Welcome new subscribers with an email, or send a whole series.
A lot of folks automatically welcome new subscribers with a copy of their latest newsletter or a thank-you coupon. It’s a great idea – after all, your readers are most interested in what you have to say in the moments right after they join your list.
Consider creating a series of emails that sends in succession, on the schedule you choose. Think of the content you’ve got that fits nicely in a short, regular format, and turn it into a whole welcome pack. Boutique, salon and spa owners might try a series of weekly style tips, while non-profits and schools might consider a group of campaigns showcasing their best case studies or student success stories. Whatever you choose for your welcome messages, you’ll be building trust with your recipients from the start, making them more likely to look forward to your messages down the road.
Congratulate people on their big day, or follow up after your big event.
You could automatically send an email on someone’s birthday – a great way to stay in touch with your customers on a more personal level! You can also automate pre-event reminders or post-event follow-ups.
For example, let’s say you regularly offer seminars or classes. As long as you’re storing the date each subscriber is registered for a class, you can also trigger a reminder email a few days ahead of time. Whether Joe is registered for your financial planning seminar next week or next month, he’ll get a reminder about it exactly three days ahead of time.
You can also trigger an email after an event. If you know the date Joe came to your book-reading, you can automatically have an email arrive in his inbox two days afterwards, with a link to purchase your book.
Send follow-up information based on what people click.
When you’re paying attention to the links people click in your campaigns, you’re learning a lot about your subscribers. After all, every click you see on your response page gives you a fair amount of insight into what someone finds interesting. Triggers let you follow up accordingly – and automatically – by sending more information that same someone might also like. It’s the perfect way to show your customers products similar to the one they clicked on earlier.
For example, follow up with the people who click to see your latest office chair by triggering an email with that chair’s must-have accessories. If you’re in a specialized industry like technology or healthcare, try sending your recipients a whitepaper or report that corresponds with the service or product they first clicked to learn more about.