B2B Email Email Marketing Strategy Retail Email Social Media Marketing by Scott Hardigree December 18, 2017
How to Use Transactional Emails to Optimize Reviews and Gain Followers
Figuring out the right call to action in transactional emails can be tricky.
Getting it right is all about getting inside the minds and behaviors of your customers.
Previously we went inside the mind of holiday shoppers. Today we’re going inside the heads and actions of your customers and specifically when it’s a good time to ask them for reviews and follows.
Reviews help other customers make the best purchasing decision and can also improve your conversions. Social media is also an important element in customer loyalty as well as SEO.
In this post we’ll go over how you can use transactional emails to get the best response for these important business objectives.
Getting New Reviews is All About Timing
Let me know if you’ve had this experience…
You purchase a product an in a day or so the item ships out. A couple of days after that you get an email asking you for a review, but you don’t even have the product yet. It can be frustrating for the customer and missed opportunity for the marketer.
You simply have figure out the best time is to send out a request for a review. First ask the question “How long did it take for the customer to determine if they liked our item?” then you should test your theory against their actual behavior. I know, it sounds simple but it’s often overlooked.
Getting New Followers is All About Validation
Your basic transaction email includes the order information along with tracking information and other items your customer wants about the item they just purchased. It seems like many companies leave the transaction email with only this information, but there is a real opportunity here.
Your customers likely get their transactional email and they are left with no call to action. They simply save the email in their inbox until they receive the item at their doorstep. There might be a 10% off promotion on the next order, but most people tend to want to get their first item before they make another purchase.
Most transactional email is boring but it doesn’t have to be. Just read our tips to improve transactional email. The transaction email is also the perfect time to ask the customer to follow you on social media.
Right after someone purchases from you they are in a mindset of validating that purchase decision to themselves. One way to validate their commitment is to follow you on social media.
The new buyer also wants to validate it in front of their friends. If someone purchases from an online retailer they want to get other people on board with the decision because if they can convince others that this company is awesome it allows the buyer to feel more validated about the decision.
It’s natural for a recent buyer to want to like you on Facebook because it allows them to establish their commitment to you to themselves and to their friends.
This is called Post-Purchase Rationalization:
Many purchasing decisions are made emotionally, based on factors such as brand-loyalty and advertising, and so are often rationalized retrospectively in an attempt to justify the choice.
In order to stay consistent with their purchase a customer is willing to do things such as like a company on Facebook to validate the purchase.
Transactional Email Optimization, In Conclusion
Calls to action can be tricky sometimes.
Figuring out the proper time to ask your customers for a review can make all the difference in getting the most relevant reviews. Do this right and you could see your conversion increase. You’ll also get some valuable feedback about your offerings which and could (should) lead to some improvements.
It turns out that the transaction email is likely the perfect place to ask for a social media follow or like. Your customer is primed to validate the purchase by showing love for your company. Build your social media status by asking for action from the recent buyer.
These two tips should help you enhance your transactional emails.
Do you have other suggestions for optimizing transactional emails?
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