7 customer lifecycle marketing examples we love

Email marketing is a powerful tool.

In fact, 59% of marketers believe that email is over twice as effective at generating leads than channels such as PPC and paid social media.

However, brands cannot send out one-size-fits-all, sporadic campaigns and expect the leads and sales to come flooding in.

To generate truly impressive results, email marketing must be strategic. It must follow a structured process, focused around what customers want, and when they want it.

By applying the principles of customer lifecycle marketing to email, marketers can achieve exactly that. Sending the right message, at the right time. And building up a highly engaged, loyal customer base in the process.

If you’d like to learn more about the specific stages of the customer lifecycle, then you can check out our previous blog post. But, if you’re looking for some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing, then this is the perfect place to start. Read on to explore seven customer lifecycle marketing examples that we simply love.

The welcome email

The social proof email

The thank you email

The recommendation email

The VIP email

The win-back email

The re-engagement email

Get started with customer lifecycle marketing

The welcome email - Coach

Welcome emails are one of the most effective campaigns you can send. Generating 60% in open rates and 14% in click-through rates.

We were immediately engaged by this email from Coach thanks to the striking image of Jennifer Lopez, which works to catch attention whilst also associating the brand with a well-known figure.

As well as looking great, we love how much Coach manages to pack into this beautiful welcome email. The brand ensures all the essential information is included, from shipping details and links to new arrivals, to social channels and information on Coach’s services.

But for us, the icing on the cake is the discount code. After all, nothing says ‘welcome’ more than a freebie.

The social proof email - Farrow & Ball

When it comes to making a first purchase, some consumers will need a little more encouragement than a welcome email and a discount code.

In this instance, social proof can prove incredibly effective. With 92% of consumers reporting to read online reviews, and 80% of shoppers trusting reviews as much as personal recommendations.

For visual brands such as Farrow and Ball, utilising the stunning social images posted by customers and influencers is a no-brainer.

This email is a great example of the brand using social proof to offer reassurance to potential customers, triggering a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out), whilst also promoting how great their paint colours can look.

Win, win.

The thank you email - cheesegeek

Congratulations!

Your customer has made their first purchase. But the hard work doesn’t stop there.

Thank you emails, such as this example from cheesegeek, are a simple but effective way to keep customers engaged post-purchase.

They offer a great way to build upon essential information from the welcome email, such as promoting dedicated apps, delivery, and refer-a-friend schemes. Whilst also encouraging recipients to explore the brand a little more through browsing and rating purchases.

As well as all of this useful information, this email really stood out to us as it perfectly encompasses the cheesegeek brand via its bold and playful use of design and copy, making it a real pleasure to read.

The recommendation email - Airbnb

Personalised product recommendations are one of the most effective email marketing tactics a brand can utilise. In fact, 91% of consumers report that they are more likely to shop with brands that provide recommendations that are personalised to them.

And product recommendations can come in many forms. General promotions, sale suggestions, or upsell and cross-sell opportunities.

Airbnb regularly provides highly tailored experience recommendations both pre and post-booking. This email is particularly impressive, utilising dynamic content to offer experiences that are available during a trip, and incorporating a range of useful information such as customer ratings, length of experience, and enticing visuals.

The VIP email - Booking.com

Acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing one.

Meaning that keeping customers happy should be a top priority for any brand.

For those special regular customers who spend regularly, VIP emails are the ideal way to keep them engaged, make them feel special, and encourage them to buy with your brand over a competitor.

Booking.com offers the perfect example of a VIP email that is linked to their excellent loyalty scheme. They utilise browsing data and dynamic content to recommend destinations of interest specific to each VIP customer, and provide them with a discount exclusive to them.

These recommendations are reinforced with the use of social proof; recommending destinations that the recipient may not have considered, but are popular with other travellers.

The win-back email - Sephora

Sometimes customers go a little quiet.

In these instances, it’s best to act before it’s too late. After all, keeping customers loyal is harder than ever, with more than a quarter (27.4%) of UK and US adults reporting they feel no loyalty to any brand.

So, before they turn to a competitor, take inspiration from Sephora by sending an email to entice your VIP customers back.

Sephora pulls out all the stops by telling their customers how much they love them. Yes, it’s a little cheesy, but it’s also fun and catches our eye.

And Sephora makes spending as simple as possible with this email, by offering an irresistible 15% off code to ‘treat yourself’, alongside personalised product suggestions tailored to the individual.

The re-engagement email - Uniqlo

Despite your best efforts, sometimes a customer will simply disengage from your brand.

There are many reasons for this. The customer may not need to make a purchase, they may be saving money, or they may have turned to a competitor.

At this stage, it’s important to try to maintain a level of positive engagement with the customer. Something which Uniqlo does perfectly by giving the recipient the power to manage their own email preferences.

We love Uniqlo's upfront copy and simple design in this email. They certainly get to the point. And most importantly, they make it straightforward for the recipient to make a decision regarding their preferences.

After all, a healthy email list is one full of engaged recipients. And those who have no interest in opening their emails and buying from your brand will be of little use to you.

Get started with customer lifecycle marketing

As a dedicated email marketing agency, we consider ourselves experts in creating and executing email that engages at every stage of the customer lifecycle.

So, if you’re looking for a little more inspiration, advice, or full-service management of your email campaigns, then we can help.

Simply get in touch with one of our email experts to find out more.