The product is the first channel for development in PLG. In reality, that’s the very definition of the idea. However different channels additionally assist speed up development. And e-mail advertising is likely one of the greatest for product-led companies as a result of it:
- Has a excessive return on funding (ROI) ($36 for each $1 spent)
- Reaches the manager sponsor who doesn’t spend numerous time utilizing the product
- Is efficient in bringing again disengaged, distracted, and churned customers
- Allows the communication at scale required for top-of-funnel PLG techniques
- Delivers personalization at scale
Electronic mail enhances your PLG technique at each stage of your buyer journey.
Get able to be impressed by these seven product-led e-mail campaigns you may run utilizing Amplitude knowledge, together with an e-mail supplier that ingests CDP occasions like Inflection.io.
1. Onboarding emails
The highest issue that distinguishes a terrific onboarding e-mail from others is and at all times has been personalization. Loom is a good case research on methods to use personalised onboarding emails to drive PLG.
Loom personalizes the primary e-mail customers obtain with choices to hitch an current workspace, create a brand new workspace, or use the product for a private venture. (The non-public venture customers don’t obtain the primary e-mail proven right here.)
The following onboarding emails share tips about how customers can document their first video, rejoice that milestone, and share it with the world, with insights in regards to the views within the subsequent e-mail. Customers’ product exercise triggers the related emails.
Loom additionally personalizes the topic line primarily based on what the person signed up for.
Because the customers get near the trial finish date, Loom sends well timed reminders with a straightforward hyperlink so as to add their fee particulars. From right here, transformed customers are diverted to a distinct monitor.
Relying on the place your customers are in your onboarding course of, the size of the trial interval, and utilization limitations within the freemium mannequin, you may craft comparable emails primarily based on Amplitude knowledge to enhance and expedite the onboarding expertise.
2. Milestone emails
Milestone emails are triggered when customers cross or want a nudge to succeed in an essential “aha” second in product utilization.
Some common milestone emails are triggered upon completion of onboarding or prospects’ wins. Some information customers towards their subsequent milestone or as a part of a gamified buyer journey. These emails assist cut back exercise churn with well timed intervention.
Canva’s milestone emails are a terrific instance.
Canva makes use of badges to point out its continued appreciation of customers at every milestone.
The person will get bragging rights, and Canva will get its loyalty and word-of-mouth advertising. Win, win! They ship these wonderful badges in emails with a delicate push to take the subsequent steps.
The aim right here is to create sticky customers and preserve them on the trail to conversion with numerous cheering. Gamifying the shopper journey to encourage extra product utilization is clearly working for the extremely profitable Canva. The corporate additionally nudges customers to take the subsequent step utilizing the product.
3. Recap emails
Recap emails may be the final word software for driving product engagement for a product-led development (PLG) firm. Reminding customers of the worth they’re getting with the product is one other alternative to enhance retention and cut back churn.
The recognition of recap emails is mirrored in all these Spotify Wrapped-inspired efforts. Which is a good thought in principle. However to chop by lots of of such emails, you want to ship worth that appeals to your customers and personalization is the best way to nail it.
Personalize the insights, bulletins, and round-ups primarily based on the person’s exercise within the product and their function. For instance, sending the identical insights to a person contributor utilizing your product for a private venture and an admin person who primarily coordinates cross-functional work between two groups shouldn’t be impactful for one or each forms of customers.
Right here’s an instance. Stack Moxie makes use of Inflection.io to ship to their customers an automated QBR e-mail that includes success metrics primarily based on a mix of the customers’ product exercise and CRM knowledge.
When accomplished proper, these emails can create sticky customers, re-engage inactive customers, and help the Gross sales and Success groups to safe extra conversions and account expansions.
4. Reactivation emails
A reactivation technique ought to be a part of each PLG firm’s development technique to make sure that churn shouldn’t be everlasting. And product-led reactivation campaigns are well worth the funding.
Reactivating a misplaced buyer is certainly tougher than changing a trial person. As a result of, they already checked out the product and had been unimpressed with the expertise or worse, annoyed. Convincing such prospects to take a second likelihood requires the proper technique and incentive.
The important thing lies in personalizing the reactivation marketing campaign for the PLG buyer.
Gathering intel from an off-boarding survey can positively assist in segmenting misplaced prospects by their motive for churn. However not all prospects take an exit survey. When you don’t have the precise motive for churn, look into the previous buyer’s product exercise for clues. Traceback steps and work out the friction factors alongside their product journey that led them to go away.
When you determine the explanation/s for churn, you may add many dimensions to your automated product-led reactivation campaigns to make them really personalised for each misplaced buyer.
Use a mix of the off-boarding survey response, the previous customers’ product conduct, and firmographic elements like org measurement to orchestrate the proper PLG reactivation e-mail marketing campaign.
Listed here are a few examples. Avocode and Asana clearly state what improved of their merchandise. Avocado goes a bit additional to influence customers with a reduction.
