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The 9 Emails Your Business Should Be Sending

The 9 Emails Your Business Should Be Sending | VerticalResponse Blog

If you want take your to aemail marketingnew level, we’ve put together nine emailsyour business should send on a regularbasis. We’ll tell you the purpose of eachemail and the type of businesses that canbenefit from it. We’ll also tell you, on ascale of 1 to 5, the difficulty level for eachemail. The closer the number is to 5, themore effort it takes. Plus, we give you threetips to create each email.

1. Promotional Email

Purpose: To promote a product or service, usually to entice customers to make a purchase. Every business.Business that would benefit:

1. Promotional emails are short and sweet. You might want to create a special graphic,Difficulty level:otherwise, it’s not a time consuming process.

Three tips to create a Promotional Email:

Make the offer clear – Your customers may not take the time to read your email, but if you havea clear offer that’s front-and-center, they can’t neglect it, says marketer Anthony Kirlew with AKA

. In the promotional email below, there is no question what the deal is.Internet MarketingCreate a sense of urgency – Give customers a reason to act

quickly, rather than let the email sit in their inbox. Create a sense ofurgency with your promotion. In the example above, the dates of thepromotion are apparent. Use active language, too. For instance,“Shop now.”

Keep it short – Promotional emails don’t require a lot ofexplanation. State the deal, tell customers how to redeem it andwhen the deal expires. No need for a lot of flowery words. Take alook at the example below. In less than 45 words, the retailer sumsup the deal.

2. New Inventory Email

Purpose: To let yourcustomers know about newitems. It falls under thepromotional email umbrella.You’re updating customers,but also hoping for a sale.Business that would

Any business canbenefit:tell customers about a newitem in stock. Fashion and

retail businesses may get the most bang for their buck.

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retail businesses may get the most bang for their buck. 2. Time is spent taking a good picture of the new product, but it doesn’t require a lot ofDifficulty level:

text.

Three tips to create a New Inventory Email:

Send the email out as soon as the item arrives – As soon as you have the inventory instock, create the email and hit send. This shows you’re on top of new trends and want yourcustomers to have the latest, greatest items available.

Take a killer picture – You don’t have to get artsy, but you do need to showcase your new item.In fact, these types of emails are more about the photo than text. Take the email below, for example.It’s all about the picture. In just 17 words, Coach gets its point across.

Convey the point in your subject line You know cansubject linesdetermine whether or not your customer opens your email, and this emailis no different. Be sure to tell your customers that you’ve got somethingnew and fun for them to check out. Redbox does this with a simplesubject line, “This week’s new releases,” in the example below.

3.  Newsletter Email

Purpose: To inform customers aboutcompany news, improve brandawareness and build a relationship withyour core audience.

EveryBusiness that would benefit:business.

3. It takes a bit of timeDifficulty level:to create a solid newsletter, but it’s avaluable marketing tool.

Three tips to create a Newsletter Email:

A newsletter doesn’t mean long format Break the copy in your newsletter into short,digestible and actionable sections of content, copy, images and calls to action.

Create an easy-on-the-eyes design Think of your newsletter like a mini-newspaper. You wantclear lines and divisions between your content. Take a look at the example below. See how clean itlooks? You want a simple layout with basic fonts. Don’t go crazy with the color scheme, either.

Include your contact information in the newsletter You alwayswant your contact information in an easy-to-find area on the newsletter.The purpose of your newsletter isn’t necessarily to sell, but if yourcustomers are inspired to reach out to you because of the newsletter, youwant them to be able to find you, Kirlew says. Note the contact buttons onthe newsletter below.

Tips for newsletter content

1. The content should beuseful to readers Every piece

of information included in your

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of information included in yournewsletter should have value.You want your customers tolearn something about yourbusiness and come to rely onyou for industry information.

2. Send your newsletter on aconsistent basis You wantyour customers to look forwardto your newsletter. To do that,you have to be consistent. Senda newsletter on the last day ofthe month, or on the 15th of each

month. Whatever you decide, stick to it.

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4. Welcome Email

Purpose: To welcome new email subscribers to the family and establish a good relationship. Every business.Business that would benefit:

2. Creating the email doesn’t take long, but you need to know when a new customer signsDifficulty level:up.

Three tips to create a Welcome Email:

Write in a conversational tone A Welcome Email is like a virtual handshake that accepts anew member to your group. It should be inviting and warm. Show the personal side of your business,says Noah Parsons, a marketer with . Take a look at the email below. The letterPalo Alto Softwareformat feels welcoming and it has a nice tone.

Consider offering a reward In celebration of a newcustomer, you could offer a discount or some sort of perk. Youcould offer 15 percent off the next purchase like REI did in theexample above, or offer another perk like free shipping.

Remind new users about the benefits Thank your newcustomers for signing up and reinforce their decision to join.Tell readers what they’ll get out of this new partnership. Theemail below does exactly that.

5. ProductAdvice Email

Purpose: Tooffer yourcustomers

advice on how to

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advice on how toget the mostfrom yourbusiness orproduct. At thesame time, youestablish yourauthority in theindustry.Business thatwould benefit:Every business.Difficulty level:

3. This kind of email is has more information, so your time will go toward writing and proofreading.

Three tips to create a Product Advice Email:

Create valuable content – The key to this kind of email is to offer tips that your customers wantto read. Help solve problems they may have or obstacles they may need to overcome. Or, offer tips tohelp your customers use and maintain your product or service. If you sell cameras, send an email thatteaches customers how to use certain features. If you sell bathroom fixtures, include installation tips.Whatever your business is, create an email that gives your customers a helping hand. ,Swap Couturea website where members swap designer purses, sends emails to its customers about how to carefor designer bags. Take a look at the example below.

