Emails are one of the most popular platforms when it comes to small businesses communicating with their customers. Nailing this form of communication is extremely important for businesses. Sometimes, however, they approach email from the wrong perspective, sending emails that end up scaring customers away, instead of tightening the bond between the two. On other instance, small business owners don’t have the time or the expertise to draft quality emails for different occasions. With that in mind, we’ve drafted a couple of emails which you can simply copy, paste and send to your customers, when the need presents itself.
Given that you’re most likely community oriented, and almost friends with your clients (we’ll go as far as to say you probably are, with some of them), you do not need to be super formal with your emails. As a matter of fact, it would be much better if you would keep these emails casual and friendly.
Below you will find templates which you will be able to copy, paste and send (with minor changes, obviously), to your customers. These are tailored to specific events, such as when they send an email enquiry and expect a fast response, or during holidays. You will also learn how, with the help of a few cool tools, you can personalize these emails, and send them automatically, on dates important to your customers, such as birthdays or anniversaries of joining the mailing list.
Pro tip: Personalization and automation
Before we dive in, consider that depending on the size of your business and the amount of time you have on your hands, you might send these emails yourself, or you might use different tools to speed up the process. These tools can help you personalize the emails (they can look for customer names and other personal details and add them to emails automatically), and send them automatically. Obviously, this means that you will need to schedule when these emails would be sent, and set up place holders for personalized information. Tools like Smoove are built to help you automate and personalize emails. They are created to be simple and intuitive. What’s good about it is that you can use these personal triggers, such as birthdays, to offer your customers something special, like a discount or a coupon. It will strengthen the bond you have with your customers and improve your reputation (among other positives), while demanding close to no (or very little) effort in the process.
Now, let’s take a look at these templates:
Autoresponder
Many customers use email to find out what they want to know about a specific product or service you offer. Research tells us the amount of time they are willing to wait for a response is shortening. According to last year’s research, 16 percent expect an immediate answer, 21 percent expect an answer within an hour, and 44 percent expect it within 24 hours. That is why it is important to have an autoresponder email, or letter of acknowledgement, ready for your convenience. It will show the customer that their email has made it safely into your inbox and that you will address it in the shortest possible time.
Here’s how such email could look:
Dear valued customer*
Thanks for reaching out to us. I’ll have someone from the team look at your inquiry ASAP You can expect an answer within 48 hours, and I promise we’ll do our best to help your specific needs.
Thanks again, and we will be in touch soon.
Cheers,
[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]
New Year
If you are closing your store around New Year’s, it is best to have an email ready to let your customers know. This email can also be used to share a phone number, in case of an emergency. Here is the template:
Subject: We’re off for New Year’s!
Dear all our customers and partners,*
Happy New Year! I’ll be taking my hard-earned New Year’s holiday, to eat sugar until I hate myself and to throw snowballs at the kids. Unfortunately that means I won’t be able to address your inquiry immediately. I’ll be getting back to work on [INSERT DATE HERE].
In case you have an emergency, don’t hesitate to ring me at [INSERT PHONE NUMBER HERE]. It is a line dedicated to urgent matters.
Happy New Year!,
[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]
Christmas
A similar email can be drafted for Christmas, as well.
Subject: Merry Xmas, all!!*
Merry Xmas, I’m just writing to let you know that the shop will be closed during the holidays (the Christmas tree ain’t gonna decorate itself), so I’ll be unavailable for any inquiries until [INSERT DATE HERE].
If you have an emergency, give me a ring at [INSERT PHONE NUMBER HERE].
Happy ho-ho-holidays!,
[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]
Chanukah
Subject: Time to celebrate!
Dear all our customers and partners,*,
I took a few days off to celebrate Chanukah. That means indulging in doughnuts and lighting candles! That also means, however, that I won’t be available to tackle any requests before [INSERT DATE HERE].
If you have an emergency, ring me up at [INSERT PHONE NUMBER HERE]
Thank you for your understanding and happy Chanukah/ Xmas!
[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]
*in all of the above examples, using services such as Smoove you can personalize the email so that it mentions the customer’s name.
Below you will find two suggested templates for personalized emails, one for your customers’ birthday, and another one for the anniversary when they first joined the mailing list, but feel free to think of other personal events yourself.
Birthday
Subject line: [First Name], here’s our birthday gift to you!
Hey, [First Name], happy birthday!
Birthdays are most special of days. Congratulations from all of us here at [INSERT COMPANY NAME]. We wish you another happy birthday and a year full of health, wealth and happiness! To kick things off and make sure the big day starts on the right foot, we have prepared a small gift to you, a [INSERT SPECIAL OFFER HERE]!*
You can grab it in our store in the next week. That’s right, just because your birthday is today, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate any time during the week!
Once again, happy birthday and have a lovely day!
Kind regards,
[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]
*using services such as Smoove you can send them coupon codes which they can redeem at your store or online
Anniversary to joining the email list
Subject line: [First Name], it’s our anniversary!
Hey [First Name], on this day [X] years ago, you decided to join our email list. It’s been a wonderful experience so far, and I’ve really grown to see you as more than just a subscriber. Dare I say, a friend?
Anyway, I’d like to use this wonderful opportunity to express my gratitude and show thanks for being a part of this amazing story, by offering a small gift. You can grab this token of appreciation, which comes in the form of [INSERT OFFER HERE]*, at the store, during the whole week, until [INSERT DATE].
Kind regards,
[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]
*using services such as Smoove you can send them coupon codes which they can redeem at your store or online
Closing comments
Emails are a powerful business tool with multiple uses, but sometimes small business owners get it wrong and end up hurting their business in the process. You can use the templates above to make sure that doesn’t happen, and to get a general feeling of how these emails should look. You can send them personally, but you can also automate the process through various tools, in case you can’t find the time.