You may ship comparable focused emails with product expertise enhancements to the listing of misplaced prospects who gave suggestions about friction within the product or person expertise. Present them proof of enchancment and win again their belief.
You too can supply a limited-time trial to reactivate their account and encourage attempting out the brand new and improved options. For instance, a person churned in the course of the onboarding course of may be supplied an prolonged trial choose up the place they left off.
5. Share or invite emails
A person’s optimistic product expertise and a private suggestion to their crew or associates can set off a self-sustaining and perpetual PLG development loop for your enterprise. However ready for natural phrase of mouth to catch on may preserve you ready for some time.
Share or invite emails are probably the most efficient methods to encourage your glad prospects to unfold optimistic vibes about your product. Let’s see how.
Many B2B SaaS merchandise are constructed to allow or ease collaboration at work. The worth of such merchandise will increase as extra customers begin utilizing them, making a community impact.
Product-led firms can construct campaigns in diversified contexts akin to asking prospects to ask their crew to attempt a brand new restricted entry function, a brand new product’s beta model, be part of the product’s person neighborhood, and many others. Listed here are some examples from high PLG firms.
You too can leverage e-mail to remind the sender if the invitation shouldn’t be accepted but. Asana drives it house with emails like this one.
You too can incentivize referrals for some additional motivation. In PLG, a referral needn’t supply a reduction or present coupon; it might probably additionally imply unlocking new product utilization limits or premium options for the referrer and likewise for the referred. Listed here are some examples.
A personalised PLG share or invite e-mail delivered with the proper context and proper incentives can assist spark your prospects’ curiosity to share their optimistic experiences.
6. Upsell and cross-sell emails
The widespread problem for PLG firms in increasing accounts is that in relation to upgrades, oftentimes your person shouldn’t be the choice maker or purchaser. And, the client needn’t be an energetic person. So, your PLG go-to-market crew must make use of a communication channel apart from the product itself to pitch an upsell to the proper viewers.
Use product certified leads (PQLs) as a dependable choose of person intent to purchase. When you haven’t recognized PQLs already, check out your Amplitude knowledge to determine the product alerts that result in profitable conversions.
In case your goal buyer shouldn’t be a person person, however a crew or enterprise account then you definitely want a bit extra to get the acquisition intent proper. Product Certified Accounts (PQAs) are a mix of product alerts and firmographic info akin to crew and firm measurement, buyer’s function within the org, and many others. Figuring out and optimizing PQAs is essential for the growth marketing campaign to be simpler.
Let’s say you wish to upsell the annual subscription goal account of 50-100 crew members on a month-to-month billing cycle when they’re over 80% of the product utilization quota with multiple week remaining. You may arrange the PQA to set off an inner alert to Gross sales when all the factors are met. And on the similar time, you can too automate emails just like the one under.
And the e-mail that goes to the client’s e-mail may be from the CSM’s e-mail handle suggesting an improve to an annual plan with particulars of the advantages for the shopper.
Roping in Gross sales or Success groups can assist PLG firms to forge a greater shopping for relationship with the goal buyer. Your emails also can encourage scheduling a name. When the crew has all of the related info on the shopper’s product and CRM exercise, the dialog turns into extra genuine and simpler.
Powering personalised PLG upsell and cross-sell emails with the proper product exercise and CRM knowledge boosts marketing campaign effectivity. Your upsell and cross-selling campaigns are robotically efficient once they communicate on to the shoppers’ wants.
7. Deserted cart emails
It’s a widespread situation in PLG companies that the fundamental tiers of the product are bought through a comparatively easy on-line transaction just like an e-commerce website. This comparable purchasing expertise means a typical menace in each enterprise sorts: deserted carts.
Customers could not full checkout because of many causes like distractions, indecisiveness, and even technical points. Deserted cart emails may be only a easy reminder {that a} distracted person must get again to the billing web page. Remind them the place they left off and direct them to the billing web page.
Sauce Labs sends their first reminder e-mail on the identical day their customers go to the pricing web page. The PLG deserted cart e-mail lists the worth of their product as causes to finish the acquisition. Additionally they present the beginning value, a hyperlink to an in depth pricing web page, and a giant purple button to finish the transaction. They ship a reminder promptly two days after to comply with up.
The marketing campaign has been an enormous success, producing lots of of 1000’s in new ARR every year.
An ideal PLG cart abandonment e-mail just like the above instance is private and contextual. It’s delivered on the proper time to the PQLs and PQAs with the proper info and motivation to finish the acquisition.
In abstract
Your product is the first channel for development however you must leverage emails to succeed in out to distracted and disengaged prospects at scale. You might need seen that personalization is a recurring theme on this submit. That’s as a result of it’s the spine of a terrific product-led development marketing campaign.
The success of your PLG comms vastly relies on personalised communication at scale. And tailoring buyer expertise with the proper message on the proper time is how one can construct a sustainable product-led enterprise.
Take a look at our contributions in Amplitude’s newest Product-Led Development Information Quantity 1: What Is PLG?
