It is almost inconceivable that any business today would expect to engage and connect with its potential and existing customers without the use of email. Whether it’s to increase awareness of your brand, promote products and services, or drive traffic to your website, email marketing should always be a key part of your marketing strategy.
And while any business will benefit from effective email marketing, the impact is even greater for ecommerce stores who solely do their business online.
How effective is email marketing?
As with any form of marketing spend, you need to be able to measure your return on investment (ROI) from an email marketing campaign.
In a well organised campaign, you get value from the simple fact that your message will go straight to the people you want to reach, and from there there is a high likelihood of those customers opening your email. Estimates vary, but it is thought that around 80% of emails hit the correct intended customer inbox, and around 35% of those will then open that email. From here, research suggests that just over 4% of people who visit your website in response to an email direct marketing campaign (EDM), will them make a purchase.
Depending on the size of your database, these can prove to be very significant numbers, and fully justify the time and expense incurred in setting up an email marketing campaign.
It should also be remembered that email platforms also offer extensive analytics, so you can measure virtually every aspect of any EDM campaign to see whether it’s delivering in terms of reach and value for money.
An EDM improves brand awareness
An EDM doesn’t always have to be used as a selling tool; it is also highly effective means of simply enhancing brand awareness of your ecommerce store.
Email marketing enables you to engage with both existing and potential customers in a variety of different ways — case studies, informative videos, staff profiles, customer stories, fun facts and much more.
And while the emphasis of these sorts of emails may not be direct selling, you are nevertheless regularly bringing your brand to the attention of your selected audiences, with the aim of being the first name to come to customers’ minds when they think of the sorts of products on offer in your ecommerce store.
Take advantage of personalised messaging
One of the biggest benefits to EDM campaigns is the way your messaging can be personalised to meet the needs, habits and tastes of different audiences.
EDM platforms all enable segmentation, i.e., being able to divide your database into segments using a range of different criteria, and so you can craft different messages depending on where in the buying journey each customer is.
How you segment an audience will depend on what you want to achieve with a particular campaign, but suggestions include:
- How frequently your emails are opened
- How often a customer clicks links in your email
- Previous purchase history
- Age and location
- How they came to be on your database
How can I implement email marketing into my business?
It is easy and straightforward to incorporate effective email marketing into your business strategy.
Below are some practical tips for designing emails and running an EDM campaign:
- Use your logo and brand colours in your emails so that they are instantly recognisable the moment they hit an inbox;
- Ensure that your emails are responsive and can be read clearly on any device and any size of screen;
- Make sure that links in your email are both live and easy to follow;
- Ensure that your emails are personalised in the subject line and the email itself, e.g., Dear Jane, Hi Bob, etc; and
- Set up automated follow-up emails, so you remain in close contact with the customers who engage most often with your emails.
Here are some useful ways in which you can use an EDM to give your clients added value:
- Offer discounts and special offers to customers who have bought from you before as a reward for their loyalty;
- Give your database advance notice and exclusive access to special offers, new products, and end-of-line sales; and
- Reward customers who refer their friends with additional rewards.
Ignite Search – Your Email Marketing Partners
Content marketing wins friends by influencing people. It entertains and educates, informs and inspires, guides and gratifies. To gain awareness, generate interest, close sales, nurture relationships, and create advocates. Email marketing falls in this category and more. Contact us (+618) 9467 9883 or get a free quote today for more information
