2.1 Basic E-mails and Types

Welcome back. 

Pat yourselves on the back for making it through that first chapter.

So far, we’ve focused on introducing you to e-mail marketing, the different levels in it, and what goes into building an e-mail marketing eco-system. 

And in this next chapter, we’re going to take a deeper look at the different levels of e-mail marketing, one at a time. 

We’ll go into each of these levels in more detail, show you a few examples, tell you a few stories, and help you get your fundamentals right. 

So why don’t you find a cosy corner, grab something to drink and get comfortable.

This episode is going to focus on the first level of e-mail marketing – basic e-mails – and this is the bare minimum any brand needs to and to really understand the need for these type of e-mails, let’s use an example. 

Imagine you go into a store. 

Say you were going to buy groceries, or a book, or even better a giant flat screen tv. 

You drive to the store, you walk-in, you browse through the shelves, pick up the tv you want, pay and leave.

Now, what if from the moment you entered the store till you left, nobody in the store said a word to you. You weren't greeted at the door, you weren't asked what you wanted or what you liked, and you weren't even asked to come back when you were leaving.

Now, how would that make you feel? You’d probably feel awful. You’d probably not wanna go back.

What makes shopping a great experience is actually the human connection. Treating you in a personal and intentional way is the bare minimum any store can do for you. 

In the very same way, when your customers come to your website, it's like they are coming into your store. When they give you their e-mail address, it’s them saying, “Listen, I’m interested in whatever you’re offering”. 

And here’s where basic e-mails come in. They welcome, connect and help your customers on their journey as they explore your brand. 

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Let's get into the different kinds of basic e-mails.

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First, we have welcome e-mails.

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A welcome e-mail also known as an on-boarding e-mail, is the first thing a person gets when they give their e-mail to a brand.

If a user comes to your website and signs up for whatever it is that they may want be it your newsletter, updates or even a special offer or a demo, they need to instantly get an e-mail that first and foremost, welcomes them to the brand and then gives them what they signed up for. 

But a good welcome e-mail will not just give the person what they asked for but use the opportunity to set a strong first impression. Build a real connection with them. 

Now why don’t we look at an example.

Food 52 is a brand that deals with all things food. From recipes to kitchen equipment and this e-mail is what you get when you sign up with them. Let's take a look at how they have gone about it.

They start by appreciating you for coming to their online store. They take the time to explain that they started Food52 keeping you in mind. They then tell you what you can expect from them and lastly they give you a gift coupon to nudge you towards your first purchase.
Now this is a great example of a welcome e-mail that hits all the right spots – welcome, connection, direction, and next steps.

Now, Let's look at the second kind of basic e-mail: Event based e-mails

I want you to think about a person you became friends with but then you lost touch over time.
You might have met at a party, an event or through your good friend Bob.

So what happens, you exchange phone numbers, you make these elaborate plans and promise to stay in touch forever. But that never really never happens.
But what if you had actually followed through, even if it were once every few months? You’d probably still be friends right now. 

Building a connection is all about the frequency of engagement. And that’s what event e-mails aim to do. These are e-mails that you send on specific occasions or events that are important to the customer. And smart brands get this. 

They will find any chance they get to start a conversation, reconnect and remind you why they’re a great brand for you. They might e-mail you on your birthday, wishing you and giving you a gift coupon. They might celebrate with you at a popular festival like Diwali or Christmas, even offering you festive discounts. They might even check in with you during a crisis like a pandemic that’s spreading like wildfire, crashing the economy, and making you feel like you’re living through the new season of Black Mirror. Not that that would ever happen. 

Anyway, here’s an example of a great event e-mail. 

Oasis is a clothing brand that sends personalised birthday wishes to all its customers and 10% off on their purchase. What they’ve done is a great way to connect with your customer at a personal level and in some cases, help them make their first purchase. 

The next type of basic e-mails are support e-mails:

Customer support is a huge part of running a business. It’s make or break really. And while customer support can happen in many different ways including phone calls, in-person meetings, or even over online chat, the most common way customer support happens is through e-mail.
Whether it’s a complaint, a query or even a special request.

And you can tell a lot about a business by the way they support their customers. When a customer comes to you an immediate response is critical. Even if you don’t address it immediately, letting the person know that their concern is being taken seriously and communicating with them until their problem is resolved is very important. 

Warby Parker, a prescription glasses manufacturer in America does it really well. Look at their  response to a customer that complained that the lenses she received were blurry.

Now here’s what we can learn from this e-mail. 

First, the tone. It’s warm and kind. It makes them feel cared about and that’s what you want when you have a complaint right. 

Secondly, the brand gives clear next steps to solve the problem.

And finally, we see how Warby Parker used this e-mail to push a completely different product to this customer. Smart brands always know how to bring their customers back to the brand, and even turn a customer complaint into a sales opportunity.

Great customer service is the foundation of building lasting brands that customers love, and e-mail is the primary tool used in doing that.

And finally, we have push e-mails. 

Push e-mails are used by brands to convey information that is really important and specific to the person reading it, or maybe an important notice from the company itself. Now this could be a new product update, an urgent reminder, a letter from the founder. 

For example, let’s say you run an e-commerce business where you sell shoes online.
You notice people adding a pair of shoes to their cart but they’re not completing the purchase.It is essential that you e-mail these people and invite them to complete their purchase.

They may have had a technical issue, an unresolved query or maybe just cold feet. Your push e-mail could be the difference between an abandoned cart and well, money in the bank. 

Another example of a push e-mail is when you sign up for a free trial. Again, why don’t we take Netflix for an example. When you start you get a 30-day free trial. When your trial is about to end, you get an e-mail reminding you to add a payment method to continue using Netflix so you can finally stop leeching off your ex. You know who you are.

Businesses use push e-mails to keep their customers informed of new changes to their products or offerings. Now this could be your online grocery store informing you that your favourite ice cream is back in stock, or your favourite phone company letting you know that their newest model is about to go live. Or even a software you use telling you that they’ve added a new feature. 

Push e-mails do the job of making sure that really important information is communicated effectively at the right time. And, that’s basic e-mails for you. Now, you’re all set for the next level of e-mail marketing.