When someone opts into your email list, they are giving you access to their personal inbox. You’ve earned enough of their trust to be able to reach them in their digital living room.
So now what? How do you foster this new relationship?
Here are 4 email marketing campaigns you should use to drive sales and cultivate brand loyalty:
#1 The Welcome Sequence
There’s no better time to reach your subscribers than when they first join your list. You’ve just managed to convinced them to give their information. They’re interested to know more about your online store, so tell them a bit about yourself.
An email welcome sequence is the perfect way to introduce your brand. It’s an email series sent to subscribers when they first sign up. This is a great way for customers to know what they can expect from your brand, and why they may want to buy from you over the competition.
Ultimately, the welcome sequence should build trust with your new subscribers so they become loyal paying customers.
The best practice for a Welcome Email Sequence is to send anywhere from 3-5 emails. The first email shows appreciation to the new subscriber for signing up. It should ideally incentivize a first purchase and also assure people they’ve made a great decision to join your email list, and have them excited about what’s to come.
The second email is like a second date. You’ve already made a good impression for the new subscriber to give you their email. Now it’s time for them to know your brand story. Show them what your store has to offer and what they can get from staying in touch with you.
The third email guides them on what to do next if they haven’t already purchased. You can ask them to add you on social media platforms or checking out the newest collection on your store. By getting them to say "yes" to small action early on, you'll make it easier for them to say "yes" to a big ask or purchase decision later on if they have not bought.
Trigger the Welcome Email Sequence as soon as a new subscriber signs up for a mailing list.
#2: Abandoned Cart Email Sequence
Abandoned cart emails are one of most effective email campaigns you can send, but are still often overlooked or implemented incorrectly by many brands. BigCommerce conducted a research on abandoned carts. The conclusion? The average revenue per email on abandoned carts is $5.64, compared to only $0.02 for promotional emails, and $0.18 per welcome email you send. If you’re not sending out abandoned cart emails, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table.
There are several reasons why prospects leave items on their carts.
The checkout process might be too complicated. Or they didn't expect a high shipping cost. It could also have nothing to do with your online store - maybe they lost their internet connection. The good news is that they can usually be persuaded to come back and complete their purchase.
According to Shopify, 67.45% of online shopping carts are abandoned before a customer completes a sale. So the goal here is to overcome anything that might stand in the way of turning them into a customer.
You need two things in your abandoned cart email – an attention-grabbing headline and good email copy.
An attention-grabbing headline shows your prospects that your store pays attention to their needs. It adds a personal touch to their online experience.
Good copy reminds them why they need the items they left behind. You’ll want to display these items dynamically in the email too, using a tool such as Klaviyo.
You wouldn’t want to wait more than 24 hours to send the first abandoned cart email, but sooner is generally better with many stores seeing success waiting just 2 hours. Your prospects put in the time and effort to put the items in their cart. Take advantage of their interest while you can. Strike while the iron is hot.
#3: Upsell Email Sequence
Try ordering an item from any fast food restaurant and you’ll be asked if you’d like to make it a meal. Upselling is not just for Ecommerce. It’s everywhere!
According to Marketing Metrics, there is a 60-70% probability that an existing customer will buy a product compared to 5-20% probability of selling to a new prospect. It makes sense to sell to an existing customer because they are already convinced that your store brings value to their lives.
The main goal of upselling is to persuade customers who have already bought from your online store to upgrade or add more items to their purchase. It answers the question “What do I do next?” for your customers.
For an upselling campaign to work, the product you’re pushing to upsell should be based on the customer’s previous purchase. Don’t make random recommendations. Approach your customers like you’re trying to help them maximize the items they bought. You can get a more favorable response than just asking them to buy more.
You should start this email campaign when trust is the highest - after a recent purchase. Be sure to leave enough time for the customer to have received their item and started using it though, before attempting the upsell via email. Ride their buying momentum by showing them what else complements their purchase.
#4 Key Holiday Promo Emails
According to Mailcharts, email marketing is responsible for 20% of holiday sales. Cyber Monday, which takes place Monday after Thanksgiving, is the biggest annual online shopping event of the year. While it is crucial for your online store to take part in this event, you might want to consider other holidays throughout the year.
Build an email marketing campaign around big holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. If you sell in the United States, here’s a list of US Public Holidays you might want to consider.
Prospects are more open to purchase during holidays because there is a societal expectation of gift-giving. The key is to identify which public holidays are relevant to your prospects and take advantage of the opportunity.
The number of emails in this campaign varies but generally, you’d like to have at least 3 parts: a teaser, an offer and a last call to the offer. During the bigger seasonal promotions, such as Black Friday weekend you can ramp up your email frequency a lot more.
The teaser should be compelling enough to build anticipation. Let them know about the holiday discount they can get. Include a sneak peek of the promo. The more hype you create, the more effective your campaign is going to be.
Create an enticing offer by making it relevant to the holiday and the customer. Use historical buying data from your online store to identify products that your prospects would like. The key is to tailor your offer to your customers in a specified amount of time.
A last call to the end of the offer is crucial to drive sales in a short period of time. You can do 2 things: create a sense of urgency by having an expiration date for the sale or scarcity by selling a limited amount of a specific item. Send a reminder email on the last day of the sale. If you’re selling a limited amount of a specific item, list the number of items left. Creating a sense of urgency or scarcity can make your prospects anxious about missing out on an opportunity.
Depending on the holiday, the ideal time to begin talking up your sale could be further in advance than you think. Many brands are now pushing early access to their biggest sales in an attempt to beat competitors to the punch and capture all-important holiday shoppers.
Bonus Tip for Holiday Promo Emails
If you’d like to take your holiday email campaigns to the next level, think outside the popular public holidays and find one that fits your store’s niche. For example, Dunkin’ Donuts gives away donuts with a purchase of any drink during National Donut Day. Identify a unique holiday that relevant to your online store. Use it as an occasion to create a sense of urgency or scarcity for your customer.
Final Thoughts
These are a few ideas to get you started with Ecommerce email marketing. Email sequences can be a bit overwhelming. Don’t get bogged down by the amount of time and effort to set them up. Start with a few and watch your revenue increase.
