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3. Redesign the inbox presence:
• Use a friendly “From” name, such as your
company, brand, newsletter or department
where the transaction took place,
such as “SportsBobs Orders”.
• Make sure the subject line reinforces your
brand and conveys the key information
resulting from the transaction: “Your order
from SportsBobs shipped on 4/23.”
• Because first-time email messages can go
to the bulk folder rather than the inbox,
strong “From” subject lines help recipients
spot them quickly in their junk folder.
4. Position the transactional message content
front and center in the message body.
Add promotional content below it or to the side.
CAN-SPAM doesn’t specify what percentage
of the message body must relate to the
transaction, only that the reader should
“reasonably conclude” the message was
primarily transactional.
However, common sense says you should keep
promotional content to well under half of the
message real estate.
5. Use HTML design elements to create an attractive
and organized message:
• Don’t pack key content into images or
banners. The transaction information must
appear even if images are blocked.
• Use background colors, tables, boxes and
type fonts to differentiate transaction from
promotion even more clearly. Including a
few images is fine, but make sure that a
recipient can click all links and view all key
information even if images are blocked.
6. Add personality that supports your brand
or company image, expresses your thanks
that they’re customers and invites them to
engage further.
The customers just spent money or registered
for something with your company. Show them
real people are behind your company, and imply
that doing business with your company will be a
pleasure for them.
7. Use the transactional message to initiate or
expand the customer relationship:
• Invite the user to sign up for your promotional
emails or newsletters. Include a brief value
proposition and succinct details; link to the
registration page.
• Cross-sell order transactions by suggesting
products or services that fit with the purchase,
such as accessories or extra supplies
for consumable products.
• Up-sell by suggesting premium versions of
the product or service – or what related
products other customers bought after they
purchased that particular product.
• Invite registered customers to update their
personal information on your Web site, and
list contact information.
Santander Consumer USA, an auto finance company,
says adding update requests to its email
payment reminders has helped it achieve a 40
percent increase in customer data accuracy, with
each email costing 64 times less than a phone call
to the customer-service center.
Look Beyond the Typical
Transactional Message
A transactional message can be any email that
launches from subscribers’ preferences or actions,
such as notifications from their social networks,
reminders, alerts and publication of content that
matches specific keywords, etc.
These aren’t what we usually think of as transactional
emails, but they are highly valued and can
break through the clutter in an inbox teeming with
the usual promotional email.
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