Ongoing email campaigns and follow-up emails can be the difference between a thriving eCommerce business and a business that is stuck in the mud. While follow-up emails are ultimately about driving more sales and repeat buyers, at heart, these emails are really about driving customer loyalty.

However, sending emails after a customer has made a purchase in and of itself is not sufficient. With customers receiving so many emails every day, it is critical that every message sent delivers value in a way that cuts through the noise. The good news is that there are myriad ways to use follow-up email campaigns to drive customer loyalty and build brand affinity.

The Perfect Email Campaigns to Drive Loyalty

When it comes to building customer loyalty for an eCommerce store it is important to remember Windor's best practices for email engagement. Emails of any type should be personalized, deliver value to the reader, and stand out from

Thank You Emails

A personal thank you goes a long way.

After a purchase has been made, it is always a good idea to send a thank you email to the customer. In fact, a Thank You email is expected and should most certainly be the first message your customer receives from you after you send an order confirmation. This not only helps to create a sense of loyalty but can also help to build relationships with customers.

Thank you emails should be personal and should include some information about the customer. Showing gratitude that a customer chose to buy from your online store is a critical step in building ongoing legal.

Instructional Emails

Instructional emails help customers get the most out of a purchase they have already made. All too often, a product or service includes features or benefits that might not be understood or even seen at first glance. An instructional email will help your customers recognize the full value of their purchase, further confirming that they made a great purchase decision in the first place

This type of email campaign is designed to educate customers on how to use a product or service in the most effective way. It can be helpful to include video content in these types of emails, as it can add an extra layer of engagement and make it easier for customers to understand the information being presented.

Related Products and Services

Keeping customers informed about other products or services that they may be interested in doesn't just create the chance at another sale, it also drives loyalty. Even if a customer chooses not to purchase a related product or service, exposure to more of a store's catalog drives positive sentiment. This sentiment - a positive and growing impression of your online store - builds loyalty. That loyalty may manifest in positive word or mouth, choosing not to

Video content can be a great way to showcase new products or services. This gives store owners the opportunity to highlight features and benefits for customers. Pictures are useful but video can demonstrate functionality, a full feature set, or how an item of might look when worn better than pictures can. Using Windsor videos, you can personalize and customize not just your email content but also the video included in the message.

Company and Culture Emails

When customers feel like they know the people behind a company, they are more likely to develop loyalty to that company. Sharing stories about your brand and the people who make it up is a great way to build customer loyalty. Stories help customers connect with a company on a personal level, making them more likely to want to stick around and do business with you.

Including video in these types of emails is a great way to further engage customers and help them connect with your brand. Videos humanize a company and allow customers to see the faces behind the business. This can go a long way in building loyalty and trust.

Customer Success Stories

Hearing about other customers who have had success with a product or service is a great way to build confidence in a purchase. When potential customers see that others like them have had success with your product, they are more likely to take the plunge and make a purchase themselves.

Success stories also help to create a sense of community around your brand. Customers can feel like they are part of something bigger when they see that others have had success with your product. This feeling of community can lead to loyalty and repeat business.

As with company and culture emails, including video in customer success stories is a great way to engage customers and help them connect with your brand. Video brings the story to life and allows customers to see the results for themselves. This is a powerful way to build loyalty and confidence in your product.

A Sense of Belonging

One way to create a sense of community and loyalty is to send emails that highlight the people and stories behind the brand. These types of emails can help customers feel like they are part of something bigger, and can create an emotional connection with the brand. In order to create a strong sense of community and loyalty, it is important to show customers that they are part of something bigger.

When it comes to making purchasing decisions, social dynamics can be a major factor in deciding whether or not to buy a product. In many cases, people will look to their friends and family for advice on what products to buy. Further, they will look to the community and people they identify with for influence or advice. Quite often this manifests in purchasing decisions and in choosing brands to which they are loyal. This is especially true for products that are seen as luxury items, or that are expensive.

Using video to demonstrate community can come in many forms. For example, try combining customer success stories and messaging about your brand to create community and foster a sense of belonging. Video testimonials or product demonstrations featuring people that the recipient identifies with can be compelling and help grow brand loyalty.

A Glimpse of the Future

A message that builds excitement about the future is a very effective way to drive customer loyalty. As referenced in the campaign type above, customers want to feel like they are part of something bigger than just themselves. Building excitement about a future product launch or an upcoming holiday sale lets these customers better envision their relationship with your company in the days, weeks, or months to come.

Giving customers a lens into that future relationship is literally the first step in their BEING a future relationship.

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The Right Campaigns Make All The Difference in Growing Brand Loyalty

Building loyalty with customers through email campaigns is never a "one size fits all" proposition. The two key factors to consider are your brand and offerings and your customers. What works best for a business-to-business supplier of commercial pipe fittings will be quite different from what works best for a women's fashion boutique. Of critical importance is understanding your brand and messaging style and creating a message that resonates with your customer.

When a customer makes a purchase from your eCommerce store, they are explicitly telling you that they want to be a fan of your brand. What you do with that signal with your follow-up email campaigns will be the difference between seizing on that momentum for improved brand loyalty and letting a golden opportunity pass you by.

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