Growing an eCommerce store is always an exciting process. You are constantly trying to find newer ways to build and design the store to make it look more attractive for your target audience.However, designing a store is no good if you don’t have a strong marketing game to back it up. One of the most important aspects of growing the store is marketing facet, and email marketing is still one of the most coveted forms digitally.
Did you know? The ROI that you can achieve through a well-sorted email marketing plan is over a whopping 4,400%. That is a higher conversion higher conversion and engagement rate than all the other digital channels combined!So how can you ensure that email marketing works wonders for your marketing plan, and helps you get better traction than your competitors? With every other business using emails to boost their revenue, you need to think about how to leverage them differently than most. And what better option than by using an email template?Proven curated email templates can gain customer reach and attention and give you an edge when it comes to sales. It can provide the boost your marketing campaigns lack and help you get into more inboxes and convert them to saleable clicks. But before we dive in details, let us cover the basics!
By now, you know and agree that email marketing is super rewarding when done right. And if you are still skeptical, here is a fact that will convince you for the better –81% of eCommerce businesses say emails drive customer acquisition and help them engage their audiences better.There is a reason why businesses prefer this mode of marketing above any other: Reaching out on email is inexpensive, effective, and, most importantly, easy to create.
Through a simple email marketing setup, you can reach out to many consumers with a simple click of a button. And, oh, wait! We have not even spoken about the best part yet – you can customize and personalize your email campaigns. This means that you can segment your audience into lists and send tailored messages to each one of them. All of this can help you garner 58% of all revenue by following a good email marketing plan!
You might be creating the best email marketing plan, but if you don’t have a proper email list, your efforts can go to vain!Consider email lists as the crucial bridge that connects you with your customers — the larger your audience base, the extensive the email list for your business. [caption id="attachment_9338" align="aligncenter" width="813"]
To ensure that your email list gives you the desired result from a campaign, you need to segregate your audience. [/caption]Start with categorizing your user base according to how they interact with your brand: spending, frequent visits, once in a month, and specific categories. But what happens when you don’t have an exhaustive email list that can help you generate more sales through emails? Then it is time to build your email lists from scratch! While many experts can tell you umpteen number of ways to expand your email list, we suggest you focus on these core areas that can help you build them in the most effective way possible:
When you are getting members from your social media, it is essential to allow a simpler sign-in experience.Don’t create long forms to fill and make your signup long and complex. The best way to go about is integrating their social media accounts, so signing in becomes a one-click process.While you may make the sign-up process a breeze, a fraction of your leads may still be reluctant to be subscribers to your brand. Chances are, they lack a strong incentive that can nudge them to be a part of your family.One of the ways you can close this gap and make them switch to your side is by providing a 5-10% discount on their first purchase when they sign up on your platform. This gives them added motivation to sign up to your email list and even purchase on the first interaction.
Opting in and out of emails should not be taken as just a healthy practice that you should follow, but consider it as your lead’s freedom of choice. As a business, we know you are investing a hefty sum in marketing and promoting your brand to audiences. So, why waste your money and effort on unqualified leads or disinterested audience?This is where features like opt-in and opt-out help. It can help filter out leads who might not be keen on your business prospects, leaving you with a clean pool of only core audience who are genuinely interested in your products.
There is no harm in accepting that everyone loves a last-minute surprise! If your audience doesn’t click to subscribe to your emails when they are browsing, give them an added discount to sign up, just before they leave the site. Invest in pop-up triggers that share an email subscription link the moment they see a mouse hover over the “X” button, and it can help in converting a fraction of your website visitors. Showing up at the last minute while a lead is closing up on your website can also seem like your brand is trying until the end. This action has the chance to come across as a business that genuinely cares for its visitors. Following the above tips over a consistent period can skyrocket your email list in no time! And when your email lists have slowly started increasing in numbers, it is time to craft a beautiful email. So, which one should you go ahead with? Should it be no image and all texts, or all visuals and barely any texts? Let us read below and get some clarity.
If you are confused about which side to bank on, you are not alone. This is a debate that still rages on because both text and image-based emails have their advantages and disadvantages. Text and image-based emails both use HTML, and both have equal success when it comes to open rates. But to ensure you get clarity on which side you should incline, we have broken it down for you to understand these subjects in great detail.
