5 Types of Emails That Increase Customer Retention

5 Types of Emails That Increase Customer Retention

As a health and wellness professional, your time with a client is limited. Aside from the coaching sessions themselves, the only other typical touchpoints you have are quick text check-ins. something like “Hey, how was the meeting today?”

Unfortunately, infrequent communication can hurt customer loyalty in the long term. So what can you do to strengthen and deepen your relationship with existing customers?

Answer:Email marketing.

“But what should I write in these emails?” No panic. This article will walk you through everything you need to know about sending marketing emails to customers (like what to include and what not to include) to achieve high customer retention rates and long-lasting customer loyalty.

Do emails offer added value?

First things first. For those who have balked at the term “email marketing,” here’s the truth: Although it’s been around for over two decades (and is often considered an outdated practice), it still works. Incredibly good.

Email marketing is rated as the most effective marketing channel, ahead of many newer tactics available, including social media, SEO, and even PPC advertising. For those who are unconvinced, perhaps this statistic can help. Email marketing has an ROI of 4,400%.

Meaning? Every $1 you spend on email marketing returns approximately $44. So, here's the bottom line: email marketing remains the best way to retain (and even acquire) customers.

So emails work. What now? What exactly should you include in these emails?

There are many types of emails you could send, and knowing when to send is crucial to ensuring your customers continue to open your emails (with the alternative of them being relegated to their "spam" folder, or worse, your customer hitting the "unsubscribe" button).

Onboarding emails

Imagine you're excited to enroll in a new training package or program, and you've gone through the hassle of submitting personal information and entering your credit card information. When all this is done, you will receive a payment invoice and... that's it.

How would you feel? Chances are, you're feeling let down. At least you would have a “Welcome!” expected. E-mail.

Understandably, a customer who doesn’t receive an “onboarding” email from you would also be disappointed. It may even cause them to question their decision to trust you with their health goals (and their money).

For this reason, you should always have a welcome email ready to send every time a new customer is confirmed. Although it doesn't have to be anything special, it should cover the following key points:

How grateful and excited you are that they chose you as their coach. What they can expect in their first session with you (e.g. is there anything they should prepare?)
Certain appsYou may need to download them to reach you. Frequently asked questions about working with you (e.g. are there cancellation fees?)

This equips a new client with all the knowledge they need to work with you and keeps them excited for their first session.

Progress update emails

Let's say you're a personal trainer and your client first came to you hoping to improve their body composition (increase muscle mass and lose fat).

You havedesigned a training programtaking into account their fitness abilities, lifestyle habits and existing injuries, and your client has now been at it for a month. However, they don't know that they are a little discouraged because they can't see any difference in their physique when they look in the mirror.

If you don't do something about it, a client in this condition may leave you for another personal trainer who they believe could help them get results much faster.

Okay, but wait. How are you supposed to do anything if you can't read minds or tell exactly when a particular customer is losing motivation?

Well, this is where progress update emails come into play.

These are emails that you send to your customers at set, regular intervals (e.g. every month) that describe the progress they have made since their last “check-in.”

An apparent lack of progress between successive emails could remind both you and your customer that something isn't working with their program. Maybe they're not doing the things they say they're doing, or maybe you need to adjust your plan. In any case, progress emails create the opportunity for further communication.

What to include in a progress update email

The exact parameters you should track in a progress email depend on your profession and a client's specific goal. For reference, here are some client progress measures relevant to a personal trainer:

Body fat percentage:Has your client's body fat percentage decreased? Then be sure to mark it in the email. (Note: This only applies to clients who want to lose body fat.) By the way,if neither you nor your customer want to use a scaleTo measure progress, an alternative would be to use the so-called Navy Seal formula. It is a mathematical formula that helps estimate a person's body fat percentage based on simple variables (e.g. age, gender and waist circumference). Fitness Skills: Is your client now able to squat 80% of their body weight compared to only 40%? Since strength is closely related to muscle mass, this is a strong indicator that your client has gained muscle. Therefore, make sure you provide accurate numbers in your email.

But what if you are a health or nutrition coach? The same principles apply; You want to highlight customer successes and track goal progress:

Highlight milestones: Think about the milestones your customer has achieved in a specific time period. Have you reduced your daily smoking frequency? Have they increased the frequency of meal preparation at home (or opted for nutritionally balanced foods while on the go)? Mention these in your emails. Track Goal Progress: How is your client doing toward their short- and long-term goals? Log everything for your customer.

Customer review/feedback emails

Coaching is a two-way street.

While some customers are more than happy to share feedback with you, others may be apprehensive about doing so - especially if they have negative things to say - face-to-face.

