6 Ways to Create Engaging Transactional Emails

Transactional emails are a tedious but important part of doing business. Unfortunately, many put in as little time as possible to read through to confirm their order, payment or booking. On the other hand, the open rate for transactional is eight times higher than normal. That means you want to include engaging content and CTAs that motivate your customers to make a purchase.

Transactional emails give you a new window to grab customers’ attention for the chance at another sale. They are also a good opportunity to retain existing customers. Any update email that you know your customer will open is an opportunity to cross-sell or upsell.

Here are six tips that will help you create engaging transactional emails.

1. Use Names

Personalization is the key to getting your customer’s attention. It shows you care enough to know who they are. For any e-commerce business, it is easy to identify names and add them to an email. For other B2B businesses, add forms with a full name option that you can include in the email.

When you are sending these emails, make the sender name and email ID sound like a real person. Avoid names and IDs that sound fake or like companies. Customers connect best with messages that carry real names and email addresses.

2. Content – Less is More

Since it is a transactional email, you can stick to the needed information. To make it more engaging, don’t shove too much content inside. Keep it light and crisp.

Add a promotion, provide quick links on the header or footer and offer clear CTAs. Don’t let the content sound too automated. Balance it between not too formal and not too casual. Make it more personal by tweaking your copy’s style and tone.

3. Image vs. Video

Images are good, but video is best. Since these emails are expected to be dull, a short video or GIF will make it more attractive and engaging. A very clever example of this is Buffer. Buffer adds GIFs and videos in its emails to customers when they reach a milestone or upgrade plans.

Images shouldn’t be shied away from, but they are something your customer expects. Surprise them with a customized video. It is a great mix of personalization and engagement.

4. Custom Suggestions

These are your customers. You have information about them and you can use this data to make custom suggestions to them. You can upsell or cross-sell products or upgrades using their buying history. B2B businesses might need to dig into their web analytics to get more data on a customer’s buying persona, but e-commerce businesses already have solid data and can use this to suggest similar products.

Don’t overwhelm them with too many suggestions. Offer two or three relevant products or upgrades.

5. Add Related Articles

Your customers want read articles that resonate with them, especially articles that offer quick guides, life hacks or tips and tricks. Use transactional emails to showcase articles related to their products/services and offer them value-added information.

These articles should be rich in content and include something customers will not find anywhere else. Consider giving them a direct download button to avoid redirecting them to a webpage.

6. Fun CTAs

CTAs matter. It’s important to understand where to should place them, what text to use, the size and color of the button and the repetition. Even though you have quick links that send customers to your site, you should add a CTA since they are preferred over a quick links tab. To get clicks on your CTA button, it needs to be enticing. Less “Click Here” and more “Here’s What You Need” or “Want A Discount?”

Analyze the transactional emails you have received when creating your own. Look for things that could have been done differently or better. Make these emails less boring and more engaging with customization and personalization.