7 Types Of Emails You Should Be Sending

In the creative industry a huge percentage of business comes from past clients. This is why it’s so important to build great client relationships. One of the easiest and most cost effective ways of doing this is to use email marketing. So here are seven types of emails you should be sending to your clients to build strong customer relationships.

 

THE PROMOTIONAL EMAIL

This is an obvious one but equally one of the most important to mention. The purpose of a promotional email is, of course, to promote your product or service but also to entice a customer to make a purchase. The three top tips for a great promotional email are;

1. Make your offer clear. The general public tend to not spend too much time reading an email, especially a promotional one, so make sure that your offer is clear and hard to ignore.
2. Create a sense of urgency. You want your customers to act quickly so make sure that the dates your promotion is valid are obvious and that you use active language such as “Shop Now!”
3. Keep it short. Promotional emails are designed to grab your customer’s attention and to make them purchase your product or service quickly, therefore very little text is required. All you really need to do is state the deal, tell customers how to redeem your offer and when the promotion expires.

 

THE NEW INVENTORY EMAIL

I know that this type of email might seem irrelevant for a photographer as your “inventory” probably changes only very rarely. However, if you are offering a new product or service to your customers, make sure they know about it! When it comes to telling your customers about new inventory or services, make sure you send the email as soon as it is available. This shows that you are on top of your business and that you want your customers to have the latest and greatest items you have to offer. Also be sure to convey the point of the email in your subject line. Your subject line is an extremely important area as it determines whether or not your customer will open the email. So make sure you tell you customers you’ve got something new and worth taking a look at.

 

THE NEWSLETTER

A newsletter is of course a way of sharing company news, but it’s also a great way of improving brand awareness and building a relationship with your core audience. Make sure that you:

1. Create a simple design. Think of your newsletter like a mini-newspaper. You want clear lines and divisions between your content. The simpler the layout, fonts and colour scheme the better.
2. Include your contact information. This is so often forgotten and yet such a vital part of email marketing. The purpose isn’t necessarily to sell but if your customers are inspired to reach out to you, either for more information or to book your services, then you want them to be able to find you quickly and easily.
3. Include useful content. The only reason a customer would read your newsletter is to find out useful content. Every piece of information you include should have value. You want your customers to learn something new about your business every time they receive a newsletter.
4. Show consistency. When you work in a creative industry chances are you are busier at certain times of the year than others. It’s better to send a useful and valuable newsletter once a month than a half-hearted one every week. However often you write a newsletter, try to be consistent. Some people like to send their newsletter out on the 15th of every month, while others choose the last day of each month. Whatever works for you!

 

A WELCOME EMAIL

The purpose of a welcome email is to welcome new clients and email subscribers to your business and establish a good relationship with them. When creating a welcome email;

1. Write in a conversational tone. You want to sound inviting and warm to your customer, so feel free to show a personal side to your business.
2. Consider offering a gift. You could celebrate a new customer by offering them a discount or some sort of business perk. For example you could offer 15% off their next booking or perhaps free shipping?
3. Remind new clients about the benefits of your company. Tell your client what they will get out of their new partnership with you, for example exclusive offers and discounts.

 

AN EDUCATIONAL EMAIL

The purpose of this email is to provide customers with industry knowledge that’s connected to your business or products. This helps build relationships and trust between your business and customers as well as establishing you as an expert in your field. The important thing to remember when writing an educational email is to offer relevant content. The aim is to teach your customers something that has a connection to your business, for example if you are a wedding photographer, send information about what bride’s should ask their wedding photographer.

Consider offering bite-sized information rather than an essay. Let your customer decide if they will read more. You can easily add a “read more” link to an email that when clicked takes your customer to your blog for the full article. This is a great way to engage with your customers and to boost your blog traffic.

P.S: Try to add a mini-promotion. It shouldn’t be the main attraction but instead subtle and simple.

Click here to find out more on how to educate your clients.

 

THE TESTIMONIAL EMAIL

A testimonial email is a great way of reinforcing how valuable your business or product is through customer feedback. When it comes to designing a testimonial email you want something that is eye-catching but easy to read. You also want to include an image of the product mentioned or perhaps the people talking. Equally, try to offer your customer a “next step” by inviting them to read more testimonials by clicking a link. You could offer a link for others to leave feedback or alternatively, link to other uplifting company news.

 

THE SURVEY EMAIL

When you run your own business you always need to learn and adapt to what your customers are saying. One of the best ways to find out what your customers are actually thinking is to ask them directly and this is where a survey email comes in.

Make sure you explain to your customers why they should fill in the information. One way of using the survey email is as a way of customers to leave a testimonial and feedback directly after working with you. This gives them a chance to answer all your questions while the experience is still fresh in their mind.

Also be sure to address the purpose of your survey. No one likes to hand over information without knowing what it’s going to be used for, so make sure you tell clients why you want the information. Are you trying to improve your business or are you conducting product research?

P.S: Make sure you ask your customers questions that will yield helpful answers. Stay on topic and make your questions understandable. Also keep it short and aim for it to take no longer than five minutes.

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How do you use email marketing for your business?