eCommerce Entrepreneurs have a ton of instruments of their toolkit to get extra prospects, however none are as efficient as electronic mail advertising and marketing.
Everyone knows the statistics. 4.3 billion folks now have an electronic mail account, and 69% of marketers use electronic mail to distribute content material. E mail advertising and marketing is a large piece of the puzzle for eCommerce distributors—its common ROI is $36 for every $1 spent, and 80% of markets depend on it for buyer retention.
So how do you select the fitting electronic mail advertising and marketing software program to reap the benefits of all of it? With so many choices, totally different options, pricing plans and integrations to contemplate, it’s not straightforward.
On this weblog put up, we’ll break down how to decide on the fitting electronic mail advertising and marketing software program and what to search for throughout your search.
Let’s get began ?
1. Map out what you need from an electronic mail advertising and marketing instrument
Earlier than shopping for an electronic mail advertising and marketing instrument, entrepreneurs want to determine what they need it to do.
E mail advertising and marketing instruments are like automobiles—some are fundamental however reasonably priced and dependable, whereas others are costlier and include a great deal of options. It’s important to determine early in your search what performance and options you want in an electronic mail advertising and marketing instrument to go well with your group’s wants.
In the end, entrepreneurs use electronic mail advertising and marketing software program to develop subscriber lists and improve conversions. This occurs by sending out emails with ?
Presents and reductions
If you wish to ship unique affords, reductions and promotions to prospects and drive extra enterprise, electronic mail advertising and marketing software program can do it robotically.
As soon as electronic mail advertising and marketing sequences are arrange, you possibly can ship prospects low cost codes and alert them to approaching gross sales. These sequences are additionally nice for profitable again prospects. You possibly can ship a focused electronic mail marketing campaign to prospects who have not made a current buy and embody a reduction code or promotion to sweeten the deal.
Loyalty applications
Make prospects really feel like VIPs with unique affords and loyalty applications.
Loyalty applications are a uncommon advertising and marketing instrument that prospects truly need in on. A study involving almost 20,000 consumers discovered 75% of them would swap manufacturers for a greater loyalty program. And as soon as they’re on the e-mail listing, these campaigns repay—prospects who join emotionally with a model have an average annual spend of $699 in comparison with the $275 occasional prospects drop.
Nike has one of the recognizable electronic mail loyalty programs on the planet. It affords prospects unique pre-sale for product launches, birthday reductions and free supply on each single order.
Nike’s unique releases for VIP prospects are despatched out over electronic mail.
The model even affords teaching and coaching suggestions over electronic mail to spice up buyer loyalty. And Nike CEO John Donahoe says the model’s advertising and marketing technique centres round buyer engagement, as “ engaged prospects purchase extra.”
Newsletters and surveys
Welcome new prospects and listen to what they should say with automated newsletters and suggestions surveys.
Publication emails share common information and promote products to your viewers. However all these emails have modified in recent times into an area the place manufacturers can share their mission for social and environmental causes.
Try this example from Patagonia:
Somewhat than promote a brand new product or ship a reduction coupon, Patagonia’s e-newsletter is concentrated on a core a part of its model—environmental safety. The e-newsletter hyperlinks to an op-ed on the brand’s website, which discusses its mission to recycle clothes, decrease waste and reduce CO2 emissions throughout manufacturing.
This article is a good instance of fusing advertising and marketing and constructing belief with prospects, as studies show 69% of Patagonia prospects look out for the place their merchandise come from and 67% consider in defending the surroundings.
Deserted carts
E mail advertising and marketing software program also can ship automated messages to prospects who’ve added objects to their buying cart however haven’t accomplished the acquisition.
These emails are an ideal instrument to remind prospects of all of the goodies they left behind in your retailer and encourage them to return and end their buy. We love this abandoned cart email by Kate Spade:
Not solely does it put the product the shopper deserted entrance and centre, but it surely additionally reminds them of the perks of returning to the shop: free transport and returns.
Product bulletins
Creating a brand new product isn’t the exhausting half—advertising and marketing and promoting it’s.
In accordance with Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, over 30,000 new merchandise are launched yearly. The issue is 95% fail. E mail will help you beat the chances with pre-launch sequences and updates to get prospects excited.
No one model beats the chances like Apple. Simply take a look at this new product announcement email:
One other new iPhone? Yup.
