In the world of email marketing, there is a powerful tool that can significantly strengthen the bond between your business and your customers. It’s called the “relational email.” Unlike traditional marketing emails that focus solely on promotions and deals, relational emails prioritize the customer and aim to provide value beyond sales pitches. By investing in building a strong relationship with your customers, you can position your brand as an expert and a reliable source, ultimately fostering brand loyalty and increasing customer comfort in spending money with you.
Key Takeaways
Building Brand Loyalty through Relational Emails
According to a 2016 report by Campaign Monitor, a leading email marketing software provider, marketing emails generated an impressive return on investment of about $44 for every $1 spent. This statistic alone underscores the significance of nurturing customer relationships through email marketing.
Moreover, relational emails play a crucial role in cultivating customer loyalty and expanding your email list. Customers are more likely to remain loyal subscribers when they see that you consistently provide them with value beyond mere deals and promotions. This, in turn, helps grow your marketing reach and enables you to engage with a broader audience.
Enhancing Your Relational Email Marketing Strategy
To maximize the impact of your relational email marketing strategy, here are some tips to consider:
Stay up-to-date on industry trends and topics relevant to your business. Take it a step further and share valuable insights, resources, and recommendations with your customers. Utilize newsletters, blog posts, and lead magnets like downloadable guides and checklists to disseminate this useful information. For instance, a real estate agent could write blog posts on local sales trends, utilizing recent sales data, or send out a newsletter featuring third-party articles on home improvement and gardening tips. By sharing meaningful content, you deepen the customer relationship while establishing yourself as an expert in your field.
Curate External Content
Don’t limit yourself to sharing just your own content. Expand your reach by sharing links to information and articles from trusted sources such as trade publications, news websites, and social media accounts. While it may seem counterintuitive, sharing content from various sources reinforces your brand by building trust with your customers. Demonstrating that your priority is providing them with valuable information rather than constantly promoting your products or services fosters a stronger connection. However, ensure that the content you share is relevant and useful, rather than inundating your customers with a flood of unrelated links.
Inject Some Fun
Relational emails present an opportunity to inject a more personal and light-hearted tone, in line with your brand’s identity. Consider including personalized intros in your email newsletters. Get creative with how you reach out to customers. For example, have your sales representatives record and email quick welcome videos to new clients. Send birthday emails with a “gift,” whether it’s an entertaining GIF or a discount code for their next purchase. Adding a touch of personality and fun to your emails can leave a lasting impression on your customers.
Use relational emails as a platform to showcase your company’s social media presence. Encourage your customers to join or follow your social media pages by highlighting the latest webinars, networking socials, and other marketing events on platforms like Facebook. This provides an additional layer to the customer experience and enables you to leverage your email list to grow your audience on other platforms.
Facilitate Communication
Make your relational emails a two-way street. Engage your customers by incorporating customer surveys, polls, and clear directions on how to contact your business. This approach builds trust and encourages customers to add your business to their contact list. By fostering open lines of communication, you lay the foundation for meaningful connections.
Relational emails are a vital component of your overall email marketing toolkit. By embracing this approach, you can solidify customer relationships, foster brand loyalty, and achieve significant returns on your marketing investment. To learn more about how relational emails can complement other types of marketing emails, check out Six Minute Dates.
