How to generate sales with email marketing today | Increasing sales through email marketing: The no-nonsense guide | The no-nonsense guide to increasing sales through email marketing

 

The no-nonsense guide to increasing sales through email marketing

So, how does email marketing help you increase sales? Let's take a deep breath.

Imagine you have two options: buy your favourite products from a store or buy them from home. Which would you choose?

If you're thinking, "duh, the second one is a no-brainer!" you're correct.

So, if it's something you'd choose, why not give your customers the same option?

Let's be honest. An eCommerce store can resemble a physical retail store — appealing products, amazing discounts, and a plethora of options!

And, of course, the overwhelming pressure to choose, compare, and buy — phew!

As a result, bounce rates and cart abandonment rates are higher.

But what if your customers received a personalised list of products directly in their inbox? Wouldn't that simplify their shopping and decision-making?

In the case of a retail store, this is equivalent to keeping everything ready right at the counter so you can simply pay and checkout.

Isn't it simple?

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Enter email marketing (drum roll).

How can email marketing be used to boost sales?

Email marketing can assist businesses in expanding their reach, increasing conversion rates, connecting with their target audience, and increasing sales.

If you're like 81% of business owners, you're already reaping the benefits of email marketing as part of your digital marketing strategy.

In the competitive world of eCommerce, it is not enough to simply use email marketing in the same way that every other business does.

Want to maximise the power of email marketing? To help you stand out from the crowd, make sure your email campaigns are effective, efficient, and personalised.

It's a difficult task, but it's not insurmountable.

We've compiled a list of 10 super-actionable tips to help you boost your sales with eCommerce email marketing to make your job easier.

Click here to How to generate sales with email marketing today

Let's get started.

1. Create an Extremely Relevant List

A strong email subscriber list is essential for any email marketing campaign. While you may already have an email list of people who have purchased products from your company, this isn't enough to help you make the most of email marketing.

You must create a list of people who would genuinely like to hear from you and offer them content, discounts, and news that will be extremely beneficial to them.

Use the following tips to build an active and engaged email list:

Click here to How to generate sales with email marketing today

a. Make use of segmented pop-ups

Pop-ups are still relevant and useful as long as they are directed at the appropriate audience.

Use pop-ups that are triggered by a shopper's location, browsing habits, or cart size instead of using the same pop-ups for each of your website visitors.

Consider this example from MeUndies, which is aimed at new customers.

This pop-up differs from those used for users who have already added at least one item to their online shopping cart and those used for repeat visitors.

Displaying different pop-ups to different customers can assist you in building a strong email list. This is because you can then offer the appropriate incentives to the appropriate customers.

A new shopper may be enticed by a pop-up offering an immediate discount, whereas a repeat shopper may be more interested in joining a membership or limited edition products.

Use email pop-up segmentation to further personalise your messaging for your audience and close more sales.

b. Increase the value of your customer's purchase by providing free eBooks and guides.

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Show consumers that your brand is committed to providing value from the start by providing a free eBook or guide in exchange for their email address:

When you provide genuinely useful content that has been thoroughly researched and is full of useful information, you will entice people to engage with your brand further.

After all, who doesn't like the word "free?" Offering free products can boost sales by up to 2000%. It will also leave a positive impression on your customers, making them more eager to join your email list.

c. Be open and honest! Before they give you their email address, make sure your email subscribers understand what they're signing up for.

Take a page from A24's playbook, for example:

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Anyone who subscribes to their email newsletter now knows exactly what they'll get.

When they trust you with the information they consume, you can easily direct them to a sale (no sweat!).

d. Be inventive.

Don't be dull, that's all!

Because there are too many competitors writing the same email subject lines and copy, being unique and creative is your best bet for getting the most bang for your buck.

Consider the game Outrun the Dark. On their landing page, they have a compelling feature:

How many of you can resist clicking on this? (Certainly not us!)

When customers click on the arrow, they will see the following:

Outdoors Tribe also elevates their opt-in form with a Spin-the-Wheel game:

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The more interactive and engaging your email messaging, the better your chances of closing a sale.

e. Include opt-in options for your emails throughout your website.

Do you simply cross your fingers and hope that your website visitors will scroll to the bottom of your landing page and notice your subscription box?

Don't leave things to chance, especially when it comes to growing your email list.

There are several places on your website where you can include a subscribe button:

Click here to How to generate sales with email marketing today

• Your "About Us" Page: Because this is one of the most frequently visited pages on a company's website, it's an excellent place to include an opt-in form. Furthermore, if people already know something about you and your company, they are more likely to open your emails. A simple form like the one below, placed at the bottom of your About Us page, can be sufficient to entice customers to do the honors.

• Your "Blog" Page: If people are already reading and enjoying your blog content, assist them in continuing the good times.

OnYaLife uses a simple opt-in form similar to this one at the end of each of their blog posts.

• Your Header: Place your opt-in forms above the fold to ensure that no one misses them!

In addition to the bottom of their landing page, Good Housekeeping includes an opt-in button in their header.

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f. Simplify your subscription form

Make sure that the amount of information required to subscribe to your email newsletter does not turn people off.

