Basic Tips for Effective Email Marketing

There are plenty of different ways to market your eCommerce store and without a doubt, pay-per-click advertising is the most immediate and effective but let’s face it, it can be expensive.  Email marketing is a cost-effective way to engage with your customers and drive sales.

Store owners seem to take a divided approach to email marketing.  They will either send out a blast that is the same for all in their database, with one offer or, they will be very methodical with their blast often personalizing it for the recipient based on past purchases or other criteria.  

It goes without saying that the more thought that is put into a campaign, the greater the results, but not all have the time or the marketing savvy to take their email marketing to the next level.  However, there are a few things that even the most successful marketers consider each time they tee up an email blast:

The Subject Line
Your email’s subject line is the “gotcha” – it’s what’s going to either get the recipient to open the email or send it directly to the trash bin.  Subject lines should be simple and to the point.  It’s fine to be a little self-promoting in the subject line but don’t go overboard.  The pushier, the chances are it’s going straight to spam.

If your email marketing platform allows you to put in preview text along with your subject line, don’t skip it.  A well-written brief sentence about what’s inside the email increases the chances it will be opened.

When to Send
There are many theories out there about when is the best time to send emails.  Many marketing pros recommend skipping Thursdays and Fridays, while many agree that Wednesdays are best.  Then there are weekends….

When the best day to send your email blasts is going to depend on your customers!  There really isn’t one or two “good days” to send as email marketing is not a one-size-fits-all solution.  Experiment by sending on different days and times and then analyze your results to determine when it’s best to reach out to your customers.

Design
Just like your eCommerce store is a direct reflection of your brand and how a customer will perceive you, your email marketing is as well.  The design of your email should match the look and feel of your store.  Stick with the same colors, fonts, and logos, and retain image styles.

Don’t overload your recipients with too much information.  The best-performing emails feature a hero image, a brief few sentence description, and an attention-grabbing call to action.

Personalizing your emails is guaranteed to increase your conversion rates.  Some ways you can personalize email blasts include adding in the customer’s first name, providing some information about a past purchase, featuring products that are recommended based on what they bought previously, etc.

The Deal
Let’s face it, we all get a lot of emails in a week.  Don’t waste your customer’s time if you’re going to send them an email and not include some type of offer.  People expect that promotional emails are going to contain an opportunity to save, so be sure to provide them with one.

Coupon codes are one of the most popular and most effective deals.  Offer a percentage discount or even free standard shipping via a coupon code to reel in those orders.

Of course, everyone’s target audience is different and as mentioned above, email marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all, but these few tips cover the basics that every store owner should take advantage of.  At the end of the day, it’s up to you to review your campaign results and test, test, test!  Eventually, you’ll find the sweet spot that works for your customers and your bottom line.

 

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