How to Use Transactional Messages to Boost Revenue & Build Relationships

According to Jupiter Research, transactional messages are opened and clicked on more than any other type of email, which means that you have a huge opportunity to create positive brand experience and bring in some additional dollars through these communications.

Transactional messages deserve a lot of attention and should be re-evaluated on a regular basis. Remember that these messages are illustrating how you do business.  At the end of the day, are you helpful and clear or do people end up confused or frustrated, calling your customer service center? No matter what, make sure you've got the basics covered:

• Use a straight-forward subject line and your recognizable brand as the from name. The subject line should confirm the action just taken: "Order confirmation #123" or "Your account has been canceled" or "Your items have been shipped." Avoid sending emails from names like Customer Service because readers won't recognize it and will have a hard time finding the email later when searching for it.
• Include all possible details about what just happened and with whom. People want to know that the actions they took were registered correctly. For a purchase confirmation, this would include billing and shipping names and addresses, the quantity/size/color/product number(s) and description, payment details, gift wrapping and note details, etc.
• Make your customer service contact details clear and prominent. If customers have to dig around for this information, they will get frustrated.
• Proactively offer information on return/cancellation policies or any other restrictions related to their transaction. If your policies are long and detailed, you can always link to them instead of including them in full.
• Tell them what's next. If you'll be sending a shipping confirmation once their products have left the warehouse, let them know to expect that. Are you sending a product review request a week after shipment? Say so.
• Link to your privacy policy.

To take your messages to the next level, you need to consider ways that you can strengthen a customer's engagement and tie to your brand. How can you get them to dig a little deeper, learn a little more, increase their trust, build their loyalty - and in the end, open up their wallets again? Consider the following to continue customer involvement:

• Upsell/Cross-sell. Are there related products, accessories or services that make sense to mention at the bottom or side of the email?
• Offer a coupon/special deal for next purchases or for family and friends. Adding a deadline to coupons can help spur action.
• Ask customers to sign up for promotions or newsletters via email if they haven't already and include a link to your sign-up page.
• Introduce and link customers to other areas of your site (helpful education tools, reward programs) and/or let them know about your social media presence and encourage them to participate.
• Help customers make the most of their purchase through how-to guides or inspirational ideas, as suggested by Margaret Farmakis.

Please note: You must respect the transactional nature of the email you're sending by making that information prominent and not overwhelming your message with marketing. Chris Wheeler, Bronto's Director of Deliverability, likes to say that the message should pass the "Grandma" or "Mom" test: Would your Mom think this was a marketing piece or a confirmation message of some sort? If she would say marketing or be unsure, you've crossed the line and need to dial the promotional content back.

Ultimately, sending messages that provide complete information on a customer's transaction and secondarily, link to helpful resources and offer additional product suggestions can help customers feel positively about their experience and encourage repeat interactions.

Take a look at your current messages and evaluate what can be improved. What changes are you planning to boost the customer experience? What tweaks have you already seen make a big impact? I'd love to know.

Kristen Gregory
Email Marketing Strategist at Bronto