Have you ever wondered what motivates customers to sign up for your email list? Well, the most common reason (for 39% of subscribers) is so they can receive discounts.
But are you giving your customers what they want? Or are you currently using email for transactional emails and ignoring the marketing element?
If you aren’t sure which approach you currently take, read on for our quick guide on transactional email Vs. marketing email and why your business probably needs both.
What Is a Transactional Email?
A transactional email is typically sent to an individual rather than a group and contains essential information. As the name suggests, that might include information on a transaction following an online purchase.
If you’ve bought a product or service online, you’ve probably seen these before. You’ll get an automatic email thanking you for the purchase, which generally lists your order.
Another type of transactional email is a confirmation email you get when signing up to an email list.
Perhaps you’ve had the experience of signing up to an e-commerce store because they offered a money-off voucher on your first purchase. That transaction email will contain the voucher code.
A common type of transaction email is a password reminder. We’ve all experienced having a password link sent to us because we forgot our login details!
What Is a Marketing Email?
A marketing email is there to promote your products or services. It typically forms part of a broader marketing strategy. So you might email a promotion at the same time as advertising it on social media or paid search, for example.
Black Friday is a typical time of year to see marketing emails from big brands.
You’ll probably start to see offers sent to you via email leading up to the day. If you subscribe to several email lists, you’ll probably see dozens of emails on Black Friday!
Marketing emails are also great for ad hoc promotions when you want to generate more revenue. If you have a list of thousands of email subscribers, it’s relatively easy to send a special offer and get a boost in sales in under 24 hours.
That’s why so many businesses value email as a marketing tool.
Transactional Email Vs. Marketing Email
You can think of a transactional email as a communication necessary for interacting with your customer or email subscriber. In contrast, a marketing email is optional. It’s promotional.
And unlike transactional emails, which companies generally send to an individual, you typically send marketing emails to groups of people. As this blog explains, always check your email platform for open rates and delivery statistics.
Is Your Email Marketing Strategy Up to Date?
If you’re currently only using transactional emails, it’s time to start experimenting with some marketing strategies. Now that you understand the difference between transactional email vs. marketing emails, you should see the benefits of using both.
You can get some inspiration on how to design your marketing emails by exploring our branding section.