Do you really need to know the addresses, phone numbers, and ages of your website visitors who sign up for your email list?

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Instead, use a simple form like the one below:

Using these tips will assist you in developing a relevant list of people who are more likely to open your emails and convert in the future.

Calculate lost revenue from cart abandonment

Visitors Adding to Cart

(Average Number Per Month)

Completed Orders/Purchases

(Average Number Per Month)

Average order value

(n USD)

$

2. Make use of email segmentation Best Email Marketing Practices to Increase Sales

You're probably already using email segmentation to avoid sending the same message to everyone on your subscription list.

Here are some of the metrics you should consider:

• Location
• Age
• Gender
• Occupation
• Interest
• Spending habits
• Shopping history

If you want to take your email marketing to the next level, you must not only stop sending irrelevant emails and adhere to best practises for email segmentation:

a. Testing, testing, testing

The only way to ensure that your email segmentation is effective is to test your emails on a regular basis. Make it a habit to check whether your segmented email campaigns are reaching the intended recipients on a regular basis.

Here are some effective methods for testing your messages:

• Solicit feedback from your audience.
• Keep track of your open rates and other important metrics.
• A/B testing allows you to test different emails on different groups of subscribers and see how each group reacts to your messages.

b. Make use of data-driven segmentation

Boys prefer blue, while girls prefer pink. Older people despise excessive flashiness, while young people revel in it.

If you're targeting people on your email list based on preconceived notions or stereotypes like these, you're not making the most of email segmentation.

Throw out your assumptions and let data guide you.

Gather data and use it to help you create adequate and appropriate segments. For example, if the subject lines "fun for the whole family" and "cozy winter essentials for everyone in the family" perform better with a specific segment of your audience, you can assume that group of subscribers is more interested in family-oriented emails.

You can ensure that your emails hit the right notes with your readers by using data-driven segmentation.

c. Make a copy of your master list.

Email segmentation can be difficult if you discard your master subscriber list in favour of a plethora of small segmented lists. This will make it difficult in the future to create new segments and make changes to your email segmentation.

Remember that your customers' preferences are fluid, and the way you need to market to them will change over time. Make a master list from which you can evolve and re-evaluate your segments.

3. Make Good Use of Automation

Do you want to simplify your eCommerce email marketing? Automation is the future!

However, use it with caution.

Automation can help you send emails at the optimal time and increase the likelihood that they will be opened.

However, here are some pointers to avoid email automation failures:

a. Do not bombard your subscribers with emails.

Email automation is a useful tool because it allows you to send high-quality emails with less time and effort. But don't go on an email sending binge; it could backfire.

It's far too easy to send email after email to your list with the click of a button with email automation. Consciously avoid sending too many emails to your subscriber list and ending up in their spam folders.

You'll enjoy this: 5 Brilliant GDPR-Compliant Email Opt-In Ideas

b. Incorporate a human element

When you send emails with the click of a button, you risk sounding too formal or robotic. Check that you still appear to be a human-run brand! Instead of a copy-paste template from an automated machine, make your copy warm and inviting.

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Make it a priority to keep things personal and show your brand's human side.

c. Establish specific objectives

What advice would you give to someone who asked for help with their New Year's Resolution to "be healthy"? Do they require assistance in developing protein-rich meal recipes? Do they require assistance in developing an exercise budget and schedule?

There are several approaches to a problem, but coming up with a specific solution will be difficult unless you are certain about the specifics.

Improving your email marketing automation without a specific goal in mind is analogous to expecting to be healthy without a specific health goal in mind.

Like everything else in your business, you must ensure that you have a clear goal in mind for your email automation that goes beyond "finding success!"

Are you attempting to boost your open rate? Do you wish to improve your customer service? Do you want to increase your conversion rate?

When you have a specific goal in mind, you can create an email automation strategy to help you achieve it.

4. Change Things Up

If you're only sending sales emails to your subscribers, this may seem counterintuitive.

To get the best results, mix it all together.

Here are a few examples of email types you can send to your subscribers:

a. Breaking news about cutting-edge innovations in your niche or industry

Is there anything new or exciting going on in your industry? Keep your subscribers up to date with informative emails or emails that link to blog updates, such as WKB:

b. Information about your company

Inform your readers about any new partnerships, major internal changes, or other developments, such as Preemptive Love Coalition:

c. Coupon codes, discounts, and free shipping

Send customised discounts or gifts, such as free shipping. Allbirds does it this way:

d. Limited-edition items

Nobody enjoys feeling excluded. Use FOMO to your advantage by sending emails about limited edition products to encourage people to follow your CTA.

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Here's another Allbirds example:

e. Thank you notes

Let your customers know how much you appreciate them and their loyalty, as demonstrated by this Red Lobster example:

When you vary the types of emails you send, you keep your subscribers guessing. This increases their likelihood of opening your emails, increasing your chances of a sale.

5. Use Welcome Emails to Increase Actual Sales

Your customers will feel more connected and valued if you send them welcome emails.

