How to Nurture Customer Relations with Email Marketing

People love getting great emails! Remember the last time you received a marketing email from a brand you adore? You probably enjoyed the experience and felt more connected to them.

Guess what? You’re not alone! 99% of consumers check their emails daily, making email the preferred channel for brand updates. And millennials? They are 73% more likely to want to hear from you via email.

That’s why email marketing is a goldmine for building stronger customer relationships. 

Email marketing lets you connect, nurture, and build lasting brand loyalty. And for pixel-perfect designs and high-performing email campaigns without the heavy lifting, email marketing specialists can make a big difference. 

This blog will show you exactly how to use email marketing to strengthen customer relationships and take your communication to the next level.

4 Email Marketing Strategies That Will Boost Customer Relations

1. Start Strong With a Warm Welcome Series 

Remember that feeling of meeting someone you instantly clicked with? That’s the magic you want to create with new subscribers! The beginning of their email journey sets the stage for a long-lasting relationship, and a welcome series is the perfect way to create that connection. These emails aren’t just about brand awareness—they’re about fostering an emotional bond.

Welcome emails set the tone and determine if your subscribers will stick around. To keep them engaged, you need to show two things:

• Your Email Content Provides Value: 

Your subscribers are already interested. Now, show them what you offer. Highlight exclusive deals, tips, or helpful blog posts.

• Your Product or Service Provides Value: 

Introduce them to everything you provide. Let them see how your products or services can meet their needs.

Let’s dissect Glossier’s welcome email and see how it fosters customer relationships:

1. Incentive: They offer a 15% discount code, providing immediate value for subscribing.

2. Visual Inspiration: Images showcasing real people wearing Glossier products create a relatable and aspirational atmosphere.

3. Brand Message: Glossier emphasizes individuality and self-acceptance. This resonates with customers seeking a brand that celebrates their unique beauty.

4. Prioritizing Skincare: Highlighting skincare before makeup positions Glossier as a brand that prioritizes healthy skin first.

5. Social Proof: Customer testimonials boost trust and build confidence in the products.

How Glossier’s Welcome Email Strengthens Customer Relationships:

• Value Proposition: The discount code and product information demonstrate the benefits of being a customer.
• Emotional Connection: The brand message fosters a sense of community and acceptance.
• Building Trust: Customer testimonials provide social proof and establish credibility.

Key Takeaways:

This welcome email effectively combines various elements. It provides value, establishes an emotional connection, and builds trust. By incorporating these elements in your own welcome series, you can cultivate stronger customer relationships from the very first email.

2. Segment and Speak Their Language 

Segment your email list by creating smaller groups with similar interests or behaviors.This could be:

• Interests: Age, company size, job title – Tailor content and offers to resonate better.
• Location: Send emails in the right language and at the right time based on time zones.
• Purchase Habits: Reward top customers with exclusive offers or re-engage inactive ones.
• Engagement: Focus on active subscribers to keep them happy and receiving emails.
• Devices: Optimize emails for phones, tablets, or desktops – more text for desktops, visuals for mobile.
• Preferences: Let subscribers choose what they want to hear about – holidays, events, or specific products.

Why Segment?

You can send super-targeted emails when you split your audience into segments based on their interests and purchase history. Like tailoring a conversation to a friend, personalized emails show you care about their needs and interests. This fosters stronger customer connections, leading to increased engagement, sales, and brand loyalty.

Some common ways to segment your audience are: 

1. Surveys: Simply ask your subscribers for more information. Be clear about how you’ll use, store, and access their data to ensure you’re GDPR-compliant. Surveys can be automated or included in the subscription process. To tailor your messages, ask for details like birthdays, locations, and interests.
2. Purchase History: Use the data you already have. For example, if certain subscribers haven’t signed up for a workshop, send them a targeted offer for a free consultation. 
3. Campaign Data: Track who opens and clicks your emails. If subscribers engage more with certain topics, send them more content on those subjects.

