If you’re not currently using an email marketing platform you might think it’s outdated and perhaps a waste of time, but especially if you sell goods on an ecommerce model, email marketing could be big for you. Today we’re going to cover the basics and make the argument for investigating email marketing even if you’re not ready to dive in today.
Super Users
If you follow marketing in the media you might think website tracking is on it’s way out and everyone is opting out of any kind of contact with brands. To be fair, some users are choosing to opt out but many other are opting in. Your core customers are loyal; they want to hear from you as long as you’re not spammy.
The first step in the email marketing funnel is opting in. When a user says ‘yes’ to your email marketing program, they’re already raising their hand to say, ‘yes, I’m interested in what you have to say’. Making a pitch to these users is going to yield better results than average.
Keep it Simple
Many of us have opted into a marketing list and immediately regretted it. That’s usually because the organization starts emailing way too much. If you buy a car once every ten years, you don’t want three emails a week.
Choose an email cadence that leaves your users wanting more. You can achieve this (in most cases) by only emailing when you have something useful to offer. Many organizations have a ‘welcome’ email series and then leave users alone until a new product launches or a sale is coming up.
Basic Email Marketing Campaigns
We mentioned the ‘welcome’ campaign which can give users an incentive to shop (a percent off discount for example). Here are some other common email marketing campaigns:
Abandoned Cart: Let users know they left some items in their cart and see if a nudge (% off) can help them complete their purchase.
Replenish: You know when users are likely to run out of what you’re selling them. Remind them when that time is coming up so they can shop again.
Specials and Sales are a no-brainer. If a new product is coming out, let them know. If you’re having a sale, let them know about that as well.
There are many other ways to leverage email marketing for traffic and sales but these are some basic methods to dip a toe into email marketing and see if it will work for your users. Next we’ll discuss email marketing platforms and what to look for.
If you have questions about email marketing or need help with a current effort, let us know. We’d be happy to chat.