You know what really matters when it comes to creating a brand and keeping your customers happy? It's all about that personal touch, that human connection. Sure, it's easy to get caught up in the whole "gotta catch 'em all" mentality of getting new users and throwing money at ads, but if you're not paying attention to your CRM, you could be missing out on some serious opportunities to turn those leads into loyal customers.
That's where email marketing saves the day. When you nail your email marketing strategy, it's like having a superpower that helps you connect with your people on a whole new level. Not only that, but it can also help you get more value out of every dollar you spend in the long run. It's a total win-win!
In this article, we'll dive into three tried-and-true strategies that can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and boost your conversions like never before!
According to a Mailjet survey, the percentage of users who prefer emails to hear from brands skyrocketed from 42% to 75.4% in just two years. Every brand knows that landing in the inbox is a surefire way to attract prospects. But to grab their attention, you need to play your cards right. That's where personalization comes in.
After years of hypothesizing and testing emails, we discovered that the more personalized an email is, the more people engage with your business. Here are the 3 A/B tests that worked wonders for me.
#1 Do not sell your business in your emails
For this article, let's choose a random brand (Buffer, because they're awesome) and pretend we're testing these emails for them.
When you sign up for Buffer, they greet you with a warm and welcoming email, just like any good business should. It’s brief, friendly, and straight to the point. They mention their impressive community of over 140,000 users, give you a quick rundown of what you can do with Buffer, and include a clear call-to-action to help you get started. Plus, they top it off with a personal touch — a signature from the founder, which always adds a nice touch.
Buffer’s first email after the sign-up
As you continue through their onboarding process, Buffer sends out emails about connecting your social media accounts or using their AI assistant. This is something we’ve done in our own work with companies. But then we paused and asked ourselves, “Why should our potential customers care about our platform and its features?”
Think about your own experiences. When you buy a product or sign up for a service, you've likely done your homework. You have a problem you need solving, and you’re curious about how this new tool can help. But sometimes, something holds you back from taking that next step. It’s human nature to have doubts, even personal ones.
This makes the first few emails in your automated flow crucial. Instead of saying "Connect your first channel to Buffer" in your subject line, try "Why is it so hard to grow on social?" Instead of creating an onboarding flow that explains Buffer's features, send them an email series that tackles the reason they're here.
Segmentation works like magic in this case. Ask your customers on the signup page why they want to use Buffer: to simplify their social media management? To increase engagement? To track the performance of their posts? Or to create an automated workflow?
Based on their chosen reason, send them emails that address their pain points. For example:
- Overwhelmed with juggling multiple accounts?
- Oops! You forgot to publish that post.
- Repetitive tasks killing your creativity?
How you can test if it works for you: Create an A/B test plan for your first email. In the control email, use a promotional email that presents your brand's USPs. In the variant email, choose a pain point and write emotional content about it. Keep the subject line the same for each email, so you can track the right metrics.
How it worked: This A/B test sequence included various iterations, and in the end, a direct subject line with emotional content increased the CTR by 90%.
KPIs to measure: Since the subject line will be the same, track the Click-through Rate and Conversion Rate. Don't jump to conclusions right away, as some users may convert in the long run.
#2 Do cute visuals always win?
Let's take a look at Recess, a brand that's nailing their email game (kudos to their copywriter). we’ve never shopped from Recess, but we open every single one of their emails because they feel like they're coming from a friend.
With catchy subject lines and hilarious opening lines, their emails speak our language. Here's an example:
Subject Line: “catch flights AND feelings ✈️💕”
We adore Recess' email templates with adorable images, but are we certain that cute-looking emails work better with prospects who have low intent? Does the template truly humanize the business enough?
Your email list already knows they're receiving automated emails. It can feel cold and impersonal, as if you don't have time for your customers.
Changing your email template can make your prospects feel more valued. Especially if they've also signed up for a competitor, a plain Gmail format that looks like it's coming from a friend can encourage them to click your CTA.
How to test if it works for you: Test your best-performing email against a plain text email. Use the same subject line and content in the variant email. In Recess' email example, the email would end: "[…] and if you're not catching flights (or feelings) this week, order recess here."
How it worked: We implemented this A/B test in various emails: onboarding flow, promotional content, and feedback emails. In each of them, We gained an average 75% increase in CTR followed by an average 56% increase in CR (user activation).
KPIs to measure: Click-through Rate & Conversion Rate
#3 The "Founder's Email"
Ah, the classic "founder's story" idea that works like a charm.
Let's stick with Recess as our example. They've been sending me those cute emails every week for the last year, even though We haven't bought anything from them. We open every email because We love their tone and enjoy reading their content. We're long-engaged users who haven't made a purchase. Why?
In these cases, using the founder's email can work wonders for not only getting feedback but also converting high-intent prospects.
Say the plain email won the second A/B test in terms of defined KPIs. Try iterating it by sending an email from the founder's address. Personalize every word and tell them why you care about them. For example:
Hi Buse, how’s everything?
I’m Benjamin, one of the founders of Recess. We believe in and work hard for our mission to help you keep a calm, focused, and creative mind in the midst of our chaotic modern world.
that’s why I wondered what’s blocking you from trying Recess and wanted to reach out personally. Your feedback will help me and my team improve our products to help more people, more minds.
feel free to reply back, I’ll personally read and answer your email.
appreciate your time.
love, Benjamin
We'd honestly reply to this email. And, when we finally decide to try one of the many DTC drinks, Recess would be my go-to choice.
How to test if it works for you: Take your best email and test it against the founder's email for users who engage with your emails but don't convert. We suggest keeping the email as plain as possible (not even in bold or italic format). It can be an automated email, but it shouldn't feel that way.
How it worked: Although my main goal was to increase conversion with this email, we received a ton of valuable feedback that we used to improve our product. Sometimes, listening to people can be the highest form of KPIs.
KPIs to measure (quantitative): Reply Rate & Conversion Rate
KPIs to measure (qualitative): Feedback
Conclusion
Think of it this way: your emails can either make your customers fall in love with your brand or completely turn them off. If you understand your customers and what they're going through, you can write emails that solve their concerns and problems.
Here are some key things to remember:
- Have a new idea? Test it! You won't know what your customers like unless you try it out and see the results.
- Struggling to get people to buy? Talk to your customers! People want to feel heard and understood. Your customers have valuable insights that can help your business grow.
- Want to personalize your emails even more? Explore your customer data! There are endless ways to personalize emails. If you've tried everything else, spend some time looking at your customer data to find new ways to group them and send them more relevant emails.
