Trigger Emails: Always the Right Message at the Right Moment

The perfect time to send a newsletter is when the recipient triggers it.

And the best part? To the recipient, they don’t look like traditional advertising or marketing; they look like a well-placed post-it note from a good friend. They want to remind, confirm, congratulate, or simply motivate. This is what makes these automated messages so valuable.

There is no magic behind this precise coordination, just smart email automation. With tools like CleverReach, you can set up trigger emails and make your communications automated, personalized, and targeted.

What is a Trigger Email?

Let’s start by clarifying the question: What does “trigger” mean? Trigger emails aren’t sent out manually. Instead, they’re triggered by an event, date, or action from the newsletter recipient.

There are two kinds of trigger emails:

• Event- or time-related: These automated emails are sent when a fixed date or seasonal event comes up. This can include birthday emails or campaigns for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Black Friday or Christmas. Deadlines can also be used as triggers, such as reminder emails or reactivation campaigns if an email has not been opened in a certain time.
• Action-related: A recipient action triggers the newsletter. Trigger actions are any actions that a user performs on a website or app, such as subscribing to a newsletter, booking an appointment, downloading a white paper, opening an email, clicking on a link, or purchasing a product.

The Benefits of Trigger Emails for Your Business

The key benefit of trigger emails is their timing – they arrive precisely when your subscriber is most receptive. Emails after a purchase, abandoned shopping cart, or on birthdays will reach a lot of your customers.

Trigger emails are highly valuable for these reasons:

Open Email! Higher Open Rates

Trigger emails often achieve higher open rates than regular newsletters. Since they’re based on the person receiving them, they’re not unexpected and are related to their actions. This makes them relevant because your reader sees them as interesting and useful.

Personal Note: High Relevance

Not only the sending time, triggered by the recipient, is individual. Automated trigger emails can also be highly personalized – and therefore relevant. Instead of sending everyone the same info, you can personalize each email for the person you’re sending it to. Tagging makes it happen. This helps build a strong connection with the customer and increases the chance of interaction.

No Rush: Save Time with Automation

One big benefit for companies is the time they save. After they’re set up, these marketing automation processes run on their own and need little attention. And with professional software like CleverReach, setting them up is a breeze. We’ve got tons of automation templates ready for you in our tool, so you can get going in no time.
You don’t have to set up new campaigns and send them manually. You can rely on already programmed triggers. This saves time and keeps your customers engaged.

Staying in Touch: Increased Customer Loyalty

Trigger emails keep you in constant contact with your customers. From welcome newsletters to customized thank you emails and feedback questions, they show: We’re there for you. This makes your customers feel well taken care of right from the start. If you communicate regularly and keep your customers in the loop, they’ll be more likely to stick with you. This ensures greater customer loyalty and extends the customer lifecycle.

More is More: Boosting Performance

Trigger emails are tailored to your newsletter recipients: they are either triggered by an action they take or have something to do with them (like a birthday email). They’re designed to be specific to the customer’s needs, so they usually have higher open and click-through rates. And the more interactions there are, the more likely it is that there will be more conversions and ultimately more sales.

The Different Types of Trigger Emails

Happy birthday and a discount code – anyone would love to receive a birthday email with a discount code from their favorite online store. Everyone knows it’s not a hard-working online store employee sending a personal email. The automated birthday email is one of many helpful trigger automations that make life easier for both the sender and the recipient.

Trigger emails are a must have in online marketing. We’ve put together a list of the most common uses for this type of automation and the different types out there for you.

1. Good to Have You on Board! The Welcome Email

One of the most common and frequently sent trigger emails is the welcome email. It is used when a new customer registers or subscribes to the newsletter.

It sounds straightforward: after registering, an automated email follows. Use this welcome email to create a lasting first impression! Your email has a fantastic shot at success, thanks to its incredibly high open rate! So, why is this? Your user has just signed up for your newsletter or service and is expecting this email. So, don’t wait too long to send it.

Make your new customer feel welcome and introduce yourself and your business. A lot of welcome emails also include a discount code or some useful content as a little gift.

