Behavior-Triggered Emails: The Secret to Boosting Your Open Rates by 152%

When it comes to email marketing, personalization is the secret to success. But how can you effectively personalize a tool that is by its very nature designed for mass communication?

The answer? Behavior-triggered emails.

Behavior-triggered email is a versatile personalization technique that allows your business to engage with customers at timely touch points. For example, when RunKeeper, a pedometer app, sends a message to one of their registered users with a prompt that reads, “You went running last Saturday at this time. Why not go for a run now?” — that’s a behavior-triggered email. Although highly personal to the recipient, messages like these are easy to automate by taking advantage of data points that are relatively easy to mine and collect thanks to modern technology.

While there is an almost limitless range of ways to execute behavior-triggered emails, the keys to crafting a successful campaign are specificity and creativity. To help you better understand what this is all about and provide inspiration that you can implement in your own marketing, let’s take a look at just a few of the brands that are using this tactic effectively to connect with their customers:

Harris Teeter: Welcome

The strategy: Sending a welcome email is standard protocol almost any time someone signs up for an account on your website or app. However, this message from grocery store chain Harris Teeter goes a couple of extra steps beyond extending the typical thank-you for registering.

First, it offers a discount on the service fee, providing an extra kick-in-the-pants incentive for new account holders to seize the day and place their first order.

Second, it takes advantage of this inbox inroads to remind customers of the benefits of their personal online shopping service and offer a few helpful hints for getting started, thereby reinforcing the sales messages that prompted the user to sign up for an account in the first place.

Soap: Come back

The strategy: In most relationships between customers and brands, there comes a time when the customer begins to drift away, whether because another competitor has caught their eye or because any of life’s myriad responsibilities and distractions have bumped their need for your products or services down in their list of priorities.

If it’s been a while since a customer last visited your site or made a purchase, it’s time to reach out and give them a gentle reminder that you’re still here for them, which is exactly the objective behind this message from Soap.com. Their approach is particularly effective because it is not just a one-time offer that might entice a customer back only to lose them again after making one purchase in order to reap the benefit of the discount. Rather, the offer code is good for every purchase made for two months, a smart sales strategy aimed at coaxing the customer back into becoming a habitual Soap shopper.

Williams-Sonoma: Abandoned cart

The strategy: Another staple of e-commerce email marketing is the abandoned cart reminder. While this strategy is not earthshakingly innovative, it is nevertheless effective.

Williams-Sonoma takes this approach to the next level by including a unique discount code that provides a strong incentive for the customer to return to the site – or the store – to complete their purchase. The code is valid for less than 24 hours, creating a sense of urgency to take advantage of the deal.

One caveat to this approach: You shouldn’t always include a discount offer in your abandoned cart reminder email, or you’ll run the risk of training your customers to put their desired items into the cart and then wait patiently for your message to arrive before checking out with their discount code. Rather, mix up your pitches and include a discount code in some messages but not all. Below is an example of a follow-up email from Williams-Sonoma that does not rely on a special offer to create an urgency to act but rather a mention of limited quantities and a reminder that the previously selected items will soon be cleared from the cart.

Old Navy: Product review

The strategy: If you’ve ever purchased something online, you’ve undoubtedly received one of these emails. Again, the reason they’re so popular is that they’re so effective.

Reaching out to someone who has already made a purchase from you to ask them to share their opinion about the product or services they received is a winning approach all the way around. The simple act of making the request conveys to your customer that you’re a brand that cares about your customers and their satisfaction. Moreover, when they click through to provide their review, you’re getting the benefit of a first-hand testimonial that will help you sell that product to future customers. You’ve also successfully brought an existing customer back to your site, where hopefully something new will catch their eye, leading to a purchase that will begin the cycle all over again.

Grovemade: Survey

The strategy: The survey request is another sure-fire winner. Similar to the product review prompt, the survey request conveys to the recipient that their needs and opinions are valued.

In this example from Grovemade, customers who have previously purchased a related product are sent a link to a survey to provide input to the company on the design of accessories for the new Apple Watch. This accomplishes two smart marketing objectives. First, it gives the company valuable insights to shape their new product line so that it delivers exactly what their customers want. Second, it creates anticipation among their customer base for an upcoming line of products even while they are still in the R&D phase.

