Building strong customer relationships is all about celebrating special moments and milestones together. Sending birthday emails with exclusive offers, discounts, or freebies is a thoughtful way to show your appreciation and make your customers feel valued.
In this post, we’ll explore the power of birthday email marketing, share useful tips and tricks, and provide well-crafted birthday email examples to help you design the perfect campaign for your brand.
Content:
- What is a happy birthday email?
- Why should businesses implement birthday email marketing?
- How to collect birthday information
- Tips for creating effective birthday email marketing campaigns
- Tips for creating birthday email subject lines
- Top birthday email examples to learn from
- How to send automated birthday emails with SendPulse
- The bottom line
What is a happy birthday email?
A happy birthday email is a personalized message sent to customers to celebrate their special day. These emails are often automated and sent on the birthday day or shortly before. They usually include a warm birthday greeting and may offer special incentives like discount codes, coupons, exclusive offers, or freebies. The goal of these emails is to make customers feel appreciated, build stronger connections, and increase customer loyalty.
Why should businesses implement birthday email marketing?
If you’re still unsure how birthday emails can elevate your marketing strategy, let’s break down their key benefits and supporting statistics.
Boosted customer loyalty
Happy birthday emails demonstrate to customers that your brand values them, building a stronger emotional connection. Personalized birthday greetings make recipients feel recognized and appreciated, leaving a positive impression that improves their overall experience with your business.
Increased sales
Including discounts, bonuses, or exclusive gifts in birthday emails encourages customers to shop. These promotions often lead to increased spending and higher average order values. A recent study reveals that birthday email conversion rates greatly exceed the average for standard campaigns. While the average email conversion rate is just 0.07%, happy birthday emails achieve a much higher conversion rate of 0.72%.
Enhanced engagement
Birthday emails tend to achieve high open and click-through rates due to their personal and relevant nature. They are especially effective for re-engaging inactive customers. In 2024, automated workflows for birthdays and anniversaries achieved an industry-leading 24.43% open rate.
Saved time with automation
Automated birthday emails are easy to set up and run without manual effort. Once configured, they launch automatically on your desired schedule, ensuring customers receive timely and personalized messages. This automated process ensures consistent communication and helps boost customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Improved data collection
Birthday email marketing campaigns offer valuable insights into customer preferences, behaviors, and engagement patterns. By tracking how customers interact with these emails, brands can gather actionable data to understand their audience better. This information can be later used to refine audience segmentation, allowing businesses to send more targeted and relevant messages.
As you can see, birthday emails are a powerful tool for boosting customer loyalty, driving sales, and strengthening relationships. By automating the process, brands can streamline their efforts, staying connected with their audience and remaining top-of-mind.
How to collect birthday information
Now that you understand the benefits of birthday email marketing for businesses and customers, it’s time to focus on gathering this valuable data. This information is crucial for building personalized marketing campaigns. Let’s now explore a few effective customer data collection methods.
Website or newsletter registration
Asking customers for their birthdates during website registration or through newsletter signup forms is one of the easiest methods. Include a dedicated field in the registration form where customers can voluntarily share their birthdate. To encourage participation, offer an incentive, such as a special discount or bonus, in return for this information.
For example, new customers on the Ulta Beauty website are encouraged to provide their birthdates in exchange for special treats throughout their birthday month. Communicating the value upfront will likely motivate more potential customers to fill out the data.
You can also collect birthdates during the checkout process. When customers confirm their orders, invite them to share their birthdates by emphasizing rewards like personalized discounts or birthday gifts.
Email campaigns
If you initially collected only email addresses, that doesn’t mean you can’t send a follow-up email later to gather birthdates. A smart approach is to send a dedicated email explaining why you’re requesting this information and highlighting the benefits for the customer.
For example, Ray-Ban sends a straightforward email asking customers to share their birthdate. The email informs recipients that they can look forward to a birthday gift, making the offer more appealing. Notably, the email is designed with simplicity in mind, featuring a single button to submit the information. This minimalist approach helps keep the customer’s attention focused.
Surveys and forms
Surveys and online forms are another way to collect information for birthday email marketing. You can add a dedicated field in signup forms, feedback surveys, or post-purchase questionnaires.
Take a look at the example below. Immi runs a contest where the winner receives a year’s supply of ramen. To enter, website visitors simply fill out a pop-up form with their email address and birthdate. The company can then use this data to stay connected with all participants and build lasting relationships.
Social media posts and ads
Brands can leverage their social media platforms to gather birthday information by hosting contests or campaigns where participants are asked to share their birthdates to enter a giveaway or receive a special offer. This can be beneficial for both the brand and the participants.
For example, Royal Canin runs a giveaway campaign on Instagram, offering participants a chance to win a kitten box. To enter, participants should simply provide their details, including their pet’s birthday. This approach not only engages users but also allows the company to send special offers to celebrate the pet’s birthday later on.
