Winning a customer’s loyalty can be a challenging task more so via email. This is because bonding over an email is naturally unrealistic.
You need to learn the tricks of retaining a customer through the use of email. As much as it is a hard method of achieving a connection, email has been proven to be a highly effective channel for brands in retail, travel and financial services.
A repeat customer is a direct translation to an increase in the money that you make. The good thing about writing emails directly to customers is that it allows you to have total control over what content you wish to share. It is then easy for you to personalize and customize them.
Below are tips on how to build loyalty with customers via email.
1. Know your target
It is wrong and highly ineffective to just send out random emails. Email is a personal and intimate way of communicating with your customers. The emails should not sound like a product promotion. As much as you may have an extensive database, you can personalize it by automating personal messages. Thanks to this feature on your email, it helps you in the segmentation of your email subscribers. This function divides by location, gender, purchase history and many more. All you have to do is streamline it according to your target at the time.
2. Increase customer loyalty
Be it current or repeat customers, they all deserve special attention. Try and learn the loyalty drivers for your customers. Email marketing is a fantastic way for enhancing the impact of loyalty schemes and reward points initiatives. By making customer loyalty a priority, it may change the way you look at your regular newsletter too.
3. Use positive language
Language can affect the emotional state of anybody. You have to be sensitive especially when dealing with customers. Always keep the communication positive. You can also try and use positive affirmations where appropriate. People are responsive when you use a positive language that sounds personal. It is usually a two-way street. Treat others the way that you would like to be treated.
4. Tell a story
For you to build a good brand, then you have to work on your story. You can use Sigmaessays to know how to compose good stories. The story should focus more on your customers. An observation made concluded that people do love a good story. Telling your brand story is a way of reminding your customers that you are still relevant. Take the time to remind customers of how they came to love your brand through the email.
You can create a story that revolves around your customer’s loyalty rewards. This is also a sure way of incorporating a personalized relationship with the customers. Whichever story that you wish to tell, make a point of making it easy to share by integrating links to social media platforms.
5. Client testimonials
This is like having a referee on a resume. Testimonials are a great way of convincing new prospects and your repeat customers that your business is of value. They may be in the form of quotes, taglines or video testimonials. You should consider it an achievement when customers say good things about your business. Once this is known, you can expect to attract new prospects.
6. Keep in touch
You should take time in knowing your customers. With email, it is essential to keep in touch regularly. Thankfully, in this digital era, staying in touch does not have to be hard. You can use emails to collect customer feedback, to say thank you, to promote a new service or engage with your customers in so many other ways. You can make it a habit of sending an email monthly to remain relevant. You can create an email calendar with the necessary reminders concerning your customers. You can also save their birthdays and anniversaries and take the time to wish them well.
7. Proofread
Before pushing that send button, go through your email to check for spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Sending an email full of mistakes may come off as unprofessional. Some customers are hang up on small details. These errors can be an irritation to them. You can have someone monitor the quality of your emails. If this is not possible, try to use a spell checker to do that for you.
8. Be committed
If for some reason you had promised to respond to an email at a later time, keep that promise. You may find that the email in question was an important matter to the customer. By failing to respond on time or entirely, you can make them feel like they are not relevant to you and look for other options where they will feel appreciated. This is an easy way to winning your customer’s trust. You will end up coming out as trustworthy, and this is an important trait when running a business.
9. Use email marketing software
There are great tools for managing your marketing emails. You can start with a product like MailChimp. The advantage of using MailChimp is that it gives you a free subscription for a while to learn the basics and see if you are compatible with the tool. Other tools that you may use include CRM and LikeField Pulse.
Once you’ve settled on a tool that works for you, then managing your emails becomes a walk in the park. Always ensure that you have the latest update information in your email marketing tool before sending any emails. These tools are vital in helping you keep track of all your emails and lists. Some of these tools may have a unique quality that differs from the other, so, if you are detail oriented, you will want to learn more about the different unique features.
10. Up to date data
By failing to keep your data current, you may end up breaking the law without knowing it. There is a stringent law that protects consumers from unwanted emails? The bill implementation was in 2003. This law states the basic regulations for sending emails to consumers. Once you break this ACT, the consequences are expensive. The fines and the penalties are stiff.
Some of the rules to follow include:
- Don’t lie or be deceptive in the subject line
- Always identify yourself in the email
- Honor unsubscribe requests and opt-outs on time.
By staying up to date, you will also be in a position to know who should receive your email. The more current and relevant information you can keep in your customer database, the better position you will be in to send the right email to the right people.
Richard Nolan is a professional educator and team building coach, sharing his experience in spheres of writing, blogging, entrepreneurship, and psychology. Richard writes for numerous blogs and gives useful tips for bloggers and students.
