How To Improve Your  eCommerce Email Marketing Campaigns

Love it or hate it, we’re all subject to email marketing every day. Despite many email marketing campaigns just clogging up our inboxes, when done right, it can be a powerful tool to generate interest, leads and sales. Email marketing allows you to send targeted and relevant messages to different segments of your customer base. Giving you the ability to feed them relevant products from your store, speak to them on their level, build trust and swoop in just when they need a refresh of your product. The possibilities are endless with email marketing, but this is all when it is executed with thought and precision. But where do you start? Never fear, our team of email marketing experts are going to share their insights on how to ace your eCom email marketing to not only see short-term sales uptake but long-term customer loyalty.

What makes an effective eCom email marketing campaign? 

The eCom email marketing basics

First up is choosing which email provider to go with. There is a whole host on the market, most of which that offer a free option for a set number of contacts/customers you’ll be emailing into. Most are pretty intuitive in terms of set-up and will take you through how to use each platform step by step. However, here are some general aspects to be aware of: 

1. Uploading your Ecom data. If you’re using a platform outside of your eCommerce platform, you may have to export your customer data and add it to a list. Simply export as a CSV and upload it to your chosen platform. 
2. Where you can segment. If you have access to purchase or demographic information for each customer include this. Within most platforms, there is the capability to create tags or segments within your customer list. This work can help to create content that is hyper-relevant and somewhat personalised to their wants and needs. 
3. When creating content, stick to brand colours and include your logo where relevant. Keeping this level of consistency will ensure a seamless customer journey from your eCom store to email marketing. Become an expert in leveraging content for your eCom marketing strategy by reading our comprehensive guide.

Crafting and executing eCommerce email marketing strategy 

Just like any other eCom marketing channel, it’s essential to create a strategy. A strategy will ensure that all messaging is consistent and you (or your team) are kept accountable for managing your eCommerce email marketing. Essential to an effective email campaign is understanding your customer base. First up is deciding on a few different email types to start with. Focus on creating one or two then once you’re seeing them do their work, build the rest. 

The types of eCom emails to nail 

• The welcome email: saying hello to a new sign-up. This email is your chance to make a great first impression. 
• The engagement email: getting back in touch with a customer that hasn’t bought from you in a while. 
• The referral email: tell your customers the benefits of your referral program.
• The discount email: let special customers in your database know about exclusive discounts. 
• The cart abandonment email: alerts customers who have almost, but not quite purchased from your eCom store.  
• The order confirmation email: a note of thanks and let them know the next steps with their order. 
• The upsell email: let a customer know about an additional product related to one they’ve already invested in. 
• The win-back email: your customer is at the end of their lifecycle and seems to have lost interest this is your last chance to win them back.
• The thank-you email: show your gratitude in an authentic and personalised way. 

Create eCommerce email marketing content that you’d want to open 

There are a few factors that come into play when creating eCommerce email marketing content that makes an impact. Ultimately, you have to think, ‘what would I want in my inbox?’ and always judge your email marketing to that standard. It is crucial to make your email content memorable.

• Make your subject line bold and punchy. You want to create enough intrigue to encourage them to open the email. Questions or hints at an offer or something packed with personality are all great options. 
• Create content that is visual and speaks to your segment. On average, you only have 4 seconds to make an impact with content, be sure to include some eye-catching content and clever copy which leads the customer to your desired endpoint. 
• Keep your content concise. Your email should give all the essential info within the first look. If you plan a longer email, prioritise the most important information first. 
• Optimise for mobile. While your email may not look too long on a desktop, most people access emails on their phones. So bear that in mind when considering design and content. 
• Include call to action buttons throughout the email. Regardless of how much of the email your customer reads, you can give them the option to take the next step. 

Now you’ve got the blueprint to creating a steadfast eCommerce email marketing campaign. Sending out emails is a very low-cost but highly effective way to keep your customers coming back to your eCom store and create a sense of community too. Want to clue yourself up on more eCommerce marketing strategies? Check out our blog. Or, if you are looking for some more hands-on assistance from some people in the know, get in touch. One of our consultants will be happy to help.