With all the talk of AI and ML, it sometimes feels like email has lost its spark.
But wait!
Did you know email marketing is still ranked as one of the most effective marketing channels? Statistics even suggest that email marketing strategies beat SMM, affiliate marketing, and even SEO when it comes to converting leads, building relationships, and driving conversions.
Shopify stores using email marketing strategies to connect with their customers witness greater conversions than businesses that don't.
You can improve your ROI by up to 122% when you leverage bulk email sending and improve your campaigns.
So yes, email marketing is pretty much alive and growing strong.
You must be wondering why this decades-old strategy is still one of the most effective channels to grow your Shopify store.
The reason is simple. People still use email more than any other platform. Many studies back this claim and prove that the total number of email users increases every year.
Also, email marketing strategy depends on your connections. So you don't have to worry about the changing algorithm of a platform either.
But how can you ensure you're maximizing the potential of your email marketing campaigns? Is there any secret formula that helps you determine whether your emails are being received and whether recipients are reading them and planning to take your desired action?
We have created this post to find answers to these and many other similar questions. From discussing what bulk email marketing is to highlight the benefits and challenges this popular marketing platform holds and tips to improve bulk email campaigns, we're going to discuss everything you need to know about bulk email marketing.
What Is A Bulk Email Campaign?
A bulk email campaign is a process of sending one email to multiple recipients (leads/subscribers) at a time.
Businesses usually create mass email campaigns to send out marketing messages, newsletters, and invitations (things that do not require sending a tailored message to each recipient individually) to their potential and existing customers with a goal of driving conversions, building loyalty, or sharing relevant information.
How To Send Bulk Emails?
Creating or running a bulk email campaign isn't rocket science. In fact, it is easier than you think. All you need is a list of people who have subscribed to your campaign and any reliable email marketing platform.
Besides that, you have to follow some rules as well. For example, you have to adhere to the Can-SPAM Act, maintain good deliverability and transparency, and test and measure performance from time to time to further improve your campaigns.
The Pros And Cons Of Using Bulk Email Campaigns For Your Business
Although bulk email campaigns can have a massive impact on ecommerce businesses, they do not necessarily work for everyone.
Without recognizing the benefits and challenges that come along with the process of sending mass emails, you might struggle to get the best results even if you have acquired the best software and have a solid email marketing plan at hand.
So we have dedicated this section to help you know the pros and cons of using bulk email marketing for your brand.
Benefits (Pros)
Direct Access To Your Buyers
With more than 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide, ecommerce businesses need to choose channels that help them get direct access to their customers.
Let's suppose you're sitting peacefully with your friends. Suddenly, you hear the beep of your smartphone notifying you of an email you just received in your inbox. Most of us open it right away to check if we have received something important.
So, you can easily reach out to your customers without having to wait for them to reach their homes, open their PCs, or check their emails.
Wider Reach
The most obvious one, of course. Bulk email campaigns enable business owners to send a single message to multiple audiences without breaking the bank.
Unlike other forms of advertising, such as ad publications or printed direct mail, email mass marketing is much more affordable and easy to use.
Performance Tracking
With traditional forms of advertising, it becomes challenging for owners to track how many people have read their ads and took action. Generally, you need to assign a contact number for each campaign that people can use to get in touch and talk about how they found you online.
Thanks to modern email management software, you can easily keep track of your email metrics, including the total number of recipients, open rate, etc.
You can even track the amount of time your recipients have invested reading your message.
Challenges (Cons)
Similar to other things in this world, bulk email marketing also comes with a few challenges. Mind you, despite these hurdles, email marketing is extremely effective, especially when your goal is to reach larger audiences with a limited budget.
Risk Of People Deleting Your Mail Before It Even Gets Read
Yes, we just talked about how easy it would be to reach out to customers when you use email marketing but have you ever wondered what if your customers delete your email before it even gets read?
Pretty disappointing, right?
But, you can overcome this challenge by strategically planning your ecommerce email marketing strategy and improving your bulk email campaigns.
For example, instead of sending your emails on any random day, you can choose to send them out on the morning of a busy shopping day.
Email Formatting Can Be Tricky
It's time to cover some technical aspects of bulk email campaigns.
Picture that: You have selected a cool email template that you want to send out to, say, 10k people at a time.
You have invested your time and money in creating a killer email copy that converts. Everything seems to be just perfect. You clicked 'send'.
