I’m writing this on the way into the office on my birthday. Perhaps it’s a sign of getting old, but I have to admit that I’m still thrilled by the idea that my friends might remember the date, and take the time to send me a card or message me on Facebook.

But it also struck me that I haven’t received any emails from the companies that I buy from. How easy it would have been for my favourite wine Web site to send me an offer for champagne, or my consumer electronics companies to give me a voucher so I could spend my birthday money with them.

I’ve talked in the past about triggered emails and how great it can be to have a program in place that sends out messages automatically, and makes you money without you having to do anything more than keep the data up to date. Birthday email messages are a great example; others include reminders that a subscription is due to expire, or special offer vouchers to customers who haven't clicked through to your Web site for a couple of months.

I know that with every triggered email marketing campaign there is a risk of intrusion, but I think the simplest way to decide whether to send is to put yourself into your customers’ shoes. Would you be pleased or angry to get birthday wishes from your favourite brand? If you can write a message that tests well internally and, of course, you have a reliable way of collecting date-of-birth data, then why not start a small trial to see what sort of response you get?

Meanwhile, if my favourite wine company is reading this, I’m more than happy to accept the free champagne at any time of the year!

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About The Author

Kieran Cooper is senior manager of support services for Lyris' international operations. Located in the Lyris UK office, he is responsible for account management, implementation and support.

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