When leveraged correctly, eMail is one of the most powerful marketing tools for eCommerce businesses. Personalized, timely eMails move leads through the sales funnel at the right time. eMail doesn’t have to be a chore, but it does require a well-thought strategy that is executed seamlessly.
Here are five tips to help merchants with mastering eCommerce eMail for better sales and ROI.
1. Send Transactional eMails
The transactional eMail is key to any eCommerce eMail campaign. It takes care of several jobs all at once, including thanking a customer for their business, confirming the order, and continuing the customer experience post-sale.
Here’s how HubSpot defines what a transactional eMail is and what it should accomplish:
“One-to-one eMails that contain information that completes a transaction or process the recipient has started with you. A common example is in eCommerce, after purchasing an item you receive an eMail receipt that has information about the item, price, and shipment. Transactional eMail is sent to individuals rather than a large list of recipients.”
The key takeaway is to make it personal. You already have a customer’s name from the sales order, so address them personally at the top of the message. It’s the eMail equivalent of thanking someone and wishing them a nice day before they leave the store.
2. Segment Your List
One of the first things to do with respect to mastering eCommerce eMail marketing is to segment your list. This will allow you to create targeted eMails for certain demographics while focusing more on qualified leads. It’s one of the easiest ways to make your eMails more targeted, relevant, and engaging.
3. Retarget leads with eMails
Re-targeting is a form of eMail marketing to entice leads who have already visited your site. You can either do this with paid displayed ads or with automated eMails. With just a single line of code, merchants can remind their customers of products they looked at on their site. According to this Forbes article, it’s strategic to sweeten the deal by offering free shipping or a limited time discount:
“Suggest to your customers that they will receive certain benefits by returning to their shopping cart, such as free shipping or limited time offers, etc. This is especially powerful when used with targeted eMail marketing campaigns and has been shown to increase engagement and sales.”
Amazon is the king of eMail retargeting, and there’s a reason why the company invested so much in it. Re-targeting is so effective because you already know that the lead is interested in a specific product. At this point, you just have to nudge them in the right direction with an eMail.
4. Automate What You Can
It’s unrealistic to think that someone will be able to send welcome eMails, transactional eMails, and retargeting eMails individually. The more leads you generate, the more you’ll stand to benefit from automation. Magento offers basic automated eMails from the admin. Learn how to set them up here. eMail automation doesn’t just save you time, it makes sure you get in touch with leads at the right moment. You can set certain triggers to make sure they get the right eMail based on their position in the customer journey.
5. Send Quality Content that Establishes Brand Awareness
Finally, content is what separates the good eCommerce campaigns from the great ones. This is your chance to drop the promotional talk and just inform leads about relevant topics to grow your customer following.
For example, a clothing retailer could write about upcoming seasonal fashion trends. The key is to create content that provides relatable value to the reader. The better the content, the more reason customers will go to your site. And it’s not even just about immediate sales, either. Creating quality content is one of the best ways to build brand awareness. It’s a positive thing to be known as the company that creates helpful guides, tips, and lists.
With the right strategy, eMail can dominate in eCommerce
eMail is the perfect marketing tool for eCommerce merchants. With the right strategy, merchants can advance leads in the sales funnel and bring them straight to relevant product pages and on to a purchase.
To learn more about mastering eCommerce eMail for better sales, contact us today.