Creating an effective email marketing strategy for e-commerce can be a game-changer for your online business. If you’re selling online, you know that the competition is high so using email marketing can actually help you stand out and stay ahead of your competitors.
Email marketing gives you a more direct and personal way to connect with your audience. You can send promotions and build relationships, encourage them to repurchase, and turn one-time customers into loyal fans of your brand. There’s no doubt then that email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for e-commerce businesses.
But in order to see measurable results, you need to have an effective strategy that works for your business and helps you achieve your goals.
I’ll walk you through the steps you should include in your email marketing strategy for achieving the best possible results!
1
CHOOSE AN EMAIL MARKETING PLATFORM
First, you have to pick an email marketing platform for your campaigns.
This is where you will design your emails, segment your audience, automate your workflows, and track your messages’ performance. So you have to make sure the platform you use is efficient, robust, and able to help you deliver the results you want.
When choosing the right platform, you should consider a few factors that can affect your strategy in the long run. For example, try picking a platform that’s easy to use, especially when you’re new to email marketing. Otherwise, you can get easily overwhelmed by the complex features before you can even start sending out your emails.
RELATED POST: How to grow an email list for free
You’ll also want to pick a platform that allows you to segment your audience, automate your workflow, and personalize your messaging.
And because more and more businesses have been taking advantage of email marketing, there are now hundreds of platforms to choose from. You can try the most popular ones like Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or ActiveCampaign. Or give the more budget-friendly ones a shot, such as Systeme.io or Flodesk.
I started my business using System.io (which is completely free up to 2000 subscribers, and after 10,000 you pay a fixed price of $97 a month and you can grow your audience as big as you’d like).
And over time, I migrated to Flodesk which is perfect when your email list is big enough and brings you some sales. Then you can get a Flodesk plan for a fixed price of $35/month and it will stay fixed no matter how many subscribers you have.
By choosing the right email marketing platform, you’re setting up the stage for an effective email marketing strategy that can help you grow your business and maximize your e-commerce potential.
2
CHOOSE A GOOD LEAD MAGNET
A powerful email marketing strategy starts with building a solid email list. To do that, you’re going to need a good lead magnet, which is a special offer that’s designed to attract potential customers and encourage them to share their email addresses. When done right, your lead magnet can be the gateway that opens up the opportunity to nurture and convert your subscribers into loyal customers.
To create a good magnet, you need to be strategic and creative. Here are a few tips to help you out:
Understand your audience: Make sure you know their pain points, interests, and needs. This can help you create an offer that solves their problem or fulfills their desire.
Align with your brand: Your lead magnet should also be cohesive with your brand voice, values, and other products.
Immediate value: Make sure your lead magnet is useful and easy to access.
Keep it simple: Don’t overcomplicate your offer. Make it clear and straightforward so your audience knows exactly what they’ll get.
If you need help coming up with lead magnet ideas, here are some ideas that have worked for other businesses (also make sure to check my blog post "10 LEAD MAGNET IDEAS TO GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST"):
Downloadable guides: Create a valuable resource for your audience, like a worksheet, cheat sheet, plan, or guide to help them solve their problems.
Exclusive discounts: Everyone loves a good discount! You can offer a percentage off or dollar-value discounts for first-time subscribers.
Exclusive access: Give your audience early access to products or design limited edition collections for your subscribers.
Quizzes with results: Host a quiz that’s tailored to your brand or niche and deliver the results via their emails.
3
PROMOTE IT ON YOUR WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Creating your lead magnet is just the beginning. You also have to promote it to your audience through your website and social media. After all, no matter how great your lead magnet is, it won’t drive results if people don’t know it exists.
To promote your lead magnet on your website, you can display it on high-traffic pages such as your homepage, product pages, or blog posts. You can also use pop-ups, slide-ins, or sticky bars to capture your viewers’ attention. Or you can include a convincing CTA in your website blog posts.
On social media, you can share engaging posts or stories about your lead magnet or run paid social media ads to reach a broader audience.
Make sure to take advantage of platform-specific features, such as Instagram’s swipe-up feature or analytics. You can also pin your posts about your lead magnets so they always appear first when people visit your profile.
4
CREATE A WELCOME EMAIL SERIES
Who doesn’t love a warm welcome? When you’ve captured a new subscriber’s attention, make sure to greet them with a warm welcome and thank them for them for taking interest in your business. This allows you to create a great first impression, build trust, and cultivate a lasting relationship with your customers.
A well-designed welcome email also allows you to set expectations by introducing your brand, explaining what your subscribers can expect, and establishing clear communication. So try to add a touch of personalization (e.g. using your subscriber’s name), write compelling subject lines, add strong visuals, and use clear call-to-actions. This helps you maximize engagement and convert your subscribers into buying customers.
Sometimes, it’s not enough to just send one email. A welcome email series often includes 3 or more emails that properly introduce your brand in a personal and compelling way.
