Email overload is becoming an issue for consumers, and it could start hurting your business. Similar to how ad-blocking software came about after online ads got out of hand for consumers, Google Chrome and other Internet browsers have started adding extensions, like Inbox Pause for Gmail, that allow users to combat email overload. Methods like this directly affect the effectiveness of triggered emails, which are designed to be seen immediately.
But despite the noise, email is still one of the premier channels for communication between businesses and consumers today, and it can keep your self storage facility top of mind among customers. How can you find the right balance with trigger emails to stand out from the crowd and not get lost in the shuffle?
When to Use Trigger Emails
Emails sent from triggered events can make running a self storage facility easier since you won’t have to sit at your computer and send individual emails for every event that occurs. But before using trigger emails for the first time, it’s important to know when to use triggered emails.
For storage facilities, there are two common email trigger events: action-based or date-based.
With action-based email triggers, you should have an email trigger set up for when:
- A new tenant rents a storage unit online
- A current tenant changes their rental unit size (online or in-store)
- A current tenant decides to end their lease
- Updates or construction will be happening at your facility
As a facility operator, you want to be sure you’re sending customers action-based emails whenever an important event occurs. These events could be completed by the customer themselves or by the facility as a whole.
With date-based events, emails are sent on a specific date or time frame when an event occurs. For a storage facility, this could be an email on the first of every month to notify tenants of an upcoming rent payment, or an email could be sent at the end of a tenant’s lease to notify them of moving truck deals or discounts for renewing.
Creating action-based trigger emails around new tenant move-ins and former tenant move-outs to get facility feedback can also be useful for your operation. For example, after a tenant moves into their storage unit for the first time, you can send an email with a survey to get their insight on how the overall move-in process went and how they’d rate your facility’s helpfulness, cleanliness, etc.
When Not to Use Trigger Emails
Triggering an email with a receipt following a purchase is an established and acceptable trigger email, but it’s hard to tell if other emails automatically shot into customers’ mailboxes are necessary. Where a customer at your facility can opt in for emailed receipts, they may not always request newsletter emails, which are often triggered without your tenant signing up. When you begin sending emails without prior signup, a customer could get turned off to the idea of receiving any email from you.
Your facility may also want to avoid using triggered emails for any tenant who is delinquent on payments. The reason for this is that a triggered email can be sent to spam folders or unsubscribed from, leaving you with little chance of reaching your tenant. Instead, you need to send individual emails that have a better chance of reaching the intended recipient. This will increase your chance of having your email read.
Measure Your Triggered Email Success
The most important metric for determining the success of a triggered email campaign is the open rate. Trigger emails have open rates near 45-55% while standard emails have a dismal 10% open rate. This is because trigger emails typically have time-sensitive or actionable content, so they’re more likely to be opened.
If you’re not seeing open rates around 45-55% (or higher) with your trigger emails, you may need to work on crafting better email subject lines. Every person who receives an email from you will see the subject line first. This is where you can drive open rates. Getting straight to the point of the message, mentioning a deal or discount (when applicable), or including the recipient’s name can help your subject lines stand out in customer inboxes.
Trigger emails can be a strong marketing tool for storage facilities. If you’re looking for new ways to reach current and potential self storage customers, break through the noise online and produce a high-quality event triggered email campaign.