Proofread – No matter what email you send, you should proofread itseveral times. Read it from the bottom up so your brain isn’t reading wordsthat aren’t there. Then, have someone else read it. Take it through anerror-check process before sending. Nothing cuts your credibility likemisspellings and grammatical errors.

Focus on customer service – Emails that offer product tips shouldalso showcase your commitment to customer service. Emails like this tellcustomers, “We’re here for you.” Follow through with that message byadding contact information to the email. The email below, for example,offers tips to wear a certain piece of clothing, but you’ll also notice there isa “contact us” option in the top right corner.

6. Educational Email

Purpose: To provide customerswith industry knowledge that’sconnected to your business orproduct. It helps buildrelationships and trust betweenyour business and yourcustomers.Business that would benefit:Every business.

3. It takes timeDifficulty level:to brainstorm ideas and to create a sharp email.

Three tips to create an Educational Email:

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Three tips to create an Educational Email:

 Offer relevant content – When you send an educational email, you’re trying to build arelationship with your customers. The best way to do that is to teach them something. However, youwant to teach them something that has a connection to your business. For instance, Monster.com,the job search site, sends its customers information about life in the workplace. An example is below.

Consider offering bite-sized information – Take acue from the Monster.com email above and write bite-sizedpieces of information in the article; let your customers decideif they want to read more. The “Read more” link takes yourcustomer to your blog for the full article. It’s a great way toengage with customers via email and boost blog traffic.

Add a mini-promotion – You can add a promotionalelement to this kind of email, but it shouldn’t be the mainattraction. For example, Lumosity, the brain game site, offersan educational article as the main feature, but notice apromotion on the right side for a family membership. It’ssubtle and simple.

7. Reorder Email

Purpose: To remindcustomers that it’s timeto reorder a certainproduct.Business that would

Any businessbenefit:that sells products orservices needed on aregular basis.Examples include

products like printer cartridges, contacts, pet medications and vitamins. 3. Basic text and images are needed.Difficulty level:

Three tips to create a Reorder Email:

Clear call to action – The purpose of a reorder email is to encourage your customers toreplenish your product or perhaps renew a subscription for a service. You want to make the buyingprocess as simple as possible. To do so, create a simple, easy-to-find button that says, “Reordernow.” For instance, in the example below, customers can reorder pet medication from Pet Wellbeing.

Remind customers of the value – In the email, tellyour customers why reordering is a good idea. Maybe it’sto keep vital pet medications on hand, or to avoid thehassle of running out of toner at the office. You could alsooffer a discount to those who reorder within a certain timeframe.

Mention past purchases – If you want, you canmention in the email what your customer purchased in thepast, so they can reorder the same thing. The pet supplystore below does this for its customers. It’s a nice

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store below does this for its customers. It’s a niceaddition to the email, but you can send it without thisinformation.

8. Testimonial Email

Purpose: To reinforcehow valuable yourbusiness or product isthrough customerfeedback.Business that would

Every business.benefit: 4. It takesDifficulty level:

a bit of time to collecttestimonials. You may

need to be persistent to get customers to give them to you.

Three tips to create a Testimonial Email:

Create a sleek design – are important with testimonial emails. You wantEmail design elementssomething that’s eye-catching and easy to read. Take a look at the example below. This retailer puttogether four quotes from happy customers and highlighted the product, too. It’s a win-win. Both theaccolades and the products are showcased well in this simple design.

Include an image – If you sell tangible items like clothing, usingpictures of shirts and dresses makes sense. But that doesn’t work for everybusiness. Take a medical clinic, for example, or a sanitation company. Whatimage do you use in these cases? If you need , ask thea powerful imagecustomer who gave the testimonial for a picture. Take a look at the examplebelow. The customer’s picture is what makes the email work.

Offer more information– A testimonial is great, butyou should offer yourcustomers a next step. Forexample, in the email above,customers can read moretestimonials by clicking onthe text. You could offer a linkfor others to leave feedback,or a link to other upliftingcompany news.

 

9. Survey Email

Purpose: To collect helpful information you can use to improve the customer experience. Any business looking to better itself.Businesses that would benefit:

4. You’ll have to spend time creating the survey and writing an email with a link to theDifficulty level:survey.

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Three tips to create a Survey Email:

Explain what’s in it for them – If you want a customer to take the time to fill out a survey, youneed to give them a reason. In the example below from , participants are entered toSoftware Advicewin an iPad.

Address the purpose of the survey –Besides an incentive to fill out the survey, youshould tell your customers why you want theinformation. Whether you’re trying to improve yourbusiness or conducting product research, which isthe case in the example above, let your customersknow .the purpose of the survey

Make the survey easy to access – Thereshould be an obvious, clickable link to the survey.Take a look at the example below. Notice the linksto the survey are clear buttons on the left and alsoin red text at the bottom of the email.

Two tips to create auseful surveyBefore you send theemail out, you’ll need tocreate the survey. Tohelp you create a usefulsurvey, here are a fewtips:

1. Ask the rightquestionsMake sure the

questions you ask will yield helpful results, says, Victoria Garment with Software Advice. Stay on topic andreword questions, if necessary, to make sure they are understandable.

2. Keep it shortIf a customer gets bored with your survey, they’ll stop filling it out. Aim for a five-minute survey to ensurecustomers make it to the end, suggests Garment.

We hope this guide catapults your email marketing to new heights. As always, you can depend on to be your one-stop-shop for marketing products and information.VerticalResponse

This guide written by Lisa Furgison for . VerticalResponse Furgison is a media maven with ten years of This guide edited and produced in fulljournalism experience and a passion for creating top-notch content.

by VerticalResponse.

© 2014 – 2016, . All rights reserved.Lisa Furgison

Lisa Furgison is a contributing author.

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