While typically considered an ‘older channel’, Email Marketing is very much alive and kicking. Despite typically being overlooked by small businesses, having a comprehensive e-commerce email marketing strategy has proven to be a powerful, scalable and cost-effective segue to reaching new customers. It provides an avenue to yield benefits from increased brand awareness while maintaining a strong connection with highly engaged customers. The positives don’t stop there either, with evidence of notably boosted conversion rates, and strong ROI, especially when comparing to other channels.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when choosing the best email marketing strategy for your business, and today’s blog will talk you through our top strategies to master your email marketing! Whether it be through social media, PPC or SEO (just to name a few) rest assured that there is plenty out there to support the growth of your business, and kick goals relating to customer engagement and conversions. What sets ecommerce email marketing apart from other marketing channels however, is the idea that business owners are in control of every stage within the marketing funnel, and have full ownership of the subscriber list attached to the emails.
A natural starting point is defining what ecommerce email marketing is, and more importantly, why we encourage businesses which have an ecommerce focus to prioritise adopting these strategies. E-commerce email marketing allows businesses to reach both existing and potential customers. There is flexibility in how a business can seek to undertake ecommerce email marketing, and this will differ for every business. While some may see results from a weekly email, others will require a more complex strategy, usually involving a series of automations, to address abandoned carts, and to encourage consumers to purchase, by prompting them with a series of specials and deals.
Keep reading to find out more about our top tactics when it comes to E-commerce Email Marketing!
A welcome series creates the perfect introduction
You know that they say – first impressions matter, and this is no different for email marketing. It’s important to start with the basic niceties – introduce yourself to your customers, share what makes your brand special and showcase your products. When it comes to an introductory series, this often forecasts the direction of further emails, and therefore primes the customer to expect more in the future. It’s not to say this then opens the floodgates to bombard subscribers with an onslaught of emails, but lays the foundation for a series of 2-3 further emails to reach new customers effectively (without going over the top). A clear intention to thank, welcome and foreshadow what’s to come in future emails should be the priority of the welcoming series. Statistics show that ‘with an average open rate of 68.59 percent and an average click-through rate of 16.05 percent’, it pays to have a strong welcoming series within your broader marketing campaign.
Develop a compelling call to action
A clear goal must be attached to your email marketing to ensure a successful campaign. What is it exactly that you want your customers on your emailing list to do? A strong call to action will encourage subscribers to perform in a way that aligns with your campaign goals. Be it purchasing a particular product, reading your latest blog or even watching a promotional video, it should come as no surprise to your customer what you want them to do.
As a rule of thumb, less is more when it comes to a good call to action. Being concise and clear will avoid confusion and create a compelling and persuasive call to action. A degree of planning and insight also needs to be considered when creating a persuasive call to action. The tone needs to be conversational, and a clear idea of an end goal should be well established. Words used in the call to action need to mimic the action you wish to take, and be articulated in short, sharp messaging which is delivered in first person. Your call to action can then be further strengthened by running a series of routine A/B tests to gain greater insights into how your audience responds most effectively.
Personalise your email marketing to suit your target audience
We live in a world where personalisation is everything! People love the feeling of messages being specifically tailored to them, and it’s not surprising that creating personalised email marketing increases subscribers to act. Think about it, the emails you remember, are the ones that make you feel like they are personally addressing something you value. To master this, it’s crucial to have comprehensive insight into who your target audience is. Don’t have a good grasp on who your target audience is? Check out our blog on nailing this!
The results speak for themselves using this technique, with data reporting sixe-times higher revenue results than emails which make no attempt to personally address the subscriber. Oftentimes, personalisation doesn’t even have to mean addressing first and last names per se, but can be as simple as filtering relevant information and content to your audience.
Automation is essential
Automation has proven to be an essential marketing tool in all facets of your marketing strategy, however it is truly a hero when it comes to email marketing. Automated emails have the capacity to address cart abandonment issues, facilitate re-engagement and encourage repeat purchasing, making it an unmissable tool to incorporate into your marketing strategy. The automation process can be simplified through email marketing software, such as Klaviyo who do most of the hard work for you!
Cart Abandonment strategies are crucial
With strong conversion opportunities, abandoned carts have the capacity to turn into your most profitable channel. If you have thought about creating automations to address abandoned carts, there are a number of factors which need to be considered. Questions like frequency and volume of emails are often asked, and as a rule of thumb, we typically suggest the initial email being sent after an hour of cart abandonment, one following this the next day and a final one three days after this. Another suggested approach is to include a discount code to encourage consumer purchasing decisions, as well as having a compelling subject line grab subscriber attention, prompting them to open to email.
There is much to be said for e-commerce email marketing campaigns, and equally much to be learnt, from rookies to seasoned users we hope some of these tips are helpful when thinking about your next marketing endeavour!
