8 Crucial Email Triggers You’re Not Monitoring

Trigger based emails are an indispensable part of email marketing. To briefly define the term, triggered emails are emails that are sent out automatically when an event (like an action or a purchase) occurs.

There are the obvious triggers – after a purchase, for example, or on the recipient’s birthday. But there are some trigger moments that haven’t quite made it into the marketing mainstream yet.

Read on for the 8 crucial email triggers that you’re probably not monitoring–and why you should start now.

1. Product usage

We all realize the impact that positive customer testimonials can have on the overall sales. If you plan on building an archive of customer testimonials, use trigger emails to contact the customer a few days after the purchase was made. By that time, they would have had the time to use the product, and share what they think about it.

Taking this a step further, if you find previously active customers that are becoming less active, you can use trigger emails to share more information about the product.

2. Cycle purchases

If you are selling products or services that need timely subscriptions or upgrades, trigger mails can be a great tool to ensure repeat purchase. Capture the data which tell you when the customer will need the same product next. And time your trigger emails to reach them a few days prior to the date, suggesting them a repeat purchase.

You can make the customer feel cared about by ensuring that the triggered emails sound personal and not something that was sent as an automated message.

3. Abandoned cart

All your marketing activities resulted in the customer almost buying the product. Do you want all that effort to go to waste? Especially in the case of ecommerce businesses, a triggered mail can be used to remind the customer about the cart they left behind.

Pro-tip: Add a special discount as an incentive for them to go back and complete the purchase.

4. Upselling

It is always easier to sell your products to an existing customer than to a new one. When you have a list of existing customers, you can use trigger mails to inform them about other products that fall in the same category as their previous buy. Another great use of trigger emails is to sell added services and add-ons that are supposed to be bought separately for some products. Remember not to hard sell, just go in with the intension of making sure they know about the other products.

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5. Happy/Unhappy customers

Administering Net Promoter surveys is a great way to find out more about your customers. You can set a score you think is fair as a cut-off point. Everyone above that point should be considered as happy customers. You can target them for various activities like up-selling and loyalty programs.

Customers below the cut-off point would be unhappy customers. You need to ensure that you bring them to the happy list by sharing coupons and discounts with them.

6. Multiple events

If you have a customer that has interacted with multiple informational content (say downloading brochures, watching videos, etc.) then you know they are interested and ready for more. Set up trigger mails that help you taking such customers closer to making purchases.

If the person taking multiple actions is still a lead, trigger more information based content that will help with their decision making processes. These could also include promotional emails which include free trials.

7. Potential buyer

It is important for marketers to find out the pages that indicate higher product interest. Between a landing page and a page with the pricing information, the latter will qualify as the page of interest. When you see a customer who is frequently visiting such pages, you know you have an interested potential buyer. Reach out with a personalized trigger mails and get the drip campaign started.

8. Lifecycle

While most marketers now-a-days send instant welcome emails to new subscriber, that is not the only lifecycle stage you need to monitor. Set up triggers for other important lifecycles too such as how long the person has been a customer. A trigger email which thanks them for buying your products, without trying to sell anything, can do wonders to how the customer feels about your brand.

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