Build A Robust Ecommerce Email Marketing Strategy

Having email automation workflows in place makes it easier for you to achieve your email marketing goals.

But first, what is this?

An email automation workflow is emails triggered by your subscribers' actions. For example, it can be when they sign up to your email list, purchase a product, or abandon their carts.

And let me tell you why this should be a part of your email marketing strategy:

1. It allows you to track the actions of your email subscribers.
2. It requires less of your time since you don't have to do it manually.
3. The emails you're sending are relevant because they're based on the buying stage of your subscribers or customers.

See? Now, you only need to find the email automation tool that works best for your ecommerce store.

And speaking of which...

Every ecommerce email marketing strategy needs a goal.

Why? Because this will help you figure out the steps you need to take based on what you want to achieve. And you can also measure the success of your campaign.

But remember, your goals should be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Having SMART goals will help you not go overboard with your planning and set realistic expectations. This way, you won't think your campaign will fail if you don't achieve your goals on the first try.

So, here are some goals you can set when creating your ecommerce email marketing strategies:

Conversion

Conversion is a common goal for email marketing. That's why, if you remember correctly, promotional emails are one of the most common types of emails.

Hence, if your goal is conversion... you have to think of a strategy that could lead your subscribers to be paying customers.

Let's look at some ways to convert your subscribers into customers:

1. Use a Call-To-Action
2. Offer Discounts
3. Write An Effective Email Copy

Well, you don't have to worry because actionable tips are waiting for you at the end of this guide! 😉

But another goal is...

Retention

Customer retention is essential in your ecommerce store. I mean, have you heard that retention is cheaper than acquiring new ones?

Fret not, because the good news is...

Customer retention is possible through email marketing. Yep, you can definitely nurture your relationship with your customers by sending them well-written emails!

So, here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Send them follow-up emails
2. Send newsletters
3. Give them exclusive offers

And another goal you can have is...

High Open Rate

Open rate is the average number of users who opened your specific email.

This is an important goal to set because before you can convert or retain your customers... you need them to open your emails first. Right?

To achieve a high open-rate on your first or next campaign, these are a few things to focus on:

1. Have an enticing header
2. Think of a strong subject line
3. Make clear and concise preview text

Wondering how to do all these? You'll learn more later!

But for now, you need this to achieve your goals...

1. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is an email marketing software you can find on the Shopify apps.

It's an email automation app that's the leading email marketing software in the Shopify app. In fact, it has over 265,000 Shopify users!

This just proves that Klaviyo is a great automation tool.

But what makes it great?

1. Flexible Options. If you don't have many subscribers, you're good with the free option. But if you have more than 250 subscribers and need to send more than 500 emails, you can upgrade your plan. It depends on what you need.
2. Templates and forms. Everything is more accessible with their pre-built templates and forms! This will save your time, for sure.
3. Segmentation. You can avoid sending irrelevant emails to your subscribers because you can send emails based on how they interacted with your brand.

Klaviyo is a great option, right? Luckily, if you're using the Debutify theme, you can integrate Klaviyo into it!

Now, let's see the next one.

2. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is also a robust email marketing software you can use to promote your online store. But unlike others, this is web-based. You don't need to install anything, which is convenient.

So, let's see some of its features.

1. Flexible pricing plans. Mailchimp is free as long as you have 2,000 or fewer subscribers. If more than that, you need to pay already.
2. 24/7 email and chat support. Experiencing problems? Well, they can accommodate you any time of the day!
3. Landing page template. Surprise! Creating a landing page isn't hard because Mailchimp has got you covered!

These are just 3 of the many benefits you can use in Mailchimp. Another is...

3. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is not just an email marketing platform... it can also be a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Sales software!

Here are some things you can get on ActiveCampaign.

1. 125+ Email templates. Writing and designing your emails wouldn't take much time because of ActiveCampaign's templates.
2. Email and Automation Reporting. Every ecommerce store needs to see reports of their campaign, right? So, this is a very feature you need when choosing email automation software.
3. Landing page templates. As I said above, you need a captivating landing page. And thankfully, ActiveCampaign has landing page templates you can use!

These features are incredible, don't you think? Let's see the next one!

4. Shopify Email

If you're using Shopify, you might want to give Shopify Email a try. It's Shopify's very own email marketing tool.