FYI:Reports show that 91% of dissatisfied customers If you don't complain, just leave! This means you may never know why this client didn't come back for their fifth session (even though it looks like they enjoyed their sessions with you). This again highlights the importance of “feedback emails”.

What sending customer feedback emails does

More specifically, sending regular customer feedback emails could achieve the following:

Learn what works and what doesn’t for your customer: Asking your customers for feedback gives them a channel to communicate with you what they like – and don’t like – about your services. Maybe they don't like a particular exercise or can't do it at their regular gym due to a lack of equipment. By obtaining this information, you can optimize clients' programs (or sessions) to better meet their needs.
Make customers feel important and included:“You don’t care what I think.” This is what your customer will think if you don't follow up with them regularly. However, by constantly seeking feedback, you are actively communicating that you value their opinions and are interested in what they have to say. More importantly, designing your service based on their feedback gives them a sense of control - or, more accurately, autonomy - in their health and wellness journey (which could lead to higher motivation ).
We help you improve your services:Evaluating the feedback you regularly receive from specific groups of customers will give you a sense of what works for them - and what doesn't - and gives you the opportunity to better meet their needs right from the start. For example, let's say you notice that beginner customers tend to "Fitness intimidation.” You could offer any clients new to fitness a more in-depth “introductory” gym class to help them feel more confident.

What should be included in a customer feedback email

Customer feedback emails don’t have to be long. Instead, keep it brief; The less text your customer has to read, the more likely they are to respond to you. In general, a great customer feedback email has three components:

Why you're asking for feedback: An example sentence you could use would be: "This information will help me better support you on your health journey." The Question: Refers to the part where you request your customer's feedback. Example sentences you could use are "What do you think about your sessions so far? Is there anything I could improve?" and “What could I do to better support you?” Thank them for their time: When you thank your customer, you show that you understand that their time is valuable and that you value them.

Client FAQs or Knowledge Tidbit emails

Customer FAQs or knowledge emails are what you would think of as your typical “newsletters.” Use these to share information that is helpful and relevant to your customers.

So let’s say you’re a nutrition coach. Are new research findings applicable to your customer (e.g. protein recommendations)? How about useful articles with nutritional tips like promoting gut health,healthy spices to add to your meals, andhow to avoid excessive sugar consumption?

You don’t just have to create blog post summaries either. If you're happy with the idea, you can even share your own knowledge and personal insights.

Afraid of writer's block? A great way to “unclog,” so to speak, would be to think about the questions customers have been asking you recently. List all the ones you think are relevant to most of your customers and answer them.

Not only do they address common customer doubts and struggles, but they can even end up sparking a whole new, exciting discussion in which all customers can participate.

And don't worry about running out of questions to answer. In your emails, you could simply add the line: “Feel free to send me your questions and I’ll answer them in the next email!” There has to be a customer who is struggling with something; you can be sure of that.

Promotional emails

You may be thinking, "Promotional emails to existing customers? What's the point?" It's normal to have reservations. Ultimately, however, promotional emails are beneficial for two things:

Customer Renewal: Let's say your customer's 10-session package expires next week and they are undecided about renewing their contract with you for financial reasons. Telling them that you offer a “renewal discount” (e.g. 15% off packages) can help convince them to stick with it. Customer Testimonial: Word of mouth is incredibly powerful. If your client enjoys their sessions with you, they are more likely to share their experience with their friends and family. Add a “referral discount” of a set percentage for your customer and a referral member – and you could have a steady stream of new customers. A win-win-win situation for all three parties involved.

Of course, there are many other promotional email strategies you could use. Examples include email marketing for holidays (e.g., “Give the gift of better health this Christmas”) and even Valentine’s Day (e.g., “Work up a sweat with someone special this Valentine’s Day”).

Be creative with it. However, keep the following in mind when sending promotional emails:

Keep it minimal: Promotional emails can quickly become annoying. Only send them occasionally. Find a balance between promotional emails and value-added emails (e.g. progress emails and customer FAQ emails). Make sure it's relevant: You don't want to send a renewal discount email to someone who hasn't even attended their first session with you. Make sure all emails match a customer’s “journey map.”

Additional tips for creating an email

You can always send emails manually. But this could become overwhelming and complex once your customer base grows.

Then you should consider investing in email marketing software that allows you to divide customers into groups, send automated emails, and track the performance of your campaigns.

Most importantly, a good email service provider will ensure you optimize your emails for the mobile experience (FYI: 85% of users check their email on smartphones ) and…

... more about that in the next part.
Inspired by Afpafitness