Email first became popular around 1993, which is why many people today consider it a dinosaur among marketing tools. However, the actual power of email marketing may surprise you. For starters, aside from email automation tools and copywriters, email marketing doesn’t cost much. Even better, its potential ROI is significantly higher than any other form of content marketing. In fact, for every dollar spent on email marketing, most marketers see an average $38 ROI.
In the end, email’s age is actually a good thing. Consumers are comfortable with email. They rely on it for personal and professional communication, and seeing your brand name in their inbox helps to develop brand trust and affinity. For all these reasons, it’s important that your company set up a solid ecommerce email marketing strategy that helps to nurture consumers so that they continue to engage with and make purchases from your brand. In the content below, we’ll go over the top seven tips you need to build a stellar ecommerce email marketing strategy.
Ecommerce Email Marketing Tip 1 – Yes, the Subject Line Matters
Crafting the perfect subject line is what determines whether or not your campaigns get those jaw-dropping open rates. The subject line serves as a teaser for your email, and most people won’t even bother opening your message if the subject line doesn’t interest them. The best way to get people to open your email is to create a sense of urgency. For example, if you’re writing about a holiday sale, include phrases like “Last chance!” or “Ends today!”
Ecommerce Email Marketing Tip 2 – Content is Still King
I’m willing to bet that you’ve heard this phrase before—maybe a few too many times. But it’s repeated again and again because it’s true. If you don’t create content that is engaging and compelling, your ecommerce email marketing efforts will fall short.
Think of it this way: people the average person receives dozens if not hundreds of emails every day. If you manage to get them to click on your email, you need to have quality content that gets them to linger long enough to read your offer instead. If the recipient doesn’t find your content interesting within the first few seconds, it’s likely that they’ll hit the delete button.
On the other hand, you don’t want your body content to resemble a novel either. Every piece of information you include should be relevant. That’s not to say, however, that you can’t have fun with your content—just be sure that any “fluff” you do include still serves some sort of purpose. For example, maybe you choose to add a witty quip that’ll grab the attention of your target reader.
You also need to keep in mind your brand and who your readers are. For example, if you’re writing email content for a party supplies store, subtle puns are probably a necessity. However, if you’re writing content for a tech company, the tone should probably be more authoritative.
Ecommerce Email Marketing Tip 3 – And Design is Queen
While content is what will ultimately compel the reader to click through to your site, design is equally important. If your emails are poorly designed or don’t display properly between desktop and mobile devices, you probably won’t have a very high click-through rate. Create a design that is in line with your branding, is pleasing to the eye, makes sense for what you’re offering, and isn’t too complicated. Emails with lots of graphics or videos generally don’t load right or may even automatically end up in the spam folder.
For example, take a look at this ad from Seal Skin. With just one banner, the design is simple and yet it shows all the most important information that will help guide the reader toward conversion.
Ecommerce Email Marketing Tip 4 – Don’t Send the Same Email to Everyone
Sending one generic email blast to everyone in your contact list is an antiquated and ineffective email marketing tactic. Not every consumer will be interested in the same things, which is why it’s better to segment your email lists. For example, say you own a department store. You could send one email with a special offer for a new perfume to every contact that has every purchased perfume or added it to their cart. This way, you know that only people who have an interest in perfume will receive your email. Segmenting your email lists not only helps you increase open rates, but it also helps you decrease the number of people who mark your email as spam or unsubscribe.
Ecommerce Email Marketing Tip 5 – Set Up Email Automation & Personalization
If I had to manually enter every contact email and wake up at 5 AM to send an email so the opposite coast would get it by 8 AM, I’d probably hate email marketing. But fortunately, there is such a thing as email automation. And believe me, it’s amazing. Email automation not only allows you to schedule when emails go out, but it also allows you to trigger predetermined emails based on a contacts actions on your site.
For example, if someone visits your site and adds an item to their cart, they could be added to a retargeting workflow. If they haven’t purchased the item after a few days, they’d receive an automated email to remind them of their abandoned cart. A few days after that, they might receive another email offering a coupon for that item. These types of emails make your life easier while also giving you a big boost in sales.
In addition to segmenting your email lists so that contacts only receive relevant emails, you should also personalize the subject line and content with their name. Not only does this increase the chance that they’ll click open, but it can also help prevent your email being marked as spam since it shows you know who the contact is.
Ecommerce Email Marketing Tip 6 – Include a Clear Call to Action
Even if your email design and copy are perfect, it’s worthless if the reader doesn’t know what they’re supposed to do after they finish reading it. Make sure your CTA is clear and noticeable. In addition to including a CTA button at the bottom of your email, make the top banner clickable and include an in-text link as well. The easier it is to find, the more likely it is that the consumer will click through to your site and make a purchase.
Ecommerce Email Marketing Tip 7 – Email Marketing isn’t Just for Marketing
What I mean to say is that not every email you send needs to be a straight up advertisement for your products. Instead, be sure to send regular updates that your subscribers will find interesting and valuable. For example, you could send an email about a new free ebook you recently published, or maybe a new blog about something exciting in your industry. These types of semi-promotional updates help to humanize your brand. It’s important that you mix your sales emails with interesting content so that consumers see the value in subscribing.
Conclusion
Following the tips in this post will help you set up a solid ecommerce email marketing strategy that boosts your following and your revenue without draining your marketing budget. For more information about how email marketing can help your ecommerce business thrive, contact our content marketing agency today and set up a free consultation.
