Nov 10, 2016 By Blake Miller

5 Proven Email Campaigns No Customer Can Resist

in Marketing, Email Marketing, Best Practices

In our lastest State of Marketing Report, Salesforce Research revealed impressive data that affirmed email's status as a channel that continues to deliver. With advancements like artificial intelligence enabling greater email personalization, the established channel is seeing significant bumps in its ability to generate ROI.

Eighty percent of marketers agree that email is central to their business, and nearly half of them say it directly impacts their primary revenue source. Effectiveness ratings on a wide array of email campaigns suggest that customers are very responsive to email.

There are countless types of email campaigns to connect with your customer base, but several stand out as crowd pleasers. Here are the five types of email campaigns customers can't get enough of.

1. Loyalty Email Campaigns

Among the 54% of marketers who use loyalty campaigns as part of their strategy, 79% rank them as effective or highly effective. In fact, loyalty campaigns top the list of the most effective types of email campaigns. Data suggests that customers appreciate receiving loyalty emails because they are both valuable and relevant.

There are five specific emails that you can send to maximize your customers' engagement:

Lapsed customer emails offer incentives for customers to return after a period of inactivity.
Monthly reward statements allow you to consistently connect with your customers to entice them to redeem their rewards.
Sending notifications to customers within reach of new rewards helps with upselling.
Rewards expiration reminders motivate buyers and promote incremental revenue.
Tier status achievement emails celebrate a loyalty milestone and can offer a special perk.

2. Promotional Email Campaigns

With 77% of marketers who deploy promotional emails ranking them as effective or highly effective, they clearly rate well with recipients too. Who doesn't love an email about a sale or great deal? Customers also appreciate learning about new products or services.

Promotional campaigns are simple to execute because they focus on just one topic. Effective promotional emails are light on copy, detailing just enough information to explain and promote the offer. They often use images to catch the recipient's eye and pique curiosity. Promotional emails only require enough content to encourage excitement and urgency surrounding the offer.

3. Welcome Email Campaigns

New subscribers to your email list can't wait to hear from you. Welcome emails boast the highest open rates of all emails, and 75% of email marketers find them to be effective or highly effective. Welcome emails are a hit because they deliver on the customer's request to initiate a relationship. When customers subscribe to your email list or register for an account with your business, they look forward to your response.

A great welcome email sets a positive tone for your relationship with your new customers. It provides an immediate opportunity for you to begin building trust. In a casual style, it should include a thank-you for opting in and a reminder of the benefits they can expect to enjoy as part of your partnership. Offering a reward such as discounts or free shipping on initial orders is a great way to celebrate your new affiliation and make your customers feel appreciated.

4. Special Invitation Email Campaigns

Inclusion in special events makes people feel important, so event invitations are a welcome sight in your customers' inboxes. Fifty-nine percent of marketers use email to invite customers to grand openings, special sales, product launches, networking events and more, with 75% of them rating their invitation campaigns as effective or very effective.

Outstanding invitation email campaigns boost awareness and attendance by informing recipients of the event details and creating interest. Beyond a detailed event description and specifics like date, time, and location, it is helpful to include venue photos and social proof to generate appeal. You can also use your invitation campaign to drive attendance by offering discounted early bird pricing.

5. Birthday Email Campaigns

What better way to celebrate your customers on their special day than by sending happy birthday wishes straight to their inboxes? With 51% of marketing leaders choosing to treat their customers to birthday emails and 73% of them rating their birthday campaigns as effective or highly effective, birthday emails are a great way to connect with your customers and show them some love on the day that's uniquely theirs.

Effective birthday emails are personalized. Mentioning your customer's name in the subject line makes them more likely to open it. Keep your copy brief, but design your birthday email to look celebratory. What's a birthday without presents? The most important part of your birthday email should be the gift. Free products, discount coupons, and free shipping are thoughtful gifts that motivate your customer to shop your business.

Email is still one of the most effective ways to connect with your customers. These five email campaigns are especially strong motivators that help build and sustain your relationships with your VIPs. Which are part of your strategy?