Here are some guidelines for sending effective welcome emails:

• Send welcome emails right away - Many businesses make the mistake of sending welcome emails for the entire day (or, worse, the entire week!) all at once. This is a surefire way to lose sales. Send welcome emails as soon as possible, while your company is still fresh in your new subscriber's mind.
• Give them something - When people join your email list, they are doing you a favor. Show your appreciation by providing a discount code or another useful offer, such as the NWSL Shop:

• Encourage readers to go shopping. Give subscribers a reason to buy from your eCommerce store after they join your email list. FLX Rewards does an excellent job of explaining that subscribers can begin earning redeemable points on their purchases right away:

• Reward customers who refer others. Your new email subscriber could quickly become two. In exchange for a free gift or a discount code, encourage new subscribers to invite a friend to sign up for your emails. Consider the following:

6. Sending Email Receipts

Your subscribers are four times more likely to open an email receipt than any other type of marketing email.

Use this to your advantage by:

• Discounts and personalised product recommendations can be included in your email receipts.
• Increasing the visibility of your social media platforms
• Obtaining feedback via surveys
• Requesting that customers tell their friends and family about their experience.

Consider Amazon, which includes a section at the bottom of their email receipts called "Items from your list":

Button Poetry also makes good use of email receipts, including links to their social media accounts at the bottom:

Sending email receipts is a great eCommerce email marketing tactic you can use to increase sales.

7. Create CTAs that are both clear and engaging.

You can send the most engaging and enticing email in the world, but it will be worthless if the readers are not clearly directed to take a specific action.

Make sure your emails include a clear call-to-action (CTA) button that allows recipients to easily perform a desired action. Make sure your CTAs are compelling and inspiring enough to get people to click!

MeUndies, for example, likes to include new products in their CTA buttons:

Another great example of using inspiring copy and collectivism to increase conversions is Preemptive Love Coalition:

These are some excellent examples that will set you on the right track to creating irresistible CTAs.

8. Avoid Using Spam Filters

If your emails are marked as spam or blocked by spam filters, you could be losing thousands of dollars in revenue.

Keep the best practises listed below in mind to help you avoid the spam folder!

• Make use of the double opt-in method.
• Make it simple for customers to unsubscribe.
• Send relevant content and avoid "spam" phrases such as "please read" and "giveaway."
• Make use of personalization.
• Create compelling subject lines for your emails.
• Instead of links or attachments, use call-to-action buttons.

9. Make Use of Responsive Design

According to statistics, mobile devices account for 60% of email opens.

Your open rate will plummet if your emails are difficult to read because they aren't mobile or user friendly, and you won't be able to get the most out of email marketing.

Here are some pointers to help you improve your mobile design:

• Make your emails mobile-friendly - Your emails should not require your readers to flip their screens or pinch and zoom to read them, and they should be designed to fit a variety of screen sizes. Almost 80% of shoppers will abandon your site if your content does not display properly on their devices.
• To ensure your CTA buttons stand out, test your colour scheme - 38% of people will leave your site if the layout and design are unappealing or confusing.
• Use an appropriate image format - 39% of visitors will abandon your site if the images take too long to load.

Remember to follow these best practises to avoid leaving your mobile readers in the dust.

10. Seek Assistance

If you want to ensure that your email marketing campaigns are successful, who better to ask than your target audience?

Solicit feedback and use it to improve your email marketing.

Sending surveys that request feedback is one of the most effective ways to determine whether or not your customers are responding well to your email marketing.

11. Keep in mind that A/B testing is your friend.

Testing your email campaign is one of the best ways to ensure that it will be successful!

A/B testing can help you determine which of your emails will perform best with your target audience.

A/B testing is an optimization tool that compares different versions of your emails to see which one performs best with your target audience. A/B testing allows your brand to test emails on actual subscribers, providing you with accurate data that you can use to inform your email marketing strategy and achieve the desired results.

A/B testing can help you take your email marketing to the next level and increase sales in a variety of ways:

• A/B testing allows you to identify specific flaws in your email campaigns. You could be making the same email marketing mistakes every day without even realising it! A/B testing will show you which features of your email campaigns aren't working, allowing you to adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Optimization - Perhaps your email marketing strategy is already sound. A/B testing is still useful because it demonstrates how to maximise and optimise your email marketing strategy to make your campaigns more effective. Why would you settle for less if you could increase your conversion rate by 5, 10, or 15% with a simple change?
• Engagement - Your target audience will become more engaged with your emails if they are optimised for them. When your readers open and interact with your emails, they are more likely to convert!

If you want to reap the benefits of A/B testing in your email marketing, keep the following best practises in mind:

• Set a specific goal - Try to concentrate on achieving one specific actionable goal at a time. Check that your goal can be measured!
• Think outside the box - You can A/B test any aspect of your emails, including CTA buttons, font sizes, and subject lines!
• Analyze your data - The A/B test does not end once your variants have been created and tested. Make a point of analysing your data and incorporating it into your email marketing campaigns.

Even if you’re finding a lot of success with your current email marketing strategy, you can always improve. A/B testing is a great place to start.

To help you on your conversion journey, ConvertCart can help you with our unmatched optimization suite of 21 tools. Along with our A/B testing tool, you also get dedicated team support to optimize the tool to boost your homepage conversion rate.