Nike: Celebrate a milestone

The strategy: If you have a website or app that tracks customer activity, you likely have data that will allow you to recognize your customer for reaching a milestone, whether it’s a birthday, the anniversary of their becoming your customer or even a personal accomplishment based on activity logged via the site or app.

This example from Nike is a great case-study in how to make this particular approach work for you. In the email, Nike puts the recipient front and center by keeping acknowledgment of their achievement the primary focus. As a secondary message, Nike includes a “reward” for reaching this milestone in the form of a discount on Nike running shoes. While this is obviously a bit self-serving on Nike’s part, it’s also a great way to foster customer loyalty by providing an incentive to buy at a time when the recipient is most likely to be in need of their product.

The proof is in the results

Market research shows that behavior-triggered emails are a valuable but underused tactic. EmailMonks reports that open rates for triggered emails are 152% higher than those for traditional email marketing messages. Even so, over 75% of marketers are not yet using behavior-triggered emails or auto-responders.

A word of caution

Before you go all-in on behavior-triggered emails, take a moment to consider how your correspondence will come across to the recipient.

Online privacy is a hot-button issue these days. Just because you can capture and use data about your customers doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. The last thing you want to do is alienate a prospect or customer because you are blatantly tracking their activities without their consent. The best approach is to apply the principles of trustcasting and allow your customers to opt in to receiving your messages and to tell you what types of communication they’d like to get. The simple courtesy of obtaining permission can make all the difference between being perceived as a helpful partner or an obtrusive snoop.

Also, as with any email marketing strategy, make sure you don’t wear out your welcome in your customers’ inboxes. Use good sense and restraint in the timing and frequency of your emails. For example, if I browse your e-commerce store, don’t make a purchase, get an email, browse again but still don’t commit, are you going to send me another reminder that I still have items in my cart? These are the kinds of rules and parameters  that you’ll need to establish judiciously for your campaign in order to walk the fine line between smart marketer and pushy salesperson.

Getting started

If you’re not so sure about diving in without your water wings, there are tools that specialize in sending triggered emails, like Vero for e-commerce, Intercom for B2B and SparkPage for B2C campaigns. If email marketing is one of the primary vehicles you rely on to win and retain customers, then it may be worthwhile for you to partner with an experienced software development company to design a customized system that integrates with your website and your CRM and SFA systems to effectively capture and leverage the customer data you need to create the most powerful conversion engine possible.

Setting up an automated behavior-triggered email program does require an investment of time and tactical thinking upfront, but once it’s implemented, your company will reap the benefits of having a razor-sharp communication strategy that resonates with your customers by providing timely information that caters to their interests, preferences and habits.

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Two-Faced: The Promise and Pitfalls of Facebook

With 250 million members and growing, Facebook is a siren’s song for marketers and business owners. Its allure lies in its promise of instantaneous access to legions of followers, but therein also lies the danger. With all the hype surrounding social media, misconceptions about Facebook’s capabilities as a marketing tool are rampant. It’s easy to latch on to the seemingly obvious benefits while overlooking the hidden perils. Before you steer your brand on a course to social media suicide, let’s take a closer look at some of the nefarious half-truths that permeate the buzz about Facebook and sort out perception from possibility.

Facebook is free advertising.

This much is true: It doesn’t cost one dime to create an account or set up a fan page on Facebook. But that’s where the free ride ends. In fact, Facebook is neither free nor advertising. Advertising in the most traditional sense of the word implies one-way communication. It represents a carefully polished, thoroughly sanitized version of a company’s image that is presented to a statistically favorable audience through structured media outlets. Social media by definition demands interaction. As a result, using any social media platform as a tool to grow your business requires a significant investment of time and effort – precious resources of which many companies today have little to spare – to nurture relationships and cultivate a following. You can’t approach Facebook as you would an advertising campaign with tidy short-term objectives and a finite lifespan. Instead, you must be willing to make a long-term commitment and have the patience to let the return on your investment develop over time. Furthermore, unlike traditional advertising, Facebook is not simply a vehicle for self-promotion. Creating a Facebook page is like standing on a soapbox. You can gather a crowd and take the stage, but if you do nothing but talk endlessly about yourself, your products and your achievements, everyone will quickly leave and go elsewhere.