A text-based email is great when your goal is to build a relationship with your audience. It allows you to talk to them on a more personal level instead of showing pictures that are more centered around selling. The major pros and cons around text-based emails include:
Image-based emails tend to showcase a vibrant picture and usually display warmth (which at times lacks in a dull text-email). These emails are perfect for grabbing customer attention, especially if you intend to send out promotional offers. Such emails tend to focus on the product being offered and allow customers to sneak at the product before they click and purchase. The major pros and cons around image-based emails include:
The best way to go about it is to send out text-based emails initially and then smoothly transition into a mix of both text-based and image-based. Since you are working in the eCommerce space, a slight preference for image-based emails works, so try to introduce your audience to your products over time. You can still use text-based emails to confirm a purchase or relay other messages such as shipping status and more.Now that you are sorted on which kind of emails to send out, it is apparent that you will not be shipping these out manually. The need for automation to simplify our life is upon us, and working with Email Service Providers (ESP) can be a great way to end this hassle of keeping track of your emails and their success. What’s great about these ESPs is that they come with power-packed features and tools that your business can bank on to automate your email campaigns - allowing you to focus on other business-related activities.It is important to take your time while deciding on an ESP. When it comes to these email marketing tools, businesses often look up to Mailchimp as they are the leaders, but they often turn out to be expensive for small and medium companies. To get a better value for your purchase, we recommend you work with alternatives to test them out before deciding on one.
Crafting an email requires a keen eye for text and design. You can experiment with text- and image-based emails all you like, but the goal you need to focus on is building your audience. Nurturing your audience is a habit you have to get into to turn one-time visitors into regular customers and get them to promote your brand via word-of-mouth.Here are the basic prerequisites for nurturing an audience:
Good email lists are nurtured, not bought. Your email lists need to be perfectly segmented, and this is a skill that takes time. You need to understand audience behavior, and to do so, take time out every fortnight to analyze their browsing habits on your site. Once you get a fair idea of how a customer transacts on your site, you can hyper-segment them into email lists and create personalized emails that are known to deliver 6x the transaction rates.If your list has repeat customers who transact often, you can send trigger emails that give them sneak peeks into new products and allow them to sign up for the pre-ordering list before anyone else. This helps bonding with the customers by inducing loyalty benefits that can make him/her feel privileged. It is all an incentive game, and you have to play it right. Keep revisiting these lists so you can craft customized or personalized emails and give the audience something to look forward to.
Good content comes with listening to your customers and paying close attention to what they are responding better to. As an eCommerce, you require great content that sells your products for you. You have to keep asking your audience the type of content they prefer. The best way to go about it is to conduct short surveys with your high-transacting customers and get an insight into what they seem to like and what needs to be improved. If your content is on track, a higher engagement rate in the form of Open Rates and Click-through Rates (CTR) will catch up. Over time, you can expect your content to fetch you high traction and conversions on your business, so invest in the power of content.
Last but not the least! To ensure all the above factors work like a charm for your business, you need to have an excellent and high-converting template that can truly make your email stand out from the rest. The best way to go about this is to choose already-created high-converting ones from software such as Constant Contact or Active Campaign.However, if you want to look for some more options, then take a quick look at other alternatives and select the one which fits your requirement. Now that you have learned ways to construct great emails, it is time to see them in action! Let us explore some great email examples from brands worldwide and understand what made them stand out from the rest.
For inspiration, we have broken down emails into the types they have been segmented in, so that you can take a leaf out of theirs and add them to your eCommerce strategy!
When a customer shops in your store, they might abandon the cart for some reason. This gives you a chance to remind them to return and complete their purchase. For that, we feel that Birchbox’s abandoned cart email is on point!
Image Source: Birchbox
Instead of choosing a salesy approach that can be off-putting for customers, they craft a simple message and also cross-promote their other products. This gives their customers an extra incentive to come back and complete the purchase.
Coupon codes are one of the best strategies you can implement for your eCommerce. With the right code, you can get people to click and immediately purchase something from your store. This is how West Elm nailed it! The brand incorporated their coupon code right at the top and allowed customers to explore their products below.
