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3 Tips for Email Marketing Success Email marketing is all about building a relationship with your customers. While Instagram and Facebook are great at generating brand awareness, your email list is your most valuable communication channel for driving sales. Emails are the new phone number, and a strong email cadence will support your customer journey, from awareness to brand loyalty. Think of email marketing as a way to interact with your customers creatively and stay top of mind. Come up with new ways to actively engage them at each point in their customer journey. Here are three tips to help you design an email strategy that goes beyond the basics.
When thinking about what to A/B test with your emails, think about the problem you are trying to solve. For example, if you are noticing that most people are not opening your emails, you might consider testing when you send your emails or the subject line of your emails. If you are noticing that people are opening your emails but not taking any action, you might consider playing with the email copy or layout. Create two versions. Send one version to one group and the second to another and see what happens. Pro-tip: Use emails to test different strategies and get immediate feedback without investing money into ad campaigns.
1. Create Emails with Purpose
3. Segment your email lists
Gone are the days of sending newsletters. Each email you send should have a purpose, from promoting a particular product to launching a new seasonal collection. Emails typically fall into three categories: promotional, triggered and behavioral. Promotional emails are the most common type of email sent by e-commerce businesses. These are designed to promote products, collections and sales. Triggered emails, on the other hand, are the most forgotten. They are sent when someone takes action on your website or in your store such as making a purchase or subscribing to your mailing list. Behavioral emails are based on user activity or inactivity. Depending on products the user looked at, you may send a “You might also like” email. These are highly customized. The most critical behavioral email for e-commerce brands is the abandoned cart email. Pro-tip: Regardless of email type, always have one clear call to action.
Not all customers are made equal. The key to getting the most out of your email strategy is segmenting your lists. Create customer segments that make sense for your business. The No. 1 way to segment your list is based on activity level and customer type. I always tell my clients to make a list of VIP customers. These are people to whom you might offer sneak previews, give an opportunity to shop a private sale or provide feedback on an upcoming collection. It is also a great idea to create a segment for mailing list subscribers who have not made a purchase. This way, you can create targeted content that guides them toward their first purchase. Pro-tip: Create a segment for dormant customers who have not bought anything in some time so you can think of creative ways to re-engage them via email.
2. A/B Test Your Emails Digital marketing is all about figuring out the best formula to engage your customers. A/B testing is a great way to better understand your customers’ behaviors and the type of messaging that drives them to make a purchase. Just make sure to test only one variable at a time.
Gain Customer Loyalty Don’t be shy about sending emails. Your customers want to hear from you. They may not open every email you send, but at the end of the day, just seeing your brand’s name in their inbox is a great way to stay top of mind. Optimize your email strategy by creating purposeful emails customized to your customer segment. By doing so, you can build stronger channels of customer communication and gain their loyalty.
Manpreet Kalra is the founder of Art of Citizenry, a digital marketing strategy company that empowers creative and conscious businesses to maximize their impact in the world. She helps create data-driven marketing strategies for everything from website optimization to social media engagement. Get connected by emailing manpreet@artofcitizenry.com or visiting artofcitizenry.com.
7 6 - G IFTS & D EC OR ATI V E AC CE S S ORIE S - A UGU S T 2019