Facebook is an easy way to connect with your customers.

Yes, your 10-year-old son and your 85-year old grandmother can set up a Facebook page. The developers behind Facebook invested untold hours and resources in a simple, user-friendly interface in order to ensure just that. Facebook is not the ends; it's the means. However, the act of creating a page is not the point. It’s not the same as putting up a billboard on the side of the road where the end goal is to gain attention by the simple fact of existing in the space. You must do more than establish a presence; you must commit yourself to being fully present on the site. The gift that Facebook and other social media sites have given to marketers and business owners is removing the middlemen of print and broadcast media that were once your only lines of communication with your customers. However, having the ability to communicate directly does no good if you do not use it to your advantage by actively engaging your followers. How do you do this? Offer them something of value, start a conversation, provide a forum for meaningful interaction, post diverse kinds of content. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about what you would respond to. Think about what all of your fans might have in common and build your following around that. Your Facebook page might not even focus on your business or industry at all. That’s fine, as long as what’s there is entertaining or thought provoking or relatable – something that people can latch onto and encourage others to do the same. In short, Facebook is not the ends; it's the means.

There’s no harm in trying Facebook.

You’ve heard all the chatter about Facebook, and you’ve decided to take the plunge, thinking you’ll figure it out as you go. Stop right there. The problem with taking a trial-and-error approach is that there are no take-backs in the world of social media. Your mistakes are on display for all to see and can be unearthed again and again. Post content that is poorly conceived or badly executed, and you take a chance at being the Internet’s next viral sensation (and not in a good way). Of course, that’s the worst-case scenario. But the indisputable truth of the matter is that your efforts can backfire if you don’t come out of the gate with a strong, clearly defined strategy and commit to sustaining your efforts over time. There are no take-backs in the world of social media. As a marketer or business owner, you can’t afford to enter into Facebook lightly. Lackluster communication will damage your brand. Just as easily as you can update your status, your fans can hide you from their feed. The more eagerly you flood your followers with content that’s not relevant or lacks creativity, the more you risk alienating your once loyal customers. Take a step back and think about how your activity on Facebook reflects on you and what it reveals to your customers about your motives. For example, focusing on self-promotion sends a clear message to your fans that you have no interest in them or desire to forge a meaningful connection. Remember, everything that you broadcast over Facebook becomes part of your brand legacy.

The more fans, the better.

As is the case in most areas of business, there is strength in numbers on Facebook. Or is there? Without question, Facebook has the numbers. Over 50 million new users joined in the past three months alone, leaving marketers who cling to the traditional media metrics of reach and demographics salivating. However, Facebook’s true strength is not in the exposure it offers to this vast sea of humanity. It’s in the platform’s strength as a channel of unobstructed communication between you and your customers as well as between your customers and their network of friends. The number of fans you have on Facebook is meaningless in and of itself. Just as it takes next to no effort on your part to create your page, it requires nothing but the click of a mouse for someone to “fan” you. But if that is the last interaction you have with them, then it does nothing to improve your bottom line. What you really need are loyal fans who are passionate about you and who are actively spreading the word about what you have to offer. You need to develop a following of people who are personally invested in your success. It’s not about quantity; it’s about quality.Wired magazine founder Kevin Kelly describes on his blog the importance of what he calls “True Fans,” defined as “someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce.” Once you have committed yourself to Facebook, it is imperative that you seek out these types of fans and feed them meaningful content that they can spread like wildfire throughout their various networks of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. When it comes to fans and Facebook, it’s not about quantity; it’s about quality. All of this is not to say that you shouldn’t view Facebook as a powerful grassroots marketing tool or that the challenges outweigh the benefits. However, it is to say that you shouldn’t blindly follow the masses to Facebook because you think it’s cheap, easy and free of risk. Instead, be realistic about the investment of time and effort required, cultivate a loyal group of real fans and communicate with them in a way that is really engaging. As always, if you’re not sure where to start and need help making sense of it all, please feel free to call us. We can help you separate Facebook fact from fiction and put you on the right track to using social media as a tool for building meaningful customer relationships.

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