Why newsletters are vital for your eCommerce email marketing strategy
eCommerce email newsletters can increase sales and revenue, help you connect with your customers, and bring them back to your online store.
Here, we share why newsletters are vital for your eCommerce email marketing strategy and what a successful email newsletter looks like.
Benefits of sending email newsletters
Email newsletters can benefit eCommerce companies in several ways.
Increase sales and revenue
An eCommerce email newsletter can help to increase sales and revenue by engaging new subscribers and maintaining a connection with repeat customers. An email newsletter will give your company a consistent presence in people’s inboxes, keeping you at the front of their minds when it comes to making purchasing decisions.
Connect with your customers
Staying connected to your customers through an email newsletter will help you build trust and credibility as a leader in your industry. It can be assumed that subscribers are familiar with your brand and want to hear your updates, so you have an engaged, interested audience to connect with.
Increase your website traffic
Email newsletters offer a great way to increase website traffic as you can include links through to your important web pages. You could include a teaser about a new product and link people through for more information, highlight a blog post and include a link to the article, or announce a sale and link through to a page of discounted products.
What to include in an eCommerce email newsletter
It’s entirely up to you what you choose to include in your eCommerce newsletter. Here are some ideas:
New products and promotions
One of the most important features of an eCommerce newsletter is a section about new products or promotions. This is because you can link through to pages where people can buy your products, increasing your conversion rate and revenue.
Blog posts and articles
Blog posts and articles are great for building your reputation as a thought leader and industry expert. When you publish a new article on your website, you should include a link to this in your email newsletter and encourage people to click through. Ensure that your articles have strong CTAs and internal linking to keep people on your website.
Industry news
Another way to define yourself as an industry expert is to reference industry news in your company newsletter. You don’t have to include too much information, but it shows you know what’s happening in your sector and understand that subscribers are likely to be interested in these updates.
Testimonials and reviews
Positive testimonials and reviews are priceless when it comes to building your company’s reputation and it’s important to share them when they come through. You could choose to include short feedback in full or link through to longer testimonials and reviews on your website. A photo of the reviewer can really help with authenticity, and you can use the opportunity to encourage further reviews.
Giveaways
Giveaways are well received by customers, and any competitions you run should be included in your email newsletter. Let people know how to enter, the closing date, and details about what they can win. This is also a good opportunity for data collection which can be used for email segmentation.
Tips for building an email newsletter
Ready to build your email newsletter? Here are our top tips:
Consistent template
A consistent template is key when it comes to creating an eCommerce email newsletter. It will make your email easily recognisable, ensure that people know what to expect from future newsletters, and will help you to decide which content to include in each edition.
Engaging design
As with all marketing material, an engaging design is vital when it comes to your eCommerce email newsletter. Include headers, CTA buttons, images, and short blocks of copy to ensure it’s easy to read, people can take the actions you want them to, and subscribers can skim to the parts that interest them most if they’re short on time.
Strong subject line
A strong subject line will make your newsletters stand out in your customers’ inboxes, improve your open rate, and can be personalised. Including the recipient’s name in your newsletter subject line will make them feel special and show that you’ve made extra effort when creating your communication.
Catchy header image
Your newsletter header image should be catchy but simple, and subscribers should recognise that it’s from your company as soon as they see it. Experiment with your brand colours, use an email safe font, and ensure that it’s the right dimensions. You don’t want a header image that takes up too much space.
Clear body copy
Body copy refers to the main content of your email, so it’s vital that you get this right. Carefully consider the content you’d like to include, the order it should appear within the communication, and which images you’re going to use. Keep text short and to the point – you can link through to more information on your website rather than overwhelm your design with copy.
Snappy CTAs
CTAs are what will encourage your subscribers to act, which means that they need to stand out and be snappy. CTA buttons in a contrasting colour work well as they’re obvious to the reader. They can also break up your newsletter content.
Unsubscribe link
Not the most exciting part of your eCommerce email newsletter, but it’s very important that you include an unsubscribe link as customers have the right to opt out. Hopefully it won’t be clicked on very often, especially if you follow the tips we’ve shared.
We hope that we’ve helped you understand why email newsletters are vital for your email marketing strategy. We’d love to help you create email newsletters that are engaging, revenue-driving, and true to 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 eCommerce email marketing can positively impact your sales, look at our News page.