Birthdays present a unique opportunity to market to your customers. Birthday emails have conversion rates that are 400 percent higher than other marketing emails. The revenue that they generate is 350 percent more per email.
If you aren’t sending out birthday emails, you may be missing out!
Knowing a Birthday is Powerful for Sales
People love to celebrate their birthday. Sending a birthday email is one way to personalise your marketing in today’s online world. Many people use their birthday as a time to treat themselves to something special, such as a night out at a restaurant, some new clothes or a fun movie.
Recognising a birthday helps the customers to feel special. A birthday wish often makes us feel amazing. Therefore, a birthday email to your customers can help to create a stronger connection with them.
Happy people are more likely to spend based on some of the cues that are given to them. An email wishing your customers a happy birthday can increase their joy. This can create a happy mood that encourages spending.
Using Birthdays to Increase Loyalty
You can let your customers know that they will receive a birthday gift just for signing up for your email list. This will incentivize them to give you their birthday information.
Sending an email to wish your customers “Happy Birthday” on their actual birthday can put them in a great mood and build a stronger connection with your brand. However, you can also use the birthday email to encourage them to spend more or visit your store.
Companies often send a birthday email with a free gift or a discount to their customers on their birthday. For example, A&W will send you a free root beer float coupon on your birthday.
This encourages the customer to come to the restaurant. They most likely will buy a burger and fries during their visit in addition to getting their free root beer float.
Design a Birthday Gift That Rewards Loyalty
You don’t want to come across as just another promotion when it comes to the birthday email. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that the birthday email features an enticing reward.
Sometimes, a discount can come across as just an invitation to spend more money. You’ll want to make the discount big and enticing.
Offering a free item in the birthday email will definitely draw customers in to your store. It is also more likely to be seen as a gift rather than a promotion.
Send your subscribers a free shipping offer on their birthday. If your store doesn’t already offer free shipping, this is something enticing that can encourage loyalty. No one likes to pay for shipping.
Make your email festive and include a fun birthday image. A text only birthday email may seem like you haven’t put much thought into it and aren’t really celebrating their birthday.
Here are some general guidelines for Birthday rewards:
- Keep it simple, but enticing.
- Give a large discount or free gift.
- Include images of the reward. People are very visual.
- Create a deadline. Let them use it for the week or month of their Birthday. This will motivate them to use it before it expires.
- Offer a surprise. People love to be surprised and the curiosity will keep them coming back.
Automate Birthday Rewards
As email personalisation is getting better and better, you can now automate birthday rewards. Shopify has a birthday app that allows you to create a Birthday email campaign.
You simply install the app, which can take a few minutes. The app will collect the data at the checkout and store that until the date of the birthday.
Next, you write some compelling copy. Make sure that you sound excited to be celebrating your customer’s birthday.
Finally offer them an enticing gift. Make sure it is something that will motivate them to come back!
Dunkin Donuts Birthday Loyalty
Dunkin Donuts has grown their loyalty program to over 7.5 million members. Their success is due in part to their generosity with their loyalty points. You can earn loyalty points simply for signing up. You’ll also receive a free beverage on your birthday every year on your birthday just for enrolling in the loyalty program. This makes it enticing to sign up.
Through their loyalty program, Dunkin Donuts keeps their customers constantly coming back by offering discounts and coupons.
Loyalty programs such as Dunkin Donuts’ program increase the customer lifetime value by 30% through larger and more frequent purchases. Offering a free item for a birthday will encourage repeat visits even if the customer was not currently frequenting their establishment on a regular basis.
Birthdays are a unique marketing opportunity that enables personalization and promotes loyalty. Customers tend to be a a good mood on their birthdays, which is great for encouraging them to spend money at your business. Incentivizing them to come in for a free birthday gift can be a very profitable venture. Many people will also bring friends and family with them to celebrate. The free birthday item can create loyal customers and referrals when done correctly.
About the author
Melinda Curle is a writer for ReferralCandy and CandyBar.