What makes a customer want to come back for more?
Personalised marketing is a topic that seems to have filled my week for several reasons.
Reason 1: Having attended the recent TFM&A show (boo to bad link building and yessss to high quality content), I felt I should squeeze in some time to pimp up my Google+ account. But I got a bit distracted and was spirited away to Friends+Me which I seem to have signed up to without so much as sneezing.
Within minutes, I received an email saying, “Hey Caroline, I am Alois, Founder of Friends+Me. I wanted to reach out to see if you need any help getting started.”
Surprised, I replied, “Is this an automated email?” to which he answered, “Hi Caroline, yes, it is an automatic email but what’s important is the message, offer of help. Don’t hesitate to contact me in case you need any help. Have a wonderful day!”
What great – and instant – customer service (and personalised marketing). A thank you email needn’t be fancy; it just needs to be simple, warm and polite – see examples below!
Reason 2: I’ve been working on a school questionnaire to send prospective parents accompanied by a thank you email from the Head.
SurveyMonkey, I love you. You’re easy, you’re flexible and you’re free for the basic questionnaire package. (Upgrades to extra techy wizardry are available.)
The key thing to surveys is getting the right answers to the right questions. Consider using scales in which people are asked to rate something between 1 and 5 or between ‘Unlikely’ to ‘Very likely’ – SurveyMonkey has all sorts of wonderful options for you to choose from. And keep that online questionnaire short: people get bored very easily.
Reason 3: One of my regular clients, Anatomic & Co, asked me to create a series of thank you emails to customers. The best thank you messages from companies are those with a really personal touch – the ones that make you feel one in a million, not just one of a million. Such as these ones here.
Three examples of effective ‘thank you’ customer emails
Yes, appreciative retailers – my debit card will definitely pay you a visit once more.
How to write a great customer ‘Thank you’ email
Use a great subject line
Everything hangs on this. Your subject line is the reason why your reader will open your email. With this type of email, you’re not necessarily selling anything: you’re welcoming your customer to your service or showing your appreciation of an order. A simple ‘Thank you’ or ‘Hello from us’ or ‘A big, warm welcome’ works fine. Just be sure to choose the right tone for your brand.
Reinforce great customer service
This is your opportunity to slip in something about fast delivery times, free returns, providing your birthday in exchange for a small gift at the time etc etc. Anything like this is a brilliant example of personalised marketing and helps to reinforce what a great and caring brand you are. 
Throw in a reminder
A ‘Thank you’ email letter is also a great way to clinch another sale. Think about including an offer such as ‘An extra 10% off for a limited period only’. Or, ‘Be first to take a look at our newly added lines’. Or, ‘As a treat for being a first-time customer, use code xxxx next time for a special discount’.
Be personal to your customers
Your customer is a person so always use their name. I have to confess that I sometimes ignore email enquiries from potential clients who just say ‘Hi’ (and sometimes, not even that!). If they haven’t used my name, I know that I’m probably one of quite a few freelance copywriters that they’re contacting. Which makes me feel far from unique.
And do remember to add your name, such as ‘Regards, Jenny’, or personalise any reply contact details such as ‘Jenny@JoeBloggs’ rather than ‘CustomerService@JoeBloggs’.
Don’t be afraid to add a personal touch, just like Alois, Founder of Friends+Me did with me.
Let your customers be personal to you
Click on my email details on my contact page and see what pops up.
I’ve created a bespoke subject line. I also know that my potential customer is emailing me from my contact page. Which probably means they’ve looked at the rest of my site. Which is great news, as far as I’m concerned, as I know they’re keen to talk to me.
End on a clear call to action
Personalised marketing is about leaving your customer with the warm, happy, fuzzy feeling that they’re really special to you. There’s no need to even make this a hard-sell call to action. Something like ‘We look forward to your custom again’ (which is very formal) or ‘Have a nice day’ (which is very friendly) or ‘We think you’re fantastic and can’t wait to hear from you again’ (which is quirkier but from the heart).
And finally…does it need to be a Thank you email?
Buck the trend and be even more personal. If you’re a start up or a small business, why not send out a note in the post? There’s something special about a well written, nicely handwritten note (just proof read thoroughly before sending).
So, pencil sharpened and at the ready to pen a gracious bon mot or thirty.
Meanwhile, thank you for reading this. I mean it. I do.
Written with thanks by Caroline Gibson, freelance copywriter.
E: caroline@carolinegibson.co.uk. T: +44 (0) 7957 567766