You get home, turn on your PC, and open Outlook to check how attractive your email looks on every recipient's device. Sadly, what you have forwarded looks nothing like what you have selected in the first place. Instead, the entire mail looks so embarrassingly out-of-place and dull.
The thing is, creating bulk emails that look exactly like a template across different devices is difficult. But again, you can handle this challenge by investing in the right software and sharing your concerns with the support team before getting started.
Choosing The Right Typography
Again, there is every possibility that the email you have sent via bulk email campaign looks different to different people.
Honestly, that's okay if there's a minor difference in appearance on different devices. But if you take your branding too seriously, then you may want to look into it before you choose typography for your email marketing strategy.
5 Strategies To Improve Your Bulk Email Campaign Performance
1. Create An Engaging Subject Line
While creating your email marketing strategy, your goal should be to encourage people to open your email. Remember, all of your efforts will go down the drain if recipients delete your mail or move it to spam without reading it.
That's impossible without a creative subject line that instantly captures your reader's attention and prompts them to click on it to read more.
Here are a few things you can do to make your subject lines look more enticing:
- Ask a question
- State the benefit that you're about to offer in your email
2. Keep It Simple
Simplicity is the key to a successful email marketing strategy. Do not try to accomplish different goals through a single bulk email. Try to focus on a single goal.
Create a simple yet intriguing copy having not too many bullets as it may confuse your readers, and they'll end up taking no action at all.
Similarly, choose simple and professional design templates that don't look too tacky or casual. Adding high-quality and impactful images can be a good idea as visual elements add personality to your content.
Again, go easy with the image sizes. Remember, most people will use their cell phones to read your message. Also, including too heavy images may get your email flagged as spam.
3. Check Your Copy For Spam Triggers
This is the most critical step. Avoid spam triggers, as adding those keywords or phrases may also cause your email to end up in a spam folder.
Having too many links or media files in a single email can also make your mail look promotional. You can definitely add a link or two that drives traffic to your blog or website, but avoid adding links to spammy websites. Even if you're adding links to your website, do not add too many links as it may irritate the reader and even get your ID moved to their block list.
There is not a definite list of spam trigger keywords and phrases. But you can avoid these keywords if you're sending an email for your Shopify store or an ecommerce business.
- Order
- Clearance
- Order delivered by
Make sure you do proper keyword research to find out words that may get your mail flagged by your email service provider.
4. Use A Responsive Email Template
With more and more users using their cellphones to open emails, it is more crucial than ever for Shopify store owners to invest in mobile-responsive templates. Whether you're designing your template or buying it ready-made from someone, make sure it looks the same on every device.
Besides design, you should also create mobile-friendly content. For instance, create a brief subject line and place CTAs strategically all over your mail to provide the best user experience.
5. Monitor Metrics To Improve Performance
Even if your current email marketing strategy delivers good results, there is no guarantee that the results remain the same after some time. That is where the email metric comes in.
Monitor key email metrics regularly so that you can spot flaws on time and make changes as you see fit.
Start with these three key metrics, including open rate, unsubscribe rate, and response rate.
Email open rate highlights the ratio of people who receive and open your email. The unsubscribe rate indicates the percentage of people who opted out of your email list. Response rate is a critical metric that helps you identify those readers who have opened your email and responded to it.
Businesses that keep an eye out on these metrics can successfully tweak their email marketing strategy and improve bulk email campaigns.
If you want to learn how to write cold emails that get responses, we have this article for you.
Also, split-test your emails from time to time to understand which of the two email copies you have created is better.
Now that you know the areas you must focus on while creating an email marketing strategy, it's time to look at the steps you should follow to create a killer email marketing strategy for your ecommerce business.
Building Your Bulk Email Strategy From Scratch (Step By Step Guide)
Step 1: Build Your List
The first step is to create an email marketing list. There are many ways to get this step right. First, you have to place a banner on your website asking people to join you as a subscriber. You can offer any incentive in return - a coupon code, free e-book download, or a voucher to name a few.
Make sure you carefully go through email marketing laws and regulations before initiating a new bulk email campaign.
Step 2: Provide Valuable Content
Your email template design and content can make or break a deal for you. Add relevant and action-driven CTAs throughout your copy that encourage your recipients to read your email and take your desired action.
Step 3: Analytics And Segmentation
To improve your bulk email campaigns, you have to segment your list according to the needs and wants of the individual user. Every customer is different. Trying to pitch everyone with a single message can cause more harm than good for your email marketing strategy. So, take help from analytics, segment your list, and send relevant messages to everyone.
