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Leverage the Power of Email Marketing

Email marketing graphic with a heart over an envelope on an illustrated laptop screen

As a business owner, it’s easy to divert your attention towards the flashy world of social media marketing. However, what if we told you that email marketing not only leaves a more lasting impression on customers but also boasts a high success rate in converting those impressions into sales?

Leverage the Power of Email Marketing to Retain Customers

It can, also, be tempting to put all your energy into acquiring new clients when it’s a better investment to focus on retaining existing ones. According to MailChimp, our email marketing platform of choice, “customer retention is all about ensuring that existing customers continue to choose your products or services.” 

Retention emails, in particular, play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. These targeted communications are designed to reinforce your product or service’s value, nurturing customer loyalty, and promoting continued usage, all while fostering satisfaction and deeper engagement with your brand. According to Heather Devine, the founder of Transcend Ideas, “A well-executed email marketing strategy can tell a story and build lasting relationships between the recipient and the brand. The relationship can be maintained or it can fizzle out, it all depends on utilizing several communication tactics well, including email marketing.”

Ohio voters - email marketing graphic

Why are retention emails so effective?

  1. Existing Customers Buy More Frequently 📈

    Market Metric’s data reveals a striking fact: your chances of successfully selling to an existing customer range from 60% to 70%. In contrast, the success rate of closing a new customer hovers much lower, at just 5% to 20%.
  2. Cost-Efficiency 📉

    Marketing to existing customers is not only more effective but also lighter on your budget. According to MailChimp, a mere 10% increase in customer retention rates can boost profits by a remarkable 30%.
  3. Freshness and Relevance for Your Brand

    By staying in touch with your customers through retention emails, your brand remains top-of-mind. This not only ensures their ongoing satisfaction but also increases the likelihood of satisfied customers recommending your brand to potential new customers.

Prioritizing customer retention is a vital component of running a successful business. One way to achieve this is through a well-structured email marketing strategy that maintains a consistent relationship with your existing customers. While organizing such a campaign might seem daunting, it doesn’t need to be complicated. Embrace your brand’s unique personality and the relationships you’ve cultivated. A customer communication calendar can help streamline your efforts throughout the year.

Retention emails come in various forms, and the right approach depends on factors such as your unique business, objectives, and the time of year.

Types of Retention Emails

  1. Welcome Emails

    When a new customer inquires about your business or subscribes to your newsletter, use this opportunity to introduce yourself and showcase the value you offer. Plus, welcome emails often enjoy an above-average open rate.
  2. Announcements and Product Updates

    When you release a new product or service, share the exciting news with your existing clients. They deserve to be the first to know!
  3. Promotional Emails

    Reward loyal customers with discounts or promotions, demonstrating your appreciation for their continued support.
  4. Reminder Emails

    Help customers keep track of important dates and ensure time-sensitive information stays fresh in their minds. For instance, many non-profits benefit from countdown emails leading to fundraising deadlines, like the Old Bill’s Fun Run giving period in Jackson Hole every fall.
  5. Customer Engagement Emails

    Customer engagement emails encourage active participation from your customers, inviting them to share feedback, take surveys, or interact with your brand directly. These interactions foster a sense of community and strengthen customer loyalty.
  6. Special Occasion Emails

    Recognize holidays or specific seasons with tailored retention emails that align with your brand identity. Be cautious not to get lost in the holiday email clutter; make it work for your brand.
  7. Thank You and Acknowledgment Emails

    Take a moment to express gratitude to your customers. ❤️

These are just a handful of examples of retention email types. You know your business best, so get creative and stay consistent!


Is email marketing a foreign territory you don’t want to explore? Let Transcend Ideas fill you in on how we can make email marketing work for your business. We will work with you on the email marketing strategy to best fit your audience and bring great results for your business.

Content Overload

If you have internet you must be feeling the same content overload that I feel.

Since the pandemic began in early 2020 I recalled seeing my inbox implode with emails almost immediately. Everyone, I mean everyone wanted to fuel connection. The trouble with too much too often is the overload conundrum. My inbox becomes a sea of emails I don’t have time to read, it becomes noise. And I am one of those folks that loves to keep my number of emails unread very low. I mean low, like 2 to 5. Work email especially. I flag them or star them to keep myself accountable to tasks that need my attention. But for the most part I skim through emails to make sure I don’t miss important deadlines, obligations, appointments or events. With “content overload” it sure makes it difficult to reach your audience.

What makes your email campaign content stand out without the content overload?

  1. Frequency: If your emails are being scheduled out with great succession that surely can make it difficult for your audience to: a. stay on top of what you already sent them AND b. care about what you sent them.
  2. Attention Grabbing: Have your subject line standout among the sea of emails. I’m a fan of emojis!
  3. Unique content: Share something NEW and exciting with your audience. Don’t tell them something they already know, this keeps them more engaged.
  4. Relevant content: Stay relevant to your audience. If they can’t relate to your content they will unsubscribe. Note: Unsubscribers are doing you a favor. Don’t waste unnecessary time on trying to capture their attention they’ve made their choice to step back and that’s okay, it’s not personal.
  5. Simplicity: Keep your emails short (dear God). Your audience will likely not read your lengthy email that has no photos or icons, or colors to break up the monotony of reading your boring email. Sorry to be so blunt but it’s true. We folk have a short attention span, let’s keep it short and sweet. Gifs (moving images/graphics) do help keep the eye interested. Be sure to use alternative text to reach your audience that use screen readers. The alternative text helps describe the images on your emails, website and now social media imagery too.

Providing Humanity in Marketing

  1. Elicit (positive) emotion, especially connection: If you just flip on the news, you are inundated with content that elicits fear, negativity and division. Phew, let’s not use that same influence here in their inbox. Help solve a problem, bring positivity to the inbox, share goodness and inspiration. The very last thing you want to do with your messaging is for it to become someone else’s white noise. If you can accomplish connection in your emails, that’s something special. Societally many of us have felt disconnected but if you can help even for a moment to inspire your audience feel connection you’ve accomplished something truly amazing.
  2. You are NOT for Everyone: Release the idea that you are for everyone. It is an impossible expectation to have when deploying your marketing strategy. Focus on your sweet spot bullseye audience and allow for your inbound audience to discover you.
  3. Allow for Discovery: Again, help solve a problem, educate your audience, and inspire them to make a decision about your business. What I have found is that individuals love “discovery” of new businesses and products. Allow for that discovery to happen by sharing your content piece meal through your social media posts, blog posts, and newsletters. That inbound audience will follow the breadcrumbs and make their decision on purchasing from you based on that important groundwork.

Honor where you are

I attended a ED (Executive Director) Roundtable event with Jackson Hole community yesterday and I felt inspired by the presenter. Paige Curry, ED of Astoria Park Conservancy is taking a step back from social media as she recognizes the “content overload” and quite frankly I respect that. She claimed as a mother she doesn’t have time for catching up with everyone right now and needs a personal break. She felt perhaps her audience felt the same. I thought to myself, “Amen, sister. Amen.” In fact, many of the takeaways from her leading of this ED Roundtable inspired this blog post. Thanks Paige!

On a personal note, staying up night after night glancing at my phone has just stopped working for me. It kept me stressed and “on” too much. When you work for yourself or when you work remotely you can easily get sucked into the never ending to-do list that looms. Put down the device and walk away. I am typing this last sentence and shutting my laptop because the next thing on my list can wait until tomorrow.

Good-bye, content overload.