Email marketing is an excellent tool for any business — especially eCommerce businesses. Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is about so much more than selling. Discover the many ways your eCommerce business can use email marketing to make the most out of your marketing dollars.
Boost brand awareness
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways an eCommerce business can help boost their brand awareness and stay top-of-mind with customers. As an eCommerce site, information is always changing at a rapid pace. Keep your customers informed of those changes with emails! You don't want to inundate people's inboxes with too many emails, but the right email marketing strategy will help you stay present in customer's lives and, ultimately, boost brand awareness.
Offer special deals
Many eCommerce websites have pop-ups that offer discounts once a visitor comes to the site. But these banners aren't the only way you can provide exclusive deals. To ensure first-time shoppers want to come back to your website, you can encourage them with a coupon or information on an upcoming special sale via email.
Don't forget your repeat customers! Constant, meaningful communication with your best clientele is just as important. Make them feel special by tailoring your messaging to the specific individual and offering higher discounts or private sales.
Foster connections
A high-quality email can create deeper connections with your current customers and is a vital part of producing repeat customers. To achieve a more meaningful relationship with your customers, you can use email marketing to acknowledge important days and milestones in their lives, like birthdays, anniversaries, or graduations. You can also use email marketing to draw attention to special events in your consumer's geographic area. This further demonstrates that you're paying attention to what matters most to your customer and genuinely care about what they have going on in their lives.
Avoid irrelevant emails
You don't want to send one of your best customers an email meant for someone who just visited your site for the first time. How can you prevent these unwanted mistakes? Create carefully vetted email lists. The email address data businesses rely on must be thoroughly verified and, above all, accurate. Using mailing lists enables businesses to segment their audience with precision. Keeping all of your emails in a particular order will help ensure you send the right people the correct information. Don't forget to keep these email lists updated as your customer moves through the buying cycle. Properly segmenting your email marketing campaigns can ultimately lead to an increase in your emails' performance, which directly impacts your eCommerce revenue.
Generate reviews
One of the most essential aspects of operating an eCommerce business is review generation. Reviews help convince other consumers to make a purchase, especially if they've never shopped with you before. Most people are more willing to write an unprompted review if it's negative, but when you provide satisfied customers with an easy way to write a review or leave you 5-stars, you're likely to achieve more positive results. In the body of the email, include a link that takes them directly to where they can leave the review. By making the process as simple as possible, your eCommerce customers are more likely to share their thoughts on their purchase, which helps generate more business in the future. If you get a poor review, here are tips to address and correct any issues or reinforce your good service: Respond to Customer Reviews the Smart Way.
Express gratitude
Whenever someone makes a purchase on your eCommerce site, always have a thank you email scheduled to send. Customers may delete the email faster than they can get it, but thanking them for their purchase—and letting them know how much it means to your business—can go a long way! Plus, it may even inspire them to come back and shop again. You can offer incentives like a discount for their next purchase or show them items that will soon be available.
Email marketing enables eCommerce businesses to create relationships with their customers that go beyond sales. When customers feel connected to the places they spend their money, they're more likely to return and spread the word about that company to their friends and family. Start generating more business for your eCommerce site with a carefully implemented email marketing campaign.
About the Author
Steven Sheck is the Owner and President of Infinite Media. With over 40 years of experience, he is considered an industry expert in business to business direct marketing. He has managed direct marketing campaigns for a number of clients, including OfficeMax, Nextel, AT&T, General Electric, American Express, and Pitney Bowes.