And this app allows you to:

1. Customize your emails. You can easily customize your email and edit buttons, layout, images, etc. It's all according to your liking!
2. Schedule an email. Yep, you can schedule an email and send it whenever you like. So, if you want to send an email at midnight, you can get your much-needed sleep. 😴
3. Track your progress. You can see your open and click-through rates with Shopify Email. Not only that, but you can also see the products your customers added to their carts and their purchases.

But here's the best part...

You get 2,500 emails for free each month. And you just have to pay $1 for every 1,000 emails once you exceed that.

Yep, there is no commitment. But you can access all features!

Sounds impressive, right?

5. ConvertKit

ConvertKit is another email marketing tool you might want to consider. It's incredible because it works with whatever purpose you have in mind.

This includes:

1. Branded email templates. Branding is one way to enhance your online presence, even through email! This is great if you want your subscribers to know who you are by the design of your email!
2. Automated emails. Not just that. But they are based on subscribers' journeys! Remember, relevant emails are a must.
3. Landing pages. If you want to capture more emails, having a great and effective landing page is one way. Good thing you can have your own landing page with ConvertKit!

Choosing the best email marketing software is crucial because you need to find what's good for your online business.

You need email marketing tools that will help you reach your goals.

And speaking of goals... growing your list should be one of them. So, this leads us to Step 4.

After you capture their emails, it's time for email segmentation!

But first, what is it?

Email segmentation is categorizing your email subscribers based on their criteria. This is helpful in personalization the emails you'll send.

It's also helpful in sending relevant emails to your subscribers because you can see their location, interests, previous interactions, and likes.

I mean... did you know that 82% of marketers found an increase of open rates by personalizing emails?

That proves email segmentation is vital in sending your subscribers the emails that fit their needs.

So, here are some email segmentation tips you can use before launching a campaign!

1. New Subscribers

After a subscriber signs up, you can send them a welcome email.

Remember, target segmentation allows you to send relevant emails based on the status of your subscribers.

So, if they're new subscribers, sending them a welcome email first instead of a promotional one would make sense.

2. Open Rate

Some of your subscribers love receiving and reading your emails.

Usually, you can see the open rate of your subscribers on your reports. It depends on what email marketing software you're using.

That's why you can give these subscribers special offers because they are most likely to open and engage with your emails.

3. Shopping Cart Abandonment

Don't worry. Other ecommerce businesses are also experiencing cart abandonment. Not just you!

But the good thing is, through segmenting your email list... you can reach customers who abandoned their cart before purchasing.

You can send them follow-up emails to remind them of their unfinished transactions!

4. Buyer Stage

Your sales funnel should be put to use in your email marketing, too.

Because depending on the stage your buyers are at, you need to send emails that fit their current status.

For example, if they're not yet convinced to buy... you can try sending emails that would entice them to purchase. The key here is to personalize the email based on their needs.

5. Gender

Speaking of personalization... segmenting your email list by gender would be an advantage.

This will help you send emails and promote the right products they would love based on their gender and preferences.

So, this is the best in making sure your subscribers would consider purchasing because they like your suggestions!

Now you already know how to grow and manage your list, you need to learn how to...

After analyzing your metrics, it's now time to optimize your strategy!

Optimizing your ecommerce email marketing strategy will help you:

1. Figure out which of your methods are working and not.
2. Maximize the success of your email marketing.
3. Improve your next campaign for better results.

And one of the things you can do is...

1. Conduct A/B Testing

A/B split testing is one of the most effective ways to optimize your strategy. Why? Because you can really see which types of emails work best in your strategy.

But first... what is A/B Testing?

A/B Testing tests different emails to two sets or segments of your email list. This will help you see which one performs better.

2. Review Your Email List

Reviewing your email list, alongside reports, will help you determine your subscribers. And if they're still worth keeping for.

If you see some inactivity, maybe it's time to remove them.

This will be an advantage, especially if you're not paying for an email marketing platform and you need to keep your list of subscribers under a particular number.

3. Check Email Marketing Trends

To optimize your email campaigns, you can also check email marketing trends.

You can see which types of emails you can send your subscribers they might like. And who knows... these email marketing trends might help you entice them into buying your products.

If you want to see the email marketing trends for 2022, check out Debutify's video! It's packed with so much information, from designing your email to growing your list.

So, now... you already know how to analyze and optimize your email marketing strategy. But that's not the last step because knowing the ins and outs of email marketing is a process.

After analyzing and optimizing... you need to go back to Step 1 as you plan your next campaign. Then explore and optimize again.

But don't worry!

Because there's a bonus tip that would help you master the art of writing an email campaign... and this brings us to...