5 ways to effectively promote your brand through transactional email

How many times have you received multiple communications from the same company? I can easily cast my mind back to several email communications where I was hard pressed to recognise that they were in fact from the same brand.

The main reason for this is that unless the emails are email marketing campaigns, the marketing department usually has little to do with the design and layout thereof. Traditionally termed 'operational' email communications are the ones that often suffer this fate.

Here are 5 ways you can turn all emails into effective marketing vehicles:

1. Have you considered the marketing opportunities within your email bills?

At the point that your company deploys an eBilling project you cannot just tick the box and walk away. Sure, the technology for push eBilling is sound, your data is sent to the system monthly and interactive bills are pushed via an email attachment to your customer’s inbox. Now, if you think about the anatomy of an email bill, it is in many ways similar to an email marketing communication. It requires a call to action i.e. open & pay the bill, yet the department that designs the bills very seldom look at this type of operational communication as having any similarities to a marketing email, nor do they consider applying standard marketing principles. In fact, marketing often has little to no say in the design of an email bill.

The most obvious parallel between eBilling and marketing is the transpromo space on the cover page. Yup, this is the wasted space on the cover page of your email bill that has not been effectively utilised. This is where marketing can get involved - promoting your brand power and improving your customer experience through customised marketing. Alternatively they can provide a generic banner that will fill a certain space to push your latest product/message.

2. Don't forget the payment reminder!

Payment reminders that are sent to me as an email or text message pose another prime opportunity for you to communicate with me. Both these communication mediums can be used effectively as reminders and even more effectively as a platform to build your brand and encourage further interaction with your customer.

3. Invitations to turn-off paper can be so much more

What about the first communication I receive from a company to turn off my paper bill? How enticing is this paper suppression offer? Something as ‘boringly operational’ as switching to eBilling is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the benefits of making the switch, advertise exclusive offers to those who suppress paper and ultimately provide a lasting impression for someone opting into your digital space (assuming they don’t already receive marketing communications).

4. Credit & collections - capture my attention first, then I'll pay

What about credit and collections communications? Surely the requirement to have someone pay an outstanding amount is a call to action? The key here is to entice a creditor to make good in the shortest space of time. You would be surprised how subject lines, use of a pre-header, design & layout, button placement and wording can work together beautifully to produce your required result.

5. Electronic retail receipts - adding more value to your purchase

What about turning somewhat boring transactional communications into a mix between transactional and marketing? Retail receipts are a good example of this kind of synergy. Producing an electronic receipt as a substitute to a paper copy provides huge cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. The retailer now has the ability to interrogate customer data and provide further value to customers - not possible with a flat paper receipt showing the purchase details only. A great example here is to display similar items to customers based on their current purchase history (for example, customers who bought this camera also bought this tripod).

Empower your brand

All scheduled and triggered communications (such as email bills) to your customer have the ability to promote your brand and to utilise the traditional white space in operational communications effectively.

It is therefore vital that you empower your marketing people to partake in the design of these triggers and scheduled communications. Apart from the lost transpromo opportunities, the confusion your client experiences if your communications lack a consistent look and feel can be completely avoided upfront.

Have you had a look at all your email communications recently? Are they promoting your brand effectively?