New vs. existing customers
Various marketing studies suggest that acquiring a new customer is approximately 5–8 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. Email marketing can be an effective tool for communicating with and engaging existing customers, whether it involves offering new or complementary products, providing customer care, or sharing product information.
Do you know your customers’ buying habits? Make the most of them.
The ever-cited example is contact lenses. We know that users buy them once in a while, and we know quite precisely when that is. There is nothing easier than sending them an email with an offer for the lenses they usually order, adding perhaps one or two new products, describing their benefits and why they might suit them, and that’s it. Of course, not all products lend themselves so readily to repeat purchases, but with a large proportion of them, certain patterns can be observed that can be exploited. Do you know, for example, that users often buy product B alongside product A? Offer it by email to those who haven’t purchased the complementary product.
Customer care and brand support
Do you offer a more complex product or software? Plan its introduction in several steps and send them to the customer individually. If they are still just a potential customer, gently persuade them to make a purchase; if they already own your product, send them tips on how to get the most out of it.
How to work with contacts?
The key is to engage with them. Gather and organise information about them, and then use this to segment your audience. Sending a single newsletter to our entire email database should not be the goal. Why send someone who has bought dog food five times in a row an offer for great cat treats? Not only are we unlikely to sell them to him, but he may also categorise our newsletter as useless and not open it next time, or even unsubscribe.
Very useful information about users comes from their order history. Information about their age, gender or place of residence can also be helpful. Every sector will require its own approach. But remember that information must be gathered gently; customers are reluctant to give up their privacy unless they get something in return.