However Apple convinces prospects to frequently improve their telephones by including easy options like a greater digital camera or colored system. Its product launch emails are fluff-free and follow the fundamentals. Gorgeous photographs to seize the shopper’s consideration, important product info and pricing. Each electronic mail is a masterclass in getting a product announcement proper.
2. Resolve which electronic mail advertising and marketing options are a should
Now that you realize why electronic mail advertising and marketing software program is vital, let’s dig into some methods your eCommerce retailer can use it.
Most electronic mail advertising and marketing instruments include a bunch of core options like drip emails, automation sequences and buyer personalization. In a nutshell, you possibly can create campaigns which can be segmented to prospects based mostly on their likes, dislikes and former shopping for habits. And as soon as the campaigns are arrange, the software program will ship out emails robotically.
Listed here are some important options to look out for ?
Automation ?
Automation takes electronic mail campaigns like product launches and welcomes messages and places them on autopilot. Utilizing segmentation, tags and personalization, automation can ship prospects emails about merchandise they truly wish to hear about.
For instance, Sendlane has a number of pre-packed electronic mail automation sequences like welcome emails and win-back sequences.
All you must do is fill within the templates along with your content material, and hit ship.
Customization and personalization ?
No two eCommerce firms are the identical. So, why would you need your essential advertising and marketing instrument to have generic automations and templates?
The simplest electronic mail advertising and marketing software program means that you can customise sequences and content material to seize your viewers’s consideration.
Try this instance template of a customized electronic mail that’s been personalised to the shopper’s location:
Topic: Escape the Winter chill with our new coats
Hey [First Name],
Uninterested in shivering by way of the winter? We’ve received your again.
With thick insulation and a water-resistant exterior, our new coats (produced from recycled bottles!) will maintain you heat and dry regardless of how low the temperature drops in [Customer’s Location]. [Insert an image of the product]
Do not miss out—use code [code] at checkout for an additional 10% off your buy.
[Your Brand Name]
Every of the bolded sections represents a tag. E mail advertising and marketing software program will robotically fill these fields utilizing current buyer information to make sure every message is hyper-personalized to the shopper’s wants. Fairly cool, huh?
//[inject:ad-ebook-segmentation]
Straightforward to make use of ??
Choose a software program that’s straightforward to make use of and doesn’t want an IT diploma so your advertising and marketing group can hit the bottom operating.
A simple-to-use interface will reduce the educational curve and make it simpler on your group to shortly create and ship electronic mail sequences, handle lists and observe marketing campaign outcomes.
One other bonus with avoiding a fancy instrument is that it saves your group (and your organization) a ton of time in coaching and onboarding. Ecommerce groups with restricted assets should be capable of use their electronic mail advertising and marketing software program to its full potential with out spending weeks (or months) studying easy methods to create and ship easy campaigns—don’t overlook this level.
Multivariate A/B testing ?
A/B testing helps you see what emails are hitting the mark with prospects.
It will probably take a look at out totally different topic traces, designs, ship occasions and call-to-action buttons after which observe what performs finest along with your viewers. With some electronic mail advertising and marketing software program, you possibly can take a look at out numerous parts directly after which view the outcomes on the finish of a marketing campaign.
For instance, Sendlane’s Multivariate Testing permits you to take a look at a number of parts like totally different audiences, ship occasions and design to see what works finest:
As soon as the marketing campaign is over, metrics like open charges and hyperlink clicks are tracked to see which electronic mail variation labored finest. Sendlane then picks the profitable combo so you should utilize it in future electronic mail campaigns!
Third-party integrations ?
Lastly, have a look at what third-party integrations an electronic mail advertising and marketing software program has to ensure it’ll sync up along with your current tech stack.
Third-party integrations assist you to join your on-line retailer and some other instruments you utilize, like CRMs, so your electronic mail advertising and marketing platform can use current buyer information. For instance, an integration with eCommerce platforms like Shopify or Magento can simply import and section buyer information and use buy historical past and shopping for behaviors to personalize your electronic mail campaigns.
3. Have a look at what electronic mail advertising and marketing software program is obtainable on your wants and finances
Not all electronic mail advertising and marketing software program is made the identical.
Some instruments like Mailchimp are extra common and would go well with any sort of D2C enterprise, from brick-and-mortar shops to massive on-line companies. Others, like Sendlane, are geared in direction of eCommerce distributors and have super-specific instruments and options to assist drive income and construct buyer belief.