You can’t go too personal here, since the email address is all you need for newsletter subscription. But you can change this right away by asking for personal preferences at the start so that you can make customized offers. This is a piece of cake with CleverReach. In our tool, we give newsletter recipients the option to specify their preferences with our Preference Center.

2. Let’s Get Started: Activation Emails

Sometimes you can’t just use services after you register because they need an explanation or you need to enter an activation code. In this case, users will get an email to activate their account. Use the great open rate of this trigger email to promote customer loyalty among your recipients. It’s also important to make sure you don’t miss any opportunity to present yourself and your service in a positive, original, and approachable way. Give clear instructions on how to activate and what the next steps are.

3. Remember Me: Reminder Emails

When a customer has not completed an action, such as filling out a form or completing a purchase, an automated reminder email is sent:

Abandoned Cart Emails

The shopping cart reminder is a classic in e-commerce and a common example of a successful trigger mail. It is sent whenever a customer has placed products in their shopping cart, but then fails to complete the purchase and leaves the cart full. An abandoned cart email is then automatically sent after a set period of time, reminding the user of the desired products. These emails can be very successful, especially if it also includes a discount coupon.

Appointments and Deadlines

You can also set reminder emails to go off for upcoming appointments or due actions. These emails are sent when a deadline is about to expire or start, or when a previously defined time has passed, like when an invoice is sent or a maintenance date has arrived.

4. Come Back: Re-Engagement Emails

Re-engagement campaigns are a great way to rekindle interest in your company and offer if a recipient has been inactive for a long time and has not opened any emails. Send special offers and personalized recommendations to win your customer back. These emails also increase customer loyalty.

5. Happy Birthday: Birthday or Anniversary Emails

Happy birthday—and a lovely birthday email! If you know the recipient’s birthday, use this trigger email to send a personal message just in time for their big day, and include a custom promo code or a gift card. This kind of email can make your customer feel good and show them that you appreciate them. Birthday or anniversary emails are a great way to reconnect with subscribers after a long break.

6. Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day Always Come So Suddenly: Seasonal or Event Emails

Individual dates like birthdays are important, but so are seasonal occasions such as Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. In e-commerce, industry-related events such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday are prime opportunities to send trigger emails. You can easily integrate offers and messages that are related to the event. Triggers are pre-defined dates that are adapted to the respective event. Christmas offers are usually planned with plenty of time to spare before the festive period, while Black Friday newsletters are sometimes sent out very promptly or even only on Black Friday itself.

7. Thanks for Your Order: Transactional Emails

A typical trigger email is a transactional email. The trigger could be something like signing up, creating an account, or placing an order. This triggers a confirmation email. Say “thank you for your trust” to your customers — and in turn strengthen their trust in you. You can also offer extras that go with the product. Since customers expect a response to their purchase, the open rates of these emails are especially high.

8. Rate Me: After Sales Emails

After-sales emails are also trigger emails. Triggers could be anything from buying something, visiting a website, calling customer service, or finishing a contract. Ask your customers for their feedback. Asking for a review can really boost customer loyalty. People who are asked for their opinion feel seen. Customer reviews and surveys can also give you more info about your target group. What does the audience like, and how? What are they hoping for? You can also offer purchase incentives in an after-sales email by offering suitable products or sending a thank-you voucher for the next purchase.

Use the Power of Trigger Emails for Your Email Marketing

Trigger emails are a super effective tool in email marketing. They’re personal and address the needs and behavior of the person you’re sending them to. Trigger emails are great for getting in touch with your customers in a meaningful and lasting way. Whether you want to strengthen the relationship, send important reminders, or initiate purchases, trigger emails can help. Automation saves you time because everything runs itself. This translates into more trust and proximity, which ultimately translates into more conversions.

Do you feel inspired to create a new trigger campaign right now? We hope so!

At CleverReach, you will find a variety of pre-designed automation templates for common email marketing scenarios. Some of these are typical trigger emails. Take a look and get inspired.

Do you want to learn more about CleverReach automation? Then log in or sign up for free:

Extra: Newsletter Tips for Making Your Trigger Emails More Successful

Your trigger emails are most successful when they not only meet, but exceed your recipients’ expectations.