When pulling the trigger is a good thing

Triggered email is gaining popularity as one of the most strategic ways to build relationships with consumers. A triggered email is a specific email message that is delivered to target customers when their behavior or an event triggers a response from your company. Think about the emails you get with discounts or incentives on your birthday. This sort of relevant contact increases direct communication and reaches people when they are likely to read, respond and act. I’ve seen enough of these trigger-based emails to know that, when done correctly, they are tremendously powerful – the ultimate one-to-one email marketing campaign.

 

Can too much of something be a bad thing? Yes, like any other technology, people can get carried away. Soon, what used to be attention grabbing and thought of as cool, gets annoying. So here are some examples of triggered emails that I like and those that don’t make the short list for me.

 

Have you ever made a purchase on amazon.com and received a confirmation email listing other products you may find interesting? I like these triggered emails because when I purchase a book, amazon.com notes my interest in a certain topic and creates one-to-one conversation with me by recommending products for future purchases.

 

Another great example is my recent experience with L.L. Bean. Just last night I completed an online purchase and they sent a reminder that I was entitled to free shipping and noted the last date I could order something for Christmas. I filed this information away…thinking I may need to go back for some last minute gifts.

 

On the other hand, I recently bought a ticket from a well known airline and was not impressed with the company’s sloppy email marketing efforts. I immediately received discounted fare information on flights that do not apply to me. This bothers me because when I purchase a flight online, I don’t need to know about other fare discounts the airline may be offering; I’ve already booked my flight! What I would love, however, is to see a CRM tool in action, telling the airline that I travel every year the week of April 16^th. Through the use of trigger emails, the airline could reach out to me while I am likely to be planning my annual trip, with a friendly and targeted message. “Where are you off to this year? How can we help you plan your trip?” Now that’s effective marketing.

 

I asked around the office to see if anyone else had examples of great trigger-based email in action, and was happy to hear of people’s appreciation with great email marketing efforts. For one, Netflix seems to be on the right track. The company sends an email to confirm that it has received your latest rental return, but also mentions other films you may like based on your preferences. In addition, Netflix gives you the opportunity to rate and review your past rental, and in doing so further strengthens the dialogue between company and consumer, and gathers great CRM data to boot.

 

Another great example is that of kodakgallery.com. When an employee recently purchased prints from her online album, the company immediately sent her an email promoting a 20% discount on frames. I’ve also heard great things about lensmart.com, which emails every two weeks with discounts or free shipping just in time to refresh your supply of disposable contact lenses.

 

Have a great trigger-based email experience to share? Have an awful one to gripe about? I’d love to hear about the best and worst practices out there. There is always something to be learned! Drop me a line at april@fortheloveofmarketing.com.