Let’s take a better have a look at the very best electronic mail advertising and marketing software program available on the market?
Greatest for eCommerce: Sendlane
Sendlane is an electronic mail and SMS advertising and marketing software program constructed particularly for on-line distributors and eCommerce shops.
It comes packed with options. Customers get basic email automations and 50+ Pre-Built Funnels out of the field to allow them to begin sending campaigns to prospects immediately. Every marketing campaign will be personalized utilizing triggers, tags and Multivariable Segmentation to focus on each viewers and product launch.
An instance of a Sendlane prebuilt automation that may be personalized utilizing triggers and wait occasions
To win prospects again and increase income, browse abandonment, back-in-stock notifications and post-purchase nurture campaigns will be added to any current electronic mail sequence.
It has multi-store capabilities, so distributors with multiple retailer can observe what’s taking place and have all the information at their fingertips. And due to Sendlane’s dashboard, it’s straightforward to see what’s working and what’s not. Every marketing campaign is tracked and break up based mostly on exercise, income and open charges to maintain metrics and KPIs easy.
Sendlane’s finest options:
- 50+ Pre-built electronic mail and SMS funnels to save lots of money and time making a marketing campaign
- Customizable and professionally designed electronic mail templates
- Entry to each function Sendlane affords (it doesn’t matter what plan you join!)
- Multivariate testing and superior information analytics to maintain observe of each marketing campaign
- Buyer assist accessible 24/7/365 – even on holidays – in 30 seconds or much less
Greatest for the fundamentals: Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an easy electronic mail advertising and marketing software program with every thing an eCommerce retailer wants to attach with prospects. Full of options like marketing campaign scheduling, A/B take a look at copy and reporting, Mailchimp can automate segmented campaigns and ship focused messages to an viewers based mostly on buy historical past, shopping habits and site.
Mailchimp’s finest options:
- Automated deserted cart electronic mail, product critiques and post-purchase campaigns
- Tons of integrations with eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento and BigCommerce
- Easy analytics monitoring like open charges, click-through charges and income
Greatest for buyer retention: Klaviyo
Klaviyo is an electronic mail advertising and marketing platform that’s additionally geared in direction of eCommerce distributors that focuses on buyer retention.
It will probably launch automated electronic mail campaigns, audience segments and observe efficiency of electronic mail campaigns by income and open charges. It pulls buyer information in real-time out of your eCommerce platform that will help you perceive what your prospects wish to maintain them coming again.
Klaviyo finest options:
- In depth template library to assist get your first marketing campaign off the bottom
- Superior segmentation makes probably the most of buyer information like previous buy historical past and shopping habits
- 300+ pre-built integrations together with eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, Huge Commerce and Magento
//[inject:ad-demo
From our list (or your own research), create a shortlist of software that matches your needs and budget. It’s always a good idea to cross-reference your final choices with other marketers using reviews or testimonials. Sites like G2 or Capterra allow you to compare features and read reviews from other eCommerce marketers about each tool’s pros and cons.
4. Take advantage of email marketing software free trials
Most email marketing software will offer a free trial so you can take it for a test drive and see if it’s a good fit.
Visit the website of each email marketing software on your list and sign up for the free trial. Most tools, including Sendlane, won’t ask for payment details or a credit card, so it’s completely risk-free.
Our advice is to create a test email list (just add your marketing team or other employees, not customers!) and add information like birthdays, full names and any other personal information. This will help you test the tool’s personalization and customization features.
Once it’s all set up, write a test email and add images, tags and any other elements you would use in a real-life campaign to see how it looks. Then, hit send to see the software’s deliverability to email servers like Gmail and Outlook and if it’s compatible with mobile devices.
5. Make a decision and buy your chosen software.
It’s crunch time. You’ve done your research—now it’s time to pick your software.
With the right knowledge and a little testing, you can find the perfect platform to suit your growing eCommerce business. Think long and hard about what features will work best for your customer base and your technical abilities.
A tool that offers automation, segmentation and personalization is a no-brainer when it comes to eCommerce, so choose a software that’s built for online vendors. Sendlane comes packed with all these features—and a lot more. With multivariate testing, pre-built email funnels and 24/7 support, there’s a reason over 1700 companies now trust Sendlane with customer emails.
Want to see how you can save 40% on your email & SMS bill?? Request a demo & speak to a Sendlane expert today!!
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