Imagine your project management SaaS platform. You have a diverse user base with different needs and goals. Sending generic emails to everyone just won’t cut it. Here’s how segmentation can help you connect with each user on a deeper level:

Scenario 1: Tailored Outreach for Trial Users

• Who: Users on a free trial who haven’t upgraded yet.
• Data Mine: Sign-up information features used during the trial.
• Action Plan: Craft targeted emails showcasing success stories. Highlight how similar businesses benefited from upgrading (increased team productivity, streamlined workflows). Offer a limited-time discount to incentivize them to convert before the trial ends. This personalized approach positions your SaaS solution as the key to unlocking their business goals.

Scenario 2: Active Users with Specific Needs

• Segment: Users who haven’t used a particular advanced feature.
• Data: User activity logs.
• Action: Send a personalized email showcasing the benefits of the under-utilized feature with a short video tutorial demonstrating its value. Offer in-app guidance or a free consultation to help them get started.

Scenario 3: At-Risk Customers (Low Engagement)

• Segment: Users with declining engagement (fewer logins, project creation).
• Data: Login frequency, project activity.
• Action: Send a win-back campaign. Remind them of the value proposition and offer a personalized discount to re-engage them. A survey can be included to understand their frustrations and address potential roadblocks.

By showing your subscribers that you understand and care about their interests, you build stronger, more personalized relationships. Segmenting your audience helps you connect deeper and boost customer loyalty through effective email marketing.

3. Automate and Engage

Jaina Mistry, Director, Brand and Content Marketing, Litmus

“Personalization is no longer optional; it’s essential. Consumers expect emails tailored to their interests and value brands that leverage their data responsibly to create a better experience. Furthermore, personalization is a proven way to boost engagement and avoid the dreaded spam folder, as inbox providers prioritize messages users interact with.”

The good news? You don’t need to craft every email manually! Generative AI and automation streamline the process. Studies show that 77% of marketers using generative AI create more personalized content, and 70% using AI/automation report an improved customer experience overall.

Email automation takes the manual work out of email marketing, allowing you to send targeted campaigns and notifications on autopilot. 

Here’s the key difference: blasts are generic emails sent to your entire list, regardless of their interests or purchase history. Automation, however, triggers emails based on specific actions or events, ensuring they’re relevant and timely for each recipient.

You must be already familiar with placing an order and instantly receiving a confirmation email. You can also create personalized email sequences to welcome new subscribers or send win-back campaigns featuring special offers to inactive customers. 

This targeted approach has major benefits for both you and your customers. 

Emails are sent based on user behavior or interests, making them more engaging for recipients, as they’ll receive content that actually interests them. Plus, automation offers effortless efficiency. 

Automated workflows free you up to focus on strategic planning and creative content development, while the emails themselves handle tasks like nurturing leads and re-engaging dormant customers. This scalability allows you to build stronger relationships with your entire audience at once.

4. Give Value to Your Customers: Building Loyalty Through Thoughtful Emails

Remember, strong customer relationships are a two-way street. While informative emails are important, it’s crucial to consistently demonstrate the value you offer. Before hitting send, ask yourself: “Is this email helpful or interesting for my subscribers?”

Here are some examples of value-driven email automation that will boost customer relationships and conversions for you:

• Birthday Mailers

Birthdays are a perfect occasion to show subscribers they matter. Go beyond generic greetings – offer something they’ll truly appreciate. You can personalize discounts based on subscriber data for an even greater impact!

• Customer Loyalty Program

These programs incentivize subscribers to keep engaging with your brand. Offering special perks like a 10% first-time-buyer discount or free products after earning points builds trust and encourages repeat business

The best part? Loyalty programs are highly customizable. They can take any form you can imagine! Many programs reward points or credits for actions like purchases, reviews, or social media follows. Once a subscriber accumulates enough points, they unlock exciting rewards.

Enjoy Email Marketing!

Email marketing is no longer about building lists but about building relationships that drive engagement, loyalty, and, ultimately, success– and it can be truly enjoyable!

Here’s the secret: passion. It shines through when you’re excited about your message and find joy in crafting emails. Your enthusiasm becomes contagious, drawing readers in and building stronger relationships.

With these tips and a little passion, you can transform email marketing from a one-way street to a thriving hub for customer connection.