Automatic Birthday Mails: Give your Customers a Birthday Treat
Send automatic birthday mails to your recipients and strengten the customer loyalty.
At a time when personal ties between companies and customers play an increasingly important role, birthday greetings are much more than just a polite gesture. They are an expression of your appreciation and a way to build strong customer loyalty.
We will show you how to use automated birthday mails not only to put a smile on your customers’ faces on their birthdays, but also to get the most out of your birthday campaign. Discover how you can delight your customers on their special day with CleverReach’s newsletter tool and simple email marketing automation.
Why Birthday Mails Are So Valuable in Email Marketing
Birthday mails are a simple gesture that have a significant impact. These small but meaningful messages have the potential to build a special closeness between your company and your customers. Let’s be honest: We are all happy when someone remembers our birthday and we are congratulated with kind words (and yes: also gifts).
- Build closeness: With warm congratulations, you not only show interest in your recipients, but also create an emotional connection and a positive brand perception.
- Very good performance: Birthday mails are among the most frequently opened and clicked newsletters. Why? Because they are personal. People usually open mails with a personal reference more quickly and are more willing to respond to the content.
- Encourage repeat purchases: Discount vouchers are another ace up your sleeve. In combination with birthday mails, these can encourage your customers to buy from you again.
- The ideal start with email automations: For those just getting started in the world of email marketing automations, birthday mails are the ideal place to start. They are easy to set up, do not require complicated workflows and still offer impressive results.
Send Birthday Mails Automatically with CleverReach
CleverReach makes the creation and execution of automated birthday mails easier than ever before. Thanks to an automation template, you can create and send personalized birthday mails in no time. Automatic birthday mails ensure that every recipient automatically receives congratulations on their birthday – without you having to take care of it manually ever time. To do this, the system queries every day which of your recipients have a birthday today and automatically sends these people the newsletter you intended.
Five easy steps to the automatic birthday mail
- Enter date of birth: Make sure that the date of birth of your recipients is available as data field.
For tips on how to get your recipients’ birthdays, read the following paragraph. - Set time: Set the time at which the email automation is to be executed daily.
- Use segmentation: Create a segment to filter all recipients who have a birthday on this day and should therefore receive the newsletter. The segmentation ensures that your newsletter only reaches today’s birthday children.
- Design automation newsletters: Use templates or design your own birthday newsletter. Add personal elements such as the recipient’s name and possibly an exclusive birthday discount.
- Activate and get started: After a final overview of your settings, activate the email automation. From this moment on, CleverReach does the work for you.
The Challenges of Birthday Mails: Get the Date of Birth
To send a birthday mailing, you need – of course- the date of birth of your recipients. The collection of this data is often a challenge for companies, as this information is sensitive and personal data and may not be compulsorily requested. With these tips you can legally access the birthdays of your recipients:
Voluntary request of the birthday
A proven method is to voluntarily ask for the birthday in the registration form. Alternatively, you can offer the possibility to add the date of birth in a newsletter, e.g. in the welcome mailing. Communicate the advantage for the customer, such as exclusive birthday offers or surprises.
Creative non-birthday campaigns
To arouse the curiosity of your recipients, a creative non-birthday campaign is a good idea. Send a “Happy Birthday” email on a random day of the year to all recipients whose birthday you do not know. The unexpected birthday message in the inbox will undoubtedly encourage people to open the email. In this email, you charmingly explain that you lack the exact date of birth to send a customized birthday surprise, while encouraging the recipients to share their date of birth with you.
Alternative: Celebrate the birthday of your customer relationship
Another option is to simply celebrate the “birthday” or anniversary of your customer relationship instead of the real birthday of your recipients. Here you have the chance to say thank you for customer loyalty.
With a friendly message like “We’d like to surprise you for your birthday too!” you can also discreetly ask for that precious detail while expressing your appreciation for the customer relationship.
Timing Is Everything: When Your Automatic Birthday Mails Have the Greatest Effect
The sending time for birthday mails can make the difference between a successful surprise and a missed moment. The classic option is of course to send it on the birthday itself. It is advisable to choose a mailing time that suits the preferences of your recipients. While the morning is often effective in the B2B sector, in the B2C sector it is best to address birthday children early in the morning before work or in the late afternoon after work.
An original idea is to use the birthday mail as a prelude to a whole birthday week. Start your communication a few days before the actual birthday to create anticipation and prolong the birthday feeling. This way you stay present in your customers’ minds longer and have the inbox to yourself – at least as far as birthday mails are concerned.
An equally charming strategy is to send belated congratulations. Communicate that you have not forgotten the birthday, but you would rather congratulate in peace when the birthday guests are out of the house. This creates a warm atmosphere and gives the impression that you really care for your customers and their individual situations.
The right sending time can help your birthday emails stand out positively in the inbox and make recipients feel especially appreciated. Experiment with different times and approaches to find the optimal time for your target group.
Stand Out, Personalize and Inspire: 5 Tips for the Perfect Birthday Mail
1. Stand out in the inbox:
Remember that you are not the only birthday newsletter your customers receive. Therefore, rely on creativity and originality to attract their attention and stand out in the dense tangle of inboxes.
2. Score points with personalization:
The art of newsletter personalization goes beyond the first name. Use other available master data of the recipient, such as the location. Surprise them with a charming message like “Is there a birthday party in [place] today?” and give your newsletter a personal touch that will be remembered.
3. Convince with a creative subject:
The newsletter subject line of your birthday mail is the decoy that gets recipients to open your mail. Come up with something attractive and arouse curiosity. If a discount or gift is offered, draw attention to it in the subject line to raise expectations.
4. Make the birthday child the centre of attention:
Your content should put the recipients at the centre. After all, it’s their birthday – make them the star. Standard congratulations are not enough. Create an authentic connection by finding individual words that fit your company and your tone. Serious congratulations from the heart have much more meaning than standard phrases. The human factor in your emails can make the difference between a superficial transaction and a strong customer connection.
5. What would be a birthday without presents?
Make the day even brighter by giving discount codes, exclusive white papers or other goodies. This underlines your appreciation and shows that you are happy to celebrate the special day together.
Automatic Birthday Mails with CleverReach
Use the simple automation template from CleverReach now to send automatic birthday mails to your recipients – without much effort. Celebrate with your customers and ensure personal connections and lasting impressions.
