Preguntas frecuentes
When should tax software companies start their email campaigns for filing season?
Start building awareness and re-engagement emails in early January as soon as the IRS begins accepting returns. Users who filed with a competitor last year are most receptive to switching in January before they commit to another platform. Send warm-up emails to your list in December to reconnect and prime your audience, then launch your full campaign calendar starting January 1. Waiting until February or March means competing with everyone else during peak season when attention is split.
What is the best email sequence for a new tax software user?
A good new user sequence runs 6 to 8 emails over the first 14 days. Start with a welcome email that sets expectations and shows the main workflow. Follow with a "getting started" guide, a tip about common deductions the user might miss, a prompt to import prior year data or W-2s, a reminder if they have not logged back in, and a final email as the deadline approaches. Trigger as many of these as possible based on in-app activity rather than fixed time delays for better relevance.
How do I reduce churn between tax seasons?
Stay in contact year-round with genuinely useful content like tax law changes, quarterly estimated tax reminders for self-employed users, and year-end planning tips. Users who engage with off-season content are far more likely to renew than users who only hear from you in January. Send a "you saved $X last year" personalized recap in the fall to remind them of the value they got. A November renewal offer to prior year users with a small discount converts very well.
Should tax software companies use different email tools for different products?
For most tax software companies, one platform handling both transactional and marketing emails is fine as long as you use separate sending domains or subdomains for transactional notifications like password resets and payment confirmations. If you have a consumer product and a professional CPA-facing product, consider keeping those audiences in separate workspaces or even separate tools since the messaging, tone, and content needs are fundamentally different.
How do I handle email communication around tax law changes?
Tax law changes are a major engagement opportunity because users genuinely want to know how changes affect their filing. Send tax law update emails as news breaks, not weeks later, to position your software as a trusted resource. Keep the email practical: tell users what changed, how it affects their specific situation if possible, and what your software is doing to account for the change. These emails typically see very high open rates because they have obvious personal relevance.
What email metrics should tax software companies track?
During peak season, track completion rate alongside open and click rates, meaning what percentage of users who started their return actually filed through your platform after receiving each email. In the off-season, track re-engagement rate, which measures how many lapsed users come back after receiving a win-back campaign. Year-over-year retention rate broken down by which email sequences users received is the most valuable long-term metric to guide future campaign investments.