Email marketing is a digital marketing channel that every eCommerce company should use.

Find out what email marketing is, the types of emails you can send, and the benefits of using this marketing channel.

What does email marketing mean?

Email marketing means using email to connect with customers and subscribers. Emails can be used as part of larger marketing campaigns, to increase engagement and loyalty, to share news and offers, and much more.

Emails can raise awareness of your brand, be easily tailored to suit different audience segments, boost sales, encourage repeat purchases, and increase web traffic.

Examples of email marketing

There’s a whole range of emails that you can send as part of your email marketing strategy.

• Newsletters

Newsletters enable you to share company updates and news with your subscribers, ensuring you’re always front of mind. Newsletter frequency depends on your business and how much you have to share. Typically, a monthly newsletter works well. Newsletters should be engaging and include links to your website to drive traffic. If you upload articles to your website, you should highlight the latest posts to increase awareness.

• Promotions and sales

Email marketing provides a quick and efficient way to alert your subscribers about promotions and sales. Letting your subscribers know about offers is a great way to make them feel appreciated, increasing brand loyalty. You could segment your customer data and send out personalised promotions e.g. offering a discount on a product like one previously purchased. Advertising a new product or service with an introductory offer can also work well.

• Welcome emails

Welcome emails instantly make new subscribers feel appreciated, regardless of whether they’ve made a purchase. Thank them for subscribing to your email list and give them a taste of the types of content they can expect to receive. Offers for new subscribers can encourage conversions, especially if nothing has been bought yet. Highlight some of your bestsellers with links to your website. Remember, you’ll be able to see how many people have clicked on the product links which can inform future inclusions.

• Special occasions

As with welcome emails, a special occasion email will make your subscribers feel appreciated. If you collect birthday data when people subscribe, sending an email on their special day is a lovely touch, especially if you include a discount code or offer a freebie. Depending on your business, it may be appropriate to send occasion emails at Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day. Include relevant products or services that people might be looking for during those seasons.

Benefits of email marketing

Email marketing comes with numerous benefits, which is why it’s such a popular digital marketing channel.

• Reach a large audience quickly

With email marketing, once your email has been built, you can reach your audience with just a few clicks. Although planning and creating your email will take time, once you have some templates in place, you’ll find that email marketing is a very quick and efficient way to share messages. This is ideal if you often need to send last-minute updates, new product information, or flash sale announcements.

• Low cost and high ROI

Email marketing is a popular digital marketing channel due to its low cost, which sets it apart from paid channels. In addition to being a budget-friendly option, it also boasts a high ROI as you’re contacting people who have already shown an interest in your company. This is where email personalisation excels, as you can increase that ROI further if you tailor your emails carefully to create bespoke communications for different audience segments.

• Easy to measure success

There are several data points that you can access when you send an email to your subscribers. You can track bounced emails, open rates, and click-through rates which will help you to measure the success of your campaign. It’s simple to test different subject lines, designs, and imagery to see what resonates best with your audience, enabling you to make informed decisions for your next email.

• Collect customer feedback

Positive feedback is priceless when it comes to engaging new customers and promoting your brand. Email marketing offers a simple way to collect feedback using surveys. Send a link to your audience via email and they’ll be able to click through and leave their feedback. Constructive feedback is also valuable as it can highlight changes or updates that customers would like to see.

Why work with an email marketing agency?

If you’ve decided that you’d like to start using email marketing as a marketing channel, you might be wondering whether to use an agency to help you. Here are some of the ways that an email marketing agency can support your company:

• They are experts and will be able to advise you on best practices
• An agency will create and segment your audience data for you to ensure that you’re using it effectively
• Designers will be on hand to optimise your templates and create attractive, engaging communications
• They know how to make your emails stand out in people’s inboxes
• Hiring an email marketing agency will give you time to focus on other tasks
• They’ll be on top of email marketing trends and changes, so you don’t have to be
• An agency will interpret and action campaign data for you

We hope that we’ve helped you understand what email marketing is and why it is important to include it in your digital marketing strategy. We’d love to help you create emails that drive revenue, engage your audience, and boost your brand.

For information about how we can support you and your eCommerce email marketing activity, contact us today.

To discover more about the different ways in which email marketing can positively impact your sales, look at our News page.