Nailing Your Retention Email Campaign

Email marketing is an essential business tool with countless benefits for your company. This tactic is utilized for a variety of reasons and is extremely adaptable to your brand’s needs. Up to 80% of businesses rely on email marketing as a primary method for customer retention. With this in mind, it is time to take advantage of the benefits of retention email marketing campaigns. 

What is a Retention Email Campaign?

Retention email campaigns market to your existing customer pool. It is a method to remind loyal customers of the benefits you offer, as well as generate reinterest from infrequent (or one-time) buyers. Focusing on existing clientele is a wise business strategy, as it costs companies up to 7x more to earn a new customer. Email is an excellent method for retention purposes, as it allows your brand to directly send hyper-personalized content right to the consumer. These email campaigns work best when administered in a series to a hand-selected audience (no email blasts allowed).

Start With a Purpose

Before you send out those eye-catching, graphic-laden emails, you will need to establish the purpose of your retention campaign. Are you wanting to incentivize a new purchase or referral? Maybe you want to offer an exclusive discount code for your most loyal customers. 

Keep it Short and Simple

A retention email series should be straightforward and comprehensive. There is no need for excessive copy or a redundant reiteration of your business mission (remember, this demographic is already a customer for a reason). Keep each email send concise, with a clear message and an irresistible call to action. The call to action should be the central focus of every retention email, as the main purpose is to generate activity from your customers. Phrases such as “use this discount code today only” or “enjoy an exclusive sneak peek into our latest collection” help motivate your readers to respond. 

Personalize, Personalize, Personalize 

Brand customers are much more likely to interact with targeted ads and content if it has a personal touch. Including the customer’s name in the subject line is a basic method of personalizing a retention email campaign. Beyond this, modifying the ad copy based on the client’s age or gender also increases the chance they’ll bite. For example, if you are promoting a holiday discount for your jewelry brand, you might want to separate the email sends between your male and female customers. A male audience may respond better with wording like, “Don’t forget to buy a gift for that special someone.” Your female audience is more likely to engage with, “Sparkle this holiday season with our best-selling accessories.” These detail-oriented adjustments help your readers engage more personally with your brand and increase the chance of a repeat purchase. 

Reward Loyalty

Retention emails are an effective way to reward your most loyal customers. If you have clients who frequently support your business, it is important to help them feel appreciated. You can use a retention email campaign to distribute an exclusive discount to a select group of customers as a thank you. Another idea is to include a free gift with their next order. With these incentives, keep the activation window small so your customers are motivated to use their discount within the allotted period of time. 

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