Imagine shopping from a small online store. You’ve never heard of the brand before, but right after you make a purchase, you get a small note in your email that says:
“Thank you for your purchase. We appreciate you choosing us over thousands of other brands. We promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Wouldn’t you start developing trust and sympathy towards the brand?
That’s exactly what a well-crafted thank-you email does for a client. It gives you a chance to connect with your customers directly and establish credibility for your business. Customers love businesses that make them feel special.
If you’re looking for ways to leverage this powerful tool, we’ve listed everything you should pay attention to. First, let’s brush up on the basics.
What are thank-you emails?
Thank-you emails are appreciative messages you send to clients when they interact with your business. They’re a key element of solid professional etiquette, and they convey an important message to your customers: we value your time and money. As an effect, consumers start developing a strong bond with your brand.
Sending thank-you emails is an easy, effective, and direct way of appreciating your customers.
Different types of thank-you emails
Think about in-store sales—they provide a unique opportunity for personal contact. You can thank your customers right after the sale. In online business, the same thing can be done with a simple thank-you email. Here are three types of the most common thank-you emails.
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Post-purchase thank-you email
These emails work best for an e-commerce company or retail store that has recently shifted to an online model.
While drafting the email, consider that your client is standing in front of you and you’re talking to them directly. Use a more personalized salutation, and keep the tone conversational.
If you can, add a discount voucher or code encouraging them to shop more from you.
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Post-subscription thank-you email
If you have newsletters, a simple thank-you email for each new subscriber is an absolute must.
You can consider adding an extra to your post-subscription thank-you email. Say you’re a blogger who has recently launched an e-book. Add a link to your thank-you email that can direct your new subscriber to download the e-book for free. In this way, you show your appreciation – even if it’s free of charge.
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Post feedback thank-you email
Client feedback is essential to maintaining good service and product standards. Every time your client goes out of their way to give you feedback, always follow it up with a thank you.
Let them know you appreciate their help and their views, and then use that information to provide them with more value through your product or service.
Clients always come back to businesses that make them feel like their opinions, time, and money is valued.
Benefits of using thank-you emails
From thanking your customer for making a purchase to appreciating them for giving you their valuable time, a thank-you email helps you build a healthy and long-lasting rapport with your clients.
The happier they are, the more they will talk about your product or service, thus the better reach you will have.
But there’s more to this. Here’s what else you can achieve with thank-you emails:
- Maintaining a healthy relationship with existing clients
- Maintaining steady communication
- Establishing a trustworthy brand image
- Reiterating what makes your business unique
- Getting more loyal customers on board
- Showcasing your social media handles to gain followers
Now that you know what the stake is, it’s time to talk about various elements you need to feature to achieve the best results.
What makes for a perfect thank-you email?
Good thank-you emails consist of more elements than just a note of appreciation. Learn how to build the perfect one:
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Visual content
Visuals work wonders for grabbing attention and building brand recognition.
To grab attention, you can use GIFs or memes (as long as they are in line with your brand’s style).
To build brand recognition, remember to keep the style consistent across different emails and other channels of communication. Establish a single brand identity, and always have your company logo on the top to build trust and brand awareness.
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Engaging copy
The key to writing an impeccable thank-you note is to keep the language conversational and light. Talk like an empathetic human, not like an automated responder. Here’s a little flow to get you started:
- Start with an appropriate and personalized greeting.
- Thank the users and indicate your reason for contacting them.
- Give them a chance to leave feedback on the whole experience.
- End on a positive note.
It’s also an absolute must to be grammatically correct and maintain consistency and coherence to make the reading seamless.
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Call to action
If you want your clients to come back to you, you need to end the email with an appropriate CTA.
For example, if you thank your customer after a purchase, consider adding a “You may also like” section to your email to showcase your other products. Add a CTA button under all products — “Buy now” or “See details” would work well for this context.
If you’re working on a post-subscription thank-you email, consider encouraging users to read your past newsletters. Create a landing page with the newsletter archive, and add a “Check out past newsletters” CTA at the bottom of your email copy.
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Interactive elements
Interactive elements are dominating the email marketing landscape. Quizzes, surveys, star ratings, and interactive email signatures are great for engaging your audience. An engaged customer is a loyal customer.
Consider adding interactive elements to your thank-you emails to make sure your audience bears with you for a longer time.
When you plug your emails with these basic yet effective elements, they become twice as interesting to read. Leverage technology to save time and automate your thank-you emails by using services such as HubSpot, Mixmax, or Mailgun. Moreover, apps like Shift are a great way to manage your emails, get all your responses together, and use them to your advantage.
Final thoughts
Great businesses thrive on goodwill and positive customer reviews. A small thank-you note might not even feature in your essential to-do list, but it surely helps your customers feel more valued and appreciated. Just remember to keep the elements of your email in the right order, and make your thank-you emails as interactive as possible. Keep the conversation going, and you’ll see a change in your customer conversion in no time.
