How to apply reciprocity in email marketing

Category: Email Marketing Trends

Influencing someone to do something is another way of saying that we want to persuade them. That's the goal of copywriting: to get them to buy, register, or take any desired action. One of its tools to achieve this is psychology, and Robert Cialdini's six principles of influence are very useful. Specifically, reciprocity involves giving back the value that has been given to us.

An example that is constantly used in marketing is offering a discount in exchange for an email. The company gives the user what they want, and in return, the user accepts by giving them something that the company desires. Everyone gets something of value: a product at a better price and consent to receive commercial information.

The same example works in the case of lead magnets or any other offer you want to use in marketing actions: depending on the value the user perceives, they will be more willing to share their personal information. In other words, the reciprocity principle suggests that the more you give, the more you receive. The key is not to force anyone; on the contrary, it's a slightly more altruistic exercise.

In fact, an advantage it has is that it is activated when the consideration is explicitly requested (as would happen in a form where certain data is requested to download a gift), but also if it is not done as directly (such as sending a newsletter and including your latest products in the footer). Even if there is no call to action, providing value can help us achieve our goal.

 

Ways to include reciprocity in your email marketing campaigns

Some ideas for your upcoming campaigns:

• Publish valuable content: a newsletter is the ideal place to do this, for example, with selected industry articles or commenting on current events to save subscribers from having to read more pieces. But you can also include practical tips when launching a new product to combine commercial material with useful information that can be perceived as a valuable contribution.

Fuente: Really Good Emails

• Give samples: this works well in physical stores, and to bring it to the online world, you just need to prepare a banner that explains how to get them, for example, by subscribing to the newsletter or entering a code during the purchase process. The first option is more focused on capturing potential customers, and the second on their retention.

                                                                                                                   Fuente: Really Good Emails

• Allow testing: beyond the fine print of the return policy, reciprocity is achieved when there is a clear opportunity to experience and evaluate the product or services before making a purchase. Send a campaign that explains this or include a permanent banner in your newsletter.

Fuente: Really Good Emails

• Offer your help: whether you sell products or services, you can include a contact form to address user inquiries. On a website, chat services or an FAQ section are common. In an email, you can display a phone number or solutions to some of the most common questions based on the purchase history of the segment you're targeting.

 

Fuente: Really Good Emails

• Tell a story: in a welcome sequence to your list, you can start by explaining the origin of the company and why you do what you do, and end with a gift for subscribing. The journey you describe, with its ups and downs, will help them value what you offer for free and predispose them to want to buy.

Fuente: Really Good Emails

• Use different formats: although we are talking about email marketing, you can include videos in your emails, such as webinars, tutorials, quick tips, as well as podcasts or infographics that serve as step-by-step guides.

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The sense of reciprocity works best when personalized emails are sent because it ensures that they are being offered value in what they want, rather than something general that may not interest them as much. In this regard, you can use it as a reinforcement technique, for example, when sending content to good customers who haven't made a purchase for a while.

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