October 22, 2021

Hi.

Last week, I was sitting across from a friend as she told me a story. It was about mushy fall leaves and her toddler’s unsteady feet. She was nearing the end when I caught myself thinking, “I wonder if those vitamins shipped yet?”

Not my greatest moment of friendship. 😬

I was distracted. I recently pieced together that giving my son *four* gummy vitamins a day (as one brand recommends) might not be the soundest nutritional decision. So I researched alternatives, consulted friends, read reviews, and ordered a new, unfamiliar-to-me brand of chewable vitamins. I was pretty proud of myself at that moment.

But at this moment, I was ignoring my friend as I worried about my order status. 

I think I received a confirmation?

Did it ever ship?

What’s the turnaround time here?

I wasn't sure. The new brand never told me.

* * * *

As marketers, we spend so much of our day laser-focused on the conversion that it’s easy for us to count the “win” too soon. 

Maybe if you’re selling airplanes or fancy yachts, a single sale is all you need. I don’t know. (Do people have more than one yacht?)

But, for most of us, our objective is grander than a one-time thing. It is to nurture a relationship and keep a customer coming back to use more products more often. That’s the win, and it takes communication. 

Sending emails post-sale gives customers valuable information (like where their order is) and keeps the nurture stream going. It shows them they’re worth more than the amount in their last shopping cart. 

Here are just a few of my favorite post-sale email conversation starters. (Believe me, I have so many more!)

👋 The Welcome Email 

There is a romance to a good Welcome email. You’re sending this when the relationship is fresh, everyone is excited, and you can confidently expect a 91.43% open rate (truth). Wowza!

A good Welcome email:

• Opens with a warm greeting to make me feel valued. 
• Introduces the brand in mission, tone, and style.
• Sets expectations for future communication. 
• Teases content paths for me to follow or not. 

It is friendly, unassuming, and seizes the moment where a customer is excited to hear from you. 

Oh. Mess this up and you significantly decrease the chances they will open your next email. 😱

Casper Mattress sends a Welcome email that lulls me into their fandom. It:  

• Opens with a warm greeting filled with soothing, sleepy language.  
• Introduces the brand in mission, tone, and a night-inspired visual style.
• Sets expectations for our relationship.
• Teases CTAs that allow me to learn more or access additional information.

Look at this beaut! Aren’t you ready for a nap?

🚚 The Post-Purchase Confirmation Series 

To move me from a one-time customer to a loyal fan, my post-purchase moments must be as warm and gooey as my original path to conversion. Keep the conversation going with emails that inform and build anticipation.

• The Purchase Confirmation assures me you received my order.  
• The Order Preparation Email tells me you’re working on it right now. 
• The Shipping Confirmation builds excitement.  
• The Out For Delivery Notice celebrates our special day! 
• The Delivery Confirmation notifies me my order has been delivered (and, I hope, thanks me for being a customer). 

These emails keep customers in the know. Their recipients are definitely not ignoring friends’ stories over dinner.  

📙 The Educational Series 

If the Welcome email is a love letter, the Educational Series is a full-on telenovela. Informational emails make the customer story more intimate and accessible by going deep into the parts of the experience that truly matter to them. They nurture customers with news they can use.

• The Tips & Hacks Email shows me how to use the product, advanced techniques and connects me to others.  
• The Maintenance Email protects my investment by reminding me when to change a filter, replenish supplies, order new parts, or contact you for service. They are great opportunities for useful upsells.
• The Tutorial Email keeps me smart by walking me through a process or pairing me with the right piece of written, visual, or audio content. It's the perfect place to drop your favorite pieces.

These emails are all about encouraging customers to continue using your product, maybe even letting them in on new uses they hadn’t considered or helping them to feel part of a shared experience. 

* * * *

Hiya recently sent me a Taking Vitamins 101 email offering two simple vitamin rules to follow. (If you think about it, it’s the same rule.) 

See below how they also add a wink and a nod reference to that *other* company that requires kids to take *four* gummies each day? Yeah, they know who their biggest competitor is, and they know that I know. And now I know that they know I know. 🤔 You get it.

I feel seen, and my choice is validated.

🌹 The Re-Engagement Series  

Send a re-engagement or win-back email to inactive customers to get them interacting with your emails and brand again. These often include an incentive to encourage customers to come back and make another purchase.  

These emails look like this:

• VIP offers that give me a loyalty discount or a sweet bundle.
• Free shipping because who doesn’t love free shipping.
• Guilt trips. See below.

Also, consider sending inactive customers a note allowing them to unsubscribe from email updates easily. I know, sacrilege. But if someone isn't interested, I’d rather help them find the door than leave them dying on my email list. 

😍 The Thank You Email 

We don’t say thank you enough. In general to one another, and also to our customers. There are so many opportunities to offer a “hey, I see you” to a customer not only to increase loyalty (though that’s nice) but to recognize how important they are to you. 

Send thank-yous when:

• They make a purchase
• They attend an event (online or virtual)
• They reach a milestone (years of being a customer, # of rides on a bike)
• The company has reached a milestone
• It is their birthday
• It is the company’s birthday 
• There is no reason at all

After my first order, I received a Thank You email from Love Wellness (do I take too many vitamins??). It’s simple, personal, and makes me feel good.

🚨 Woah, Lisa, that’s a LOT of communication.

Is it, though?

Two reasons I think it's not:

1. Each of the email types above can be automated and sent at the right moment. Build it once, deploy it, and continue to delight and nurture customers. Bake relationship-building directly into your sales process.
2. You can give customers the ability to opt in or out of what they want. Let them dictate their commitment level and how many emails they’ll tolerate. Don’t assume. 

Automating post-sale emails is an opportunity to nurture customers, inspire new purchasing behaviors, and ensure they come back.

Your relationship with a customer doesn’t end at the first transaction. It’s just begun. 

Thanks for reading. I'll be back in two weeks.

October 26: Core Web Vitals: What You Need to Know [webinar]

Two of my favorites from Overit's digital team will help you understand the ins and out of Google's Core Web Vitals. What does it mean, how will it impact your site, and what do you need to do today? They'll tell you in next week's webinar. 

November 4: Healthcare Recruitment & Retention in the Mass Resignation Age [webinar]

Employment in the healthcare industry has been down 524,000 jobs since February 2020. Nursing and residential care facilities represent about four-fifths of the losses. A bold strategy and no-nonsense approach are needed to help us recover. Join us for this webinar as we combat it together.

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