Loyalty programs
Through loyalty programs, brands often collect customer birthdates through registration forms. As part of such programs, customers may receive personalized bonuses or gifts in their happy birthday emails, encouraging further engagement.
Here is an example of a registration form for Sephora’s loyalty program. Customers are asked to provide basic information, including their birthdate. Sephora emphasizes that members receive a free gift every year and even announces the available birthday gift options in advance. This allows customers to see what’s offered before signing up, making the program even more appealing.
Website quizzes
Website quizzes can be a fun and engaging way to collect relevant data for birthday email marketing campaigns. By creating a set of questions that naturally lead to asking for a birthdate, businesses can deliver personalized results and experiences to their users.
For example, Bird&Be features a quiz on their website designed to offer personalized product recommendations. As part of the quiz, customers are asked to share their personal details, including their birthdays, and answer questions about their health and fitness goals.
No matter how you choose to collect this information, transparency is key. Always inform customers why their birthdate is being requested and how it will be used. Complying with privacy regulations and being upfront builds trust. Offering incentives, such as birthday discounts or gifts, can also encourage customers to share this personal information.
Tips for creating effective birthday email marketing campaigns
To ensure your birthday emails deliver results, it’s essential to follow a few key strategies. Here are some essential tips and tricks to help you create impactful campaigns:
- Use personalization. A birthday is a special and personal occasion, so your email should reflect that. Personalize your emails by including the recipient’s name in the subject line and email body. Additionally, consider offering deals or recommendations based on their past purchases or interests.
- Write in a warm tone. When writing your happy birthday email copy, use a friendly and celebratory tone. Since birthdays are joyful occasions, consider adding a few heartfelt wishes to make your email feel even more special.
- Create a festive design. You don’t need to create something overly elaborate that feels out of place with your other emails. However, adding festive visuals like balloons, cakes, and candles can enhance the celebratory vibe. Animations or GIFs are also great for creating a fun and cheerful atmosphere.
- Offer gifts or discounts. For this special occasion, consider offering a discount or gift to make the recipient feel appreciated. Depending on your business type, you could also include freebies, double reward points, or other perks.
- Consider timing. Tailor the timing of your birthday emails based on the duration of your offer. If the offer is valid only on the recipient’s birthday, consider sending the email a few days in advance to ensure they have time to see it. For offers lasting a few weeks, follow up with a reminder email one-two days before the expiration date.
- Add a clear CTA. As in any other email, try to use action-oriented phrases like “Claim Your Gift” or “Get Your Discount Now.” Make sure to highlight buttons to catch attention and simplify the process for recipients to take action.
Use these methods when creating birthday email marketing campaigns to get the best results. A genuine tone combined with an attractive offer is likely to inspire recipients to take action and strengthen their connection with your brand.
Tips for creating birthday email subject lines
Creating effective birthday email subject lines is crucial for boosting open rates. Here are some tips and examples to help you write subject lines that grab attention:
- Use the recipient’s name. Personalization catches attention and makes the email feel more special. Whenever possible, include the recipient’s name to add a personal touch.
- Highlight the value. Mention the benefit upfront to immediately capture interest and encourage recipients to open the email.
- Create a sense of urgency. In the birthday email subject line, highlight that it’s a time-limited offer to increase urgency and boost engagement.
- Add emojis. Emojis are effective for grabbing attention in the inbox. Use them to add a festive touch to a birthday email, along with emotional language.
- Spark curiosity. Ideally, a subject line should tease the content without giving too much away. Aim to create intrigue to motivate recipients to open the email.
- Add a sense of exclusivity. Make recipients feel special on their big day by emphasizing exclusivity right in the subject line.
Here are a few birthday email subject line examples:
- Happy Birthday, Sarah! Your Gift is Waiting
- Let’s Celebrate, John! Here’s a Surprise for You
- Your Exclusive Birthday Gift is Here!
- Celebrate with 20% Off – Just for You!
- Today Only – Your Birthday Surprise Awaits!
- Don’t Miss Your Birthday Gift – Offer Ends Soon!
- 🎂 Happy Birthday! We Have a Surprise for You 🎁
- Open Up – Your Birthday Surprise is Inside!
- We’ve Prepared Something Special for You
- A Special Gift for Your Special Day
- Just for You – Your Birthday Surprise Inside!
As you can see, there are many ways to create a powerful birthday email subject line. The key is to keep it personal, fun, and focused on delivering value, ensuring recipients feel appreciated.
Top birthday email examples to learn from
It’s better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times. Let’s explore the best birthday email examples and explain what makes them stand out.
Little Beast
Here is a birthday email example from Little Beast. The vibrant embedded pictures and colorful design create a celebratory feel. The email copy is short and to the point, offering a 20% discount valid for the next seven days with a promo code.