Here are a few ideas:
Welcome and introduction: Greet your new subscriber and thank them for joining your email list. You can then reinforce the value of subscribing by emphasizing the benefits (e.g. discounts, exclusive content, etc.), and include your brand story or mission to establish and emotional connection.
Showcase your bestsellers or features: You can introduce your most popular products or services, include customer testimonials or reviews to build credibility, and make sure to highlight unique selling points.
Provide value and build trust: Always share helpful content with your subscribers, such as blog posts, guides, or tutorials related to your products or niche.
5
USE EMAIL SEGMENTATION
As your email list grows, you’ll start to realize that there’s no one-size-fits-all template or email marketing strategy for ecommerce that’s going to work on every one of your subscribers. Email segmentation can help you truly connect with your audience and resonate with them more.
This involves dividing your email list into groups by identifying specific criteria to deliver more personalized and relevant messages.
For example, you can segment your audience by their demographics, such as their age, gender, location, or income. Some email marketing platforms also allow you to segment by their behavior or how they interact with your website and emails (e.g. subscribers with abandoned carts or first-time buyers).
You can also try segmenting your audience based on their sign-up source. For example, if a person subscribed to your list because of your lead magnet, you can tailor your messages around the topic or provide more related resources.
When you’re just starting out though, email segmentation can get a little overwhelming. So start simple and only begin with broad categories, such as dividing your list into new and repeat customers. As you learn more about email marketing, you can refine your list and strategies as you go along.
But by segmenting your email list, you can make sure that every message you send resonates with its recipient and addresses their specific needs.
6
UPSELL AND CROSS-SELL
Of course, your journey doesn’t end just by making your first sale. Your goal for your email marketing strategy should be about increasing your customer lifetime value. This means encouraging your customers to keep purchasing and exploring complementary products that give them value.
Upselling and cross-selling helps you do just that. IT helps you maximize each customer transaction while also enhancing their satisfaction by recommending upgrades and products that enhance their customer experience. It’s also more cost-effective to sell to your existing customers rather than acquiring new ones.
Here are a few tips to help you upsell and cross-sell via email:
Leverage purchase history: You can use their purchase history to help you figure out related products to offer. For example, if someone buys a smartphone, you can recommend a new phonecase or a screen protector.
Time your emails strategically: Timing is everything. So try to send your upsell offers during the consideration phase or immediately after their purchase if they’ve show interest in other products.
You can also try cross-selling after their purchase by sending emails like “Complete Your Look” or “Your product essentials.”
Bundle your products: Product bundles are also a great way to upsell and cross-sell. Combine complementary products in a bundle and offer them at a discounted rate.
Incentivize your offer: Make your upsell and cross-sell offers irresistible by including discounts, free shipping, or loyalty points.
Use clear and compelling CTAs: Nothing else ruins an upsell or a cross-sell more than a complicated call-to-action. With a clear and compelling CTA, your customers know exactly what to do next, making the purchasing decision easier.
Use social proof: Testimonials and reviews from other customers can be powerful ways to convince your customer to buy. So include some of your best product reviews, user-generated content, and other social proof to build trust and make your offer more convincing.
Even when you’re upselling and cross-selling though, you should avoid overwhelming your customer. Try to limit your suggestions to 1 to 3 items per email so you can still maintain focus and clarity in your messaging.
7
STAY CONSISTENT
Like everything else in life, consistent efforts pay off. When it comes to email marketing, consistently showing up in your subscribers’ inboxes builds trust, reinforces your brand, and keeps your business top of mine. It’s more important than having creative campaigns and data-driven insights.
However, it’s not always easy to stay consistent, especially when you’re also busy juggling other business tasks and your personal life. So here are a few tips to help you:
Set a schedule: Decide how often you’ll send out your emails to your subscribers. You can send your messages weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on what works for your audience or your business. Stick to that schedule, so your subscribers know when to expect your emails.
Plan ahead: Create an email marketing calendar to outline your email campaigns, product launches, and promotions. This helps you lessen the last-minute stress of figuring out what to write and helps you stay on track.
Maintain a cohesive brand voice: Keep your brand identity consistent throughout your messaging— from your subject lines to your images. Make sure your tone, style and visuals are cohesive to help you reinforce your branding.
Use automation: Most email marketing platforms allow you to automate your emails instead of manually sending them out. This is also helpful for messages such as welcome sequences, cart reminders, and product updates.
By committing to consistency, you build a dependable presence in your customers’ inboxes, helping you develop stronger relationships, engagement, and a strong email marketing strategy.
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Crafting a successful email marketing strategy for e-commerce is more than just sending messages to people. It’s about creating meaningful connections with your audience, while driving engagement, loyalty, and sales. By following these steps, you can transform your email marketing into a powerful engine for growth.
If you want more help about growing your business and marketing it online, you can browse through my other blogs posts or leave a comment if you have any questions.
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