Image Source: West Elm
Also, they have a beautiful synchronization of imagery, text, and message – ready to entice any home interior enthusiast, all at once!
People love curated emails as it gives them the time to see your opinion of what you consider to be the top 10 products in the market. Remember, you are trying to give them the impression that you are a leader, and this is one way to do it.
Image Source: One Kings Lane
Check out how One Kings Lane curates their list with just one image and some engaging text!
Check out the image below, and you will agree with us on how Adobe cracked the code with its hands-on CTA and beautiful illustration.
Image Source: Adobe
The email engages the reader to click and want to use the product immediately. It also has a note on the different things the user can do once they click. What is not to love?
You can’t disagree with this, though – everyone loves a personalized email that screams “I care” than a cold, heartless mass email. That is the power of personalization, and Chewy sure knows how to use it right! As a pet brand, the company knows how invested its audience is in shopping for their furry friends.
Image Source: Chewy
The above email has the brand talking all about the products a customer could purchase. It gives the user a feel that this email was crafted just for him/her and relays essential messages like “Free or 1-2 day shopping” to provide added incentive.
Nutrition Secrets incorporates a blog within a blog. How cool (and clever) is that?
Image Source: Nutrition Secrets
It is the best way to give people a teaser, and then get them to click to go forth and read more!
Referrals are a great way to get more business in, and they are effective too. As many as 74% of customers are convinced to purchase after a good word-of-mouth referral.
Image Source: Bombas
So, if you are not sharing referral emails, we suggest you start doing this soon.Check out how Bombas does it with some slick text. We hope that the above examples have given you enough inspiration to get started on your email strategy and whip up the next best email for your business. But, before you take off, let us make your job a little easier. We have curated the list of top tools that can fetch you the templates your business requires to soar high. Take a look!
We have broken down some of the best software in the business to help you work with email templates that convert.
They have a range of impressive features that you can incorporate into your template to stand out.
They range from responsive templates to specific sales-oriented ones around Black Friday, Cyber Money, Email newsletters, and more.These can be retrofitted for any eCommerce sale and, rest assured, will stand out from the rest when opened in an inbox.
One of the biggest communities of designers worldwide, it has some fantastic eCommerce templates. You can discover, create, experiment, and keep sending out emails that have the power to grab eyeballs.As an eCommerce business, Dribbble’s templates are great because not only do you get to work with some talented designers,; you can also work with beautifully created illustrated templates. They will stand out in an inbox and are perfect, especially for beauty-based eCommerce companies.
This is another popular site that allows you to work with excellent email templates that can be directly downloaded. You can browse, download, and work on any template that fits your needs. Themezy is a perfect fit for you if you are on a budget and need some useful design templates with proven track records.These templates can be used for newsletters, eCommerce sales, and even announcements for new products. You can find specific email templates based on your need and put them out.
If you like highly-curated templates, then look no further.ProductHunt allows you to curate new products, and it is an excellent tool for eCommerce to discover the latest trends and the best templates in the market. Their templates are also query-related and allow you to search for the ones that work best for your brand smartly. You can place different products within one template, and they will stand out effectively in the user’s inbox.
Newsletters are a great way to remind customers that you are not just looking to sell as an eCommerce brand. You need to do brand building exercises, and Venngage is the perfect site to start looking from. Choose from their range of 50+ templates around marketing, events, and more and get started immediately!We hope that the above tools and templates help kickstart your email campaigns in style this season!
This blog post has revealed many factors that you (as an eCommerce) brand should look out for and emphasize on. After all, when working in an eCommerce sphere, it is important that you are always experimenting until you find a version that works for your brand. Factors like growing your email list organically and using the right Email Service Provider are just some of the tips that can help you grow and achieve success your business deserves.Consider email marketing as a trial and error game. What does not work for one brand may become a stepping stone to success for you. The sooner you understand that experimentation and change are constant in the eCommerce email marketing game, the faster you can adapt and gain a better impression from your audience. Good luck!
This blog is written by Rohan Mendiratta. He is a bearded marketer who helps small businesses and marketers engage with their audience more affordably via SendX: Email Marketing Software. Say hi to him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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