Additionally, the brand suggests products that might interest the recipient and includes a section to shop by category. This thoughtful layout makes the email user-friendly and encourages quick browsing with just a few clicks.
Starbucks
Starbucks offers a loyalty program that rewards customers with a free drink or food item on their birthday. The birthday email provides clear instructions on redeeming the gift – either through the app as a pre-order or in person. The email layout is well-organized, featuring shortcuts to the app and other helpful links, such as the rewards page and current offers, making it easy for recipients to explore additional perks.
Amtrak
Amtrak’s happy birthday email strikes a festive tone while staying true to its brand identity. The company offers generous discounts on group travel, recognizing that birthdays are often celebrated with family and friends. Guests can save up to 60% on eight or more tickets, or 15% on three tickets. The email also features a clear CTA button to encourage recipients to book their trips immediately.
Stanley
Stanley’s birthday email focuses on personalization. Instead of simply using the recipient’s name, the brand takes a creative approach by incorporating zodiac signs – something closely tied to birthdays. In this case, Stanley congratulates its Taurus customers and features themed products in the email. This thoughtful approach allows recipients to quickly discover items that resonate with their personality, making it easy to treat themselves to something special.
Drizly
Drizly takes a creative approach to birthday emails by celebrating half-birthdays. This unique idea makes the email a fun and unexpected surprise. The company highlights deals on half-sized products and includes eye-catching icons with direct links for easy and convenient shopping.
Nintendo
Here is another happy birthday email from Nintendo. The brand offers a special discount code to celebrate the occasion, along with additional perks. Recipients can click a button to reveal their birthday gift, and download a free birthday-themed wallpaper. The email’s vibrant visuals create a cheerful and celebratory feel.
Fitbit
Fitbit’s birthday email emphasizes maintaining a healthy lifestyle, even during special occasions. It includes tips for celebrating the day while keeping health in mind. The email also features statistics from other Fitbit users of the same age, offering motivation to stay active and healthy. Recipients can even check and compare their own stats for added inspiration.
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut designed an engaging birthday email that mimics the tradition of making a wish and blowing out candles. As recipients scroll down, they discover a sweet surprise, namely a free dessert with their next online order. The email’s layout is interactive and festive, effectively capturing the spirit of birthday celebrations.
Simons
Simons created a special birthday offer, allowing customers to earn double points on purchases made during their birthday month. The happy birthday email serves as a timely reminder that the offer is ending soon. It also features personalized product recommendations, enabling recipients to quickly browse items they might like, and take advantage of the limited-time deal.
FitOn
FitOn sends a happy birthday email to a customer, and congratulates them on this special day. The email immediately adds value by featuring a quick and simple cake recipe. Additionally, a section at the bottom offers a gentle reminder to complete a workout for a mood boost and claim a FitOn Birthday Badge afterward.
How to send automated birthday emails with SendPulse
The birthday email examples provided above offer plenty of inspiration for your own campaigns. To ensure they run smoothly and efficiently, it’s crucial to understand how to send automated birthday emails. In this section, we’ll walk you through every step of launching such a campaign using our automation tool.
Create a flow
With SendPulse, you can easily send automated messages to subscribers on special dates, such as birthdays.
To get started, you need to create a variable in your mailing list using the “Date” type, ensuring that the relevant information is available. Afterward, you can head to the “Automation” section to create an automated flow, setting it up to trigger based on the specified date. You can also choose one of the templates available and customize it to your needs.
Set all conditions
To configure your auto-flow settings, type in the flow name, specify the sender, and connect Google Analytics. For the flow start, set the trigger to fire when the date specified in the contact variable is reached. At this point, you can also select the launch frequency.
Add a birthday element
In the automation builder, you can set up messages through various channels, including email, SMS, push notifications, and messaging apps. To send a birthday email, drag the “Email” element into your workspace, enter the email subject and preheader, and then add the relevant variables from your mailing list. Additionally, you can attach files to your message.
Add additional elements
You can further enrich your flow by adding additional elements. For example, you can use the “Condition” element to track email opens and deliverability or the “Filter” block to branch the flow based on a specific variable.
You can save and launch your flow once you’ve finished setting it up. When the date specified in the contact’s variable comes, the subscribers will automatically receive your happy birthday email.
The bottom line
Whether it’s a thoughtful message, a personalized gift, or an exclusive deal, birthday emails are a powerful way to strengthen your connection with customers. Using vibrant colors, engaging graphics, and compelling messaging can make all the difference.
Designing these emails may seem tricky at first, but it doesn’t have to be. With SendPulse, you can easily launch and automate happy birthday emails to customers. This powerful tool lets you schedule emails and follow-ups based on your needs, design custom emails from scratch, or customize existing templates.
Best of all, these features are included in SendPulse’s free plan, so you can get started without any cost. Give it a try today!
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