Last updated - January 20, 2024
So, have you decided to start selling your products online and don’t know how to go about that? Well, not to worry, because this article aims to show you what the best plug-in solution for that one is.
And more importantly, how to use it in correlation to email marketing, which you need in any and all cases, as it’s the single most cost-effective way to see results.
WooCommerce and email marketing? Yes, please!
WooCommerce is a plugin used for selling products and/or services, digital and/or actual, physical products and is designed specifically for eCommerce stores that use WordPress.
Through that plugin, a merchant can have full control of things like inventory, shipping procedures, anything that has to do with money (payments, refunds, taxes and so on) and keep track of all data through any device.
So, it’s only logical that you need this, especially if you’ve got (or are about to run) an eCommerce store.
To effectively do email marketing for your WooCommerce store you will need to use a professional email marketing service that also integrates with it, some of the most known ones are Omnisend, Moosend and MailChimp.
Cakemail‘s email marketing software is another simple tool to help small to medium sized businesses grow. With its branded dynamic templates, users can select from a single design source for all their transactional emails. Cakemail’s automation builder makes it easy to send a series of emails to new mailing list subscribers. Cakemail users are given immediate access to recipients’ activities in real-time and can easily evaluate the performance of their email marketing campaigns. Cakemail’s email marketing solution is affordable and a perfect fit for anyone looking to engage and learn about their audience at the same time.
But what do email marketing automation techniques have to do with that?
First of all, let’s clarify something: Any business is trying to utilize the most cost-effective way to do things, and email marketing is the most cost-effective and the most rewarding way to attract new customers and entice the already existing ones to become repeaters.
You can add an email validation engine to your WooCommerce to prevent users from entering fake email addresses. To do so, you can check WooCommerce Email Verification.
The numbers don’t lie on that one: Email marketing generates an average return of $38 for each dollar invested, which means that it’s got an ROI of 3800%. So, it is cost-effective, it creates engagement and it can help lead people further down the sales funnel.
You can find a comparison of the best marketing automation software here.
Now let’s see how you can combine it with WooCommerce:
It’s not a deal, it’s a bargain!
New customers are way more expensive than repeaters. Not only that but also their Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), which is a marketing metric that you should keep track of, is way lower than that of a repeater.
What is more, according to Adobe Digital’s report, 5 unique shoppers in the US and 7 unique shoppers in Europe, equal the revenue generated by one repeater.
The numbers are pretty clear on that one as well. And the more you spend to bring in new people, the less you give to your repeaters, who, in the end, are the ones who trust you and will recommend you to other prospects, if need be.
So, go ahead and give something in return, to thank them for the trust. Everyone loves a deal, even more so when it feels like a bargain.
Give your IP repeaters a true VIP present and a discount code to the rest. It doesn’t even need to be something grand or costly.
Recommendations and cart abandonment anyone?
Try and send emails that have to do with recommending products, upselling and cross-selling. You’ll see that this will generate more revenue, as cross-selling is a very effective way to entice customers.
Just recommend something (maybe with a little discount? A maximum of 10% would do the trick.) that can be used with what the user wants to buy and you’ll see your sales skyrocket!
Pro tip: If you don’t know how to go about building the system that can recommend products to your customers, check this out!
As for cart abandonment: Not sending cart abandonment emails is like leaving money on the table. You need them at all times, especially seeing as the rate at which people abandon their carts-probably because they’re not yet ready to go through with a purchase-is quite large
(Source)
It only makes sense that you should send a cart abandonment email, based on your WooCommerce data, just to make sure that you can gently nudge users in the right direction.
Oh, and don’t think that a discount won’t cut it. Try and include something, all the while creating the urgency required with a “one-time offer/discount”.
Segment and personalize-always
Of course, this goes without saying for any email marketing endeavor. You can’t go about recommending the same things to different people and this is why you need to segment your list and personalize.
Try personalized recommendations and personalized subject lines. With WooCommerce, you can have that and work in that direction. In different ways than what you would expect.
Apart from segmentation based on gender or geographical location, you can also segment based on previous purchases, payment history and so on.
Which makes more sense, seeing as recommending things that are not on sale to people who are only interested in sales (which you will be able to see through their transactional history) just won’t cut it.
That data will help you out, not only with the body of the emails but also with heavily personalized subject lines.
Here’s how: Maybe everyone will be interested in the 10% off you will have to offer, however, not everyone will be interested in the new products.
By accessing the history of each customer through your WooCommerce plugin, you will be able to sort through those customers and make sure that what you’re recommending is what they actually want to see.
A subject line that says “Hey, John Doe, here’s what’s new” will be of much more use when addressed to someone who always shops from or even only views the “New In” section of your store.
Customer feedback is important
And, if you’re using WooCommerce, easy to manage, seeing as you can manage all of your data easily and effectively.
Check your data and make sure you’re asking the right questions. For example, if a customer bought a product they can re-order, but hasn’t gone thorugh with a second order, you can send a replenishment email and ask for some feedback at the bottom.
If this is not the case, send a customer survey that will be specific and targeted by asking the right questions: How did the customer like the product you recommended, for example? Did they make good use of it? Was it true to size (if we’re talking about a clothing item)?
In any case, a WooCommerce plugin will help you make data-driven decisions and make sure you’re following the right techniques, in order to reach your KPIs.
Referrals can be obtained through a WooCommerce plugin
Yes, it’s true. A WooCommerce email integration can help you acquire referrals quickly and easily.
By having your data all in one place, you can check how many repeaters are actually happy with your products (hint: they’re going to be spending a large amount of money and they’re going to be buying frequently.)
Send a confirmation email asking for referrals, or a campaign that will have the “forward to a friend” button at the bottom of each email, like this:
This is bound to give you a great deal of referral traffic and, ultimately, buyers, seeing as a referral works much like backlinks do (for those who know): It’s ultimately a vote of confidence for the product itself and some free brand ambassador campaign for you, seeing as you’re encouraging your existing customers to act as ambassadors.
Takeaway
All in all, WooCommerce is a very helpful plugin for any WordPress site. It will help you arrange your data properly and this, in turn, will help you manage your email marketing endeavors.
Just make data-driven decisions and you’ll surely hit those targets, generating revenue that will be something to talk about!
So, what do you think? Is there something we forgot? Something you’d like to add? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Oh, and don’t forget to share your knowledge!
Also, check out some of the best WooCommerce wishlist plugins.
