5 Types of Marketing Emails to Send Your Customers This Year

If you’re looking for ways to stay in touch, be visible, and get personal with your customers in the year ahead, email remains at the top of the list for marketing mediums of choice in 2021.

Even before the monumental changes of the last year, email marketing has historically been a great way to deliver highly-targeted messaging. With email (as opposed to social media, for example), you get to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing your audience, accessing your own data, and doing things your way.

Your customers’ inboxes remain a great place to nurture relationships and build your brand in the year ahead. Strategic email campaigns can also drive direct traffic to your website, and increase your customer lifetime value (CLV) by keeping your audience active and engaged for the long term.

If you’re ready to reach your customers with the right messages to grow your business in 2021, we’re here to help you spiff up your email strategy in the New Year.

Type #1 — What’s New

In a season of change, it’s a good idea to keep your customers informed of developments within your business. Whether you’re scaling down your catalog or partnering with a new shipping company, think about the ways in which your customers will be affected by your changes. Then, communicate those shifts so your customers can know what to expect on their next order.

If you’re launching a new product, for example, you can dedicate an email entirely to educating your customers about its advantages, features and delivery expectations. Include reviews (if you have them) and clear instructions for following through with an order or purchase.

Type #2 — Segmented & Personalized Messages

As a general rule of thumb, highly personalized messages will have higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates (percentage of the time a customer takes action) than a one-size-fits-all marketing email. This is because personalized emails are more likely to stand out as relevant and interesting than a customer-wide newsletter.

If you offer products for multiple industries, for example, consider segmenting your mailing list by interest. That way, a customer in the automotive industry won’t receive an email about medical supplies or construction equipment.

In turn, your customers are more likely to stay engaged and interested in what you’re sending. You’ll also be able to dive deep into your topic/industry of choice, rather than lightly skimming over ALL your offerings in one email.

Keeping your lists segmented and your emails targeted helps your customers to feel like your communication is intentional, relevant, and exclusively catered to them -- which is what building customer relationships is all about.

Type #3 — Re-Engagement Emails

As people’s lives have adjusted and changed over the past 12 months, 2021 is a great time to get back in touch with those customers who have fallen off your regular roster.

If you have a list of “inactive” or unengaged customers who haven’t placed an order with your business for six months or more, consider reaching out to reestablish contact. This kind of brand awareness can also simply serve to remind your customers that you’re still here, still operating, and still providing the level of care they can expect from your business.

But what if my inactive customers unsubscribe from my emails?

It’s a common question...the good news is that you’ll have a cleaner list for future email delivery. If your messages are truly going out to the people who value and support your business, then your email engagement rates will also inherently improve.

Type #4 — Brand Story Emails

A major theme of the past 12 months has been virtual connection.

Many of your customers are now accustomed to maintaining relationships online, which means email can be a great place to share your business’s unique stories.

Consider storytelling as a means for building an emotional bond with your customers. You can include written stories, photo galleries or videos that showcase your business’s culture or competitive edge -- essentially, communicating what makes your business special and different.

These emails should help convey your brand personality, and also how you uniquely help solve your customers’ pain points (AKA, fast turnaround times, highly-personalized care, top-quality products, 24/7 customer service, etc.)

Type #5 — Review or Referral Request Emails

As customers spend more time online researching their purchase options, word-of-mouth referrals continue to be a powerful method for setting your business apart from the rest.

You can encourage these kinds of referrals with emails that link directly to your website’s product pages or review sites (like your Google or Yelp page).

A good format for these types of emails could look something like this:

1. Thank your customers for choosing your business
2. Explain why you’re asking for reviews (for example, to help other people make more informed decisions about their purchases)
3. Link to your website, Google, or other relevant review site
4. Offer information about your customer referral program, too (if you have one)
5. End with your final words of thanks

Up Your Email Marketing Game in 2021 (and beyond!)

If you’re ready to get started with email marketing but you aren’t quite sure where to begin (or you're busy and don't have time to learn it all), we can help. From setup to execution, our Harvest Media team can assist with the technology, design, tracking and management necessary to run a successful email marketing program.

And another thing to remember...you don’t have to have a huge list of contacts for your marketing emails to be successful. The key to email success is sending relevant emails that resonate with your customers and help solidify their relationship with your brand.

If you’re interested in getting started, our Harvest Media team is available to walk you through the possibilities. Our clients are already making a great New Year impression via email marketing in 2021, and seeing results from branded, strategic email campaigns.

We’d love to help you, too!

We’re proud of our background and certification in Mailchimp marketing, and can help you choose the right designs, messages and list segmentation to help you reach your big business goals in the year ahead.