In today’s digital world, where interactions tend to feel cold and impersonal, the power of emotional connection cannot be overstated. Not only will forming a meaningful, personal relationship with your customers make you stand out, but you’ll also be likely to increase conversions and customer lifetime value (CLV). By understanding and leveraging emotion rather than just products and services, startups can create an exceptional customer experience that leaves a long-lasting impression in customers’ minds. In this article, Alex Melone, Co-Founder of CodeCrew, explores how small businesses can achieve this by implementing emotional drivers in their email marketing campaigns.

Get Personal

Customers appreciate being treated like real people and not just an address on a mailing list. After all, we’re not dealing with cold emails sent en masse into the void – each customer gave you permission to send them relevant, valuable content. And this is a privilege you should never take for granted.

The best way to show a customer that they matter is through personalisation. Starting an email with a personal greeting takes your messaging to the next level and requires very little effort on your part. All you need is the customer’s name (which they’ve given you) and a decent email service provider.

When your customer sees their name in the Subject Line or at the top of an email, they’ll know that someone made the effort to cater to their needs and interests. Now, you should take this one step further and ensure that your content is focused on them as well. Compare these two sentences:

– We’re giving customers 15% OFF

– You’re getting 15% OFF

Clearly, the second option makes you (the reader) the hero. The first option is centered on the business and their actions, with little room left for the customer.

Work in Segments

Another thing that helps any business thrive in email marketing is segmentation. This simply means dividing your audience into segments based on their purchase history and preferences. For example, if a customer buys dog food from you, there’s quite a bit of information you can extrapolate. You can safely assume that they have a dog, you’ll probably know in which county or neighborhood they live, and how often they need to reorder based on their previous purchases.

Once you have a profile of a customer and you add them to the relevant segment, you can help craft a more personalised customer experience. Now you can take them off the cat food list, recommend chew toys, and offer similar products that might interest them.

The important thing here is to keep your messaging as relevant as possible to each customer segment. Demonstrate that you’re in tune with their needs and you’re guaranteed to create a stronger connection with each customer.

A Note from the Founder

Just like you want to make a customer feel like a valued individual, you should also remind them that you’re more than just a business. Every small business was founded by a person who had a dream and a passion for building something great.

A great way to reinforce this is by having the occasional email campaign that seems as though it’s written by the founder of your business. These should focus on both thanking the customer for supporting your business, and remind them of your brand’s vision and ethos. Not only does this highlight the benefit of supporting small businesses, but it also makes the customer feel like they’re part of your brand’s story.

Picture This

Let’s talk about imagery. If a picture says a thousand words, it makes sense to be very particular about the imaging you use in emails. But there’s a way you can use imaging to evoke emotion and create a stronger connection between your brand and the customer.

Where possible, it’s always best to opt for lifestyle images instead of products. An image of a toaster is fine, but a family enjoying breakfast elevates the message and adds emotion. It sells the proverbial sizzle, and not the steak. After all, it’s not the product that matters, it’s what your customers can achieve through your product – we’re making the customer the hero, not you.

If you’re selling a service, then show an image of the final result – happy people living a good life, thanks to your excellent products or services. The basic premise here is to focus on the results and not the means.

Watch the Calendar

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day are all key dates on any marketer’s calendar, but it helps to think farther than sales. These dates (and others like them) have an emotional meaning for most customers, and it’s important that you connect on that level.

Let’s take Mother’s Day as an example: Mothers play a crucial role in our upbringing – for most, motherhood is synonymous with caring, love, and empathy. That makes this perfect common ground from which to form a meaningful connection with your customer.

On the flipside of the coin, you should also consider sending opt-out messages for these days. By doing this, you’re showing that your brand is caring and understanding of the fact that not all customers enjoy these campaigns. Mother’s Day and Christmas, for example, have different meanings to different people, and we need to be sensitive to that.

Another caveat here is to beware of pandering – successful marketing steers clear of disingenuous messaging and always comes from the heart. Customers are pretty savvy when it comes to marketing, and they’ll sniff out a fake marketing campaign from miles away.

So, how do you tie something as emotional and universal as motherhood to a product or service? It’s tricky, but the best answer is to focus on the ‘why’ instead of the ‘what’. This means more than simply saying, “Hey, we all have mothers, so buy this product.” You must put your customer first and demonstrate why your brand MIGHT just be the perfect way to spoil Mrs Customer.

Final Thoughts

It’s a vastly different world than it was fifty years ago, and email marketing (or marketing in general) has evolved far beyond the sell-sell-sell mentality. Regardless of how you make meaningful connections for your customers, the important thing is to always respect them as individuals with an interest in what you’re doing. Remember, conversations lead to conversions. Maybe you won’t make a sale today, but once a customer is ready, you’ll be right there with open arms and a big smile.