it to update product information on their website.
Let’s say this jacket is ‘Somewhat small’ according to most customers. Amazon will use this knowledge on their website to inform other customers about the size. Very smart!
I love how Headspace keeps their survey mail clean and simple with a focussed call to action button. They also tell why they need your feedback and reassure that the survey is super-short.
Azendoo goes even further and asks customers to answer a question directly in the email. I’m pretty sure you end up on a longer survey form though. But even if you don’t fill out the entire form they still know – based on your click – whether or not you’d recommend Azendoo.
4. Referral email
Clients bringing in referrals in exchange for a small gift. That is basically the idea behind a referral program. And when executed properly, it works. Just like in all emails the advantage must be crystal clear. What will the customer receive if they bring in a new referral? And is there any advantage for the referral? These examples do it right so watch and learn.
If you refer Bombas to people you know and they make a purchase, you get free socks. That’s awesome. The advantage is clear and I love their no-nonsense approach.
Airbnb gives away free travel credit if your friends book their frist trip.
Their referral email is short, to the point and has a focussed call to action button. 10/10.
Treehouse offers reductions and even a free account if your bring your friends along.
Your friends also get 50% off. The advantage of the referral goes both ways.
5. Win-back email
New subscribers are the most engaged with your brand. That is one of the reasons why welcome mails are so important. But what happens when they become less engaged and eventually stop interacting with your brand? Taken into account that it’s 5 times more expensive to acquire new customer than to retain an existing one, you will need to think about win-back email campaigns. This type of automated email campaigns are triggered based on inactivity. For example, when someone hasn’t openend your emails 5 times in a row, it might be time to send them an irresistible offer. After all, sometimes we just need that extra push…
The Bakerista offers 25% off when you place an order. A simple and easy tactic that works.
JetBlue does an amazing job at framing the message as a love relationship. Funny and accurate. This email doesn’t really has an offer but it highlights the advantages of being part of the JetBlue-family. I think this email is sent specifically to the most disengaged subscribers. They want to know if you are still interested or not. That’s why they offer 3 options: Yes, Change email preferences or Unsubscribe.
Armed with inspiration and tips on which automated emails you should send, you should now have a look at how you can do the same for your business.
All examples come from our main source of email inspiration reallygoodemails.com