Transactional emails
The other major opportunity that's often forgotten is the receipt or order confirmation message. While it is true that CAN-SPAM prevents these emails from being full-blown marketing messages, there can be some promotional aspects to them.
Some of the best examples of these messages usually come from the travel industry. It is a common occurrence to receive an email from an airline confirming a flight purchase, which provides links to rent a car, find a hotel or any number of other options.
These companies are always looking for opportunities to up-sell their customers. They have realized the importance of the order confirmation message and have used this to their advantage.
So what is the right amount of marketing in one of these messages? I usually suggest to my clients that if they lead with the transactional message and then add 30 to 40 percent of marketing messages, they should be OK. That way the main reason for the message is still intact, from the customer perspective. On a personal note, I appreciate these types of messages when they're done properly.
Let's consider these two message types in the offline space for a minute. I will use an example that happened to me just last week, when I took my truck in for some transmission work. When I went to the local shop that was referred to me, I not only received great customer service, but I was told by the shop workers exactly what to expect.
Now if the shop's "welcome message" also included an upsell, I might have known that I could have also had my oil changed while my car was there, which is something I needed done. Furthermore, if someone had also offered me a discount on that oil change as a first-time customer, there would have been no question that I would have taken the shop up on that offer, right there on the spot.
When I was paying for the work that had been done, the shop had another opportunity to get repeat business from me. If on the receipt it was explained to me that if I brought in another car for any work within one month I would get a 10 percent discount, there is a good chance I would have brought in my wife's car sooner, rather than later, if it needed some work.
So remember: Email is a lot like life. When you have someone engaged -- even if it's only for a short time -- you need to take advantage of it. Don't waste any opportunity to reach out to your customers and explain your worth at every chance you have. Good luck and happy sending.
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Spencer Kollas is director, delivery services for StrongMail Systems. Read full bio.