Humanize Your Email Marketing With a Well-Timed Thank You

Unless you were raised by wolves in the wild, at some point you learned that it is polite to say thank you. It's not merely proper etiquette; it's just downright considerate and gracious.

Yet, for marketers, saying thank you is about much more than just being polite. If you're in the business of building lasting, loyal customer relationships (and if you're not, please ask why you're bothering to be in business at all), it's an essential practice that pays both monetary and goodwill dividends. Without it, you're at greater risk of customer flight—and you're a sitting duck for the competition.

If you don't already have a thank-you email process in place, it's easy to begin one. I suggest matching the format of your initial thank-you message to the channel via which someone first did business with you, then expanding that process over time.

For example, did someone purchase from you online? If so, email the customer a thank-you message with an offer to revisit or purchase again; ideally, you'd provide a coupon or free gift to entice action soon. Did someone buy in your store or office? Send a thank-you follow-up letter via postal mail. Did customers do business with you at a conference, fair, or tradeshow? Email and mail them an invitation to engage with you at your physical place of business, your online storefront, or both. And keep the follow-ups going.

The thank-you and other conversational greetings (such as birthday, holiday, and anniversary acknowledgments) become a legitimate reason to reach out to and talk to customers and should be different in feel from the ever-present invitation to buy, buy, buy. They make you approachable, grateful, and personal.

Remember, people don't buy from brands; people buy from people. Adding thank-you emails to your marketing illuminates the human side of your brand.

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