Last updated - May 26, 2023
In today’s hyper-connected world, where viral trends get born, live, and die over the course of one day, there’s one time-tested tool online marketers swear by. This tool is the good-old email.
Believe it or not, in the age of social media, search engine marketing, and AI, email is one of the most powerful channels for online campaigns and nurturing customer engagement. As both a pre-purchase and post-purchase tactic, email marketing bridges the gap between your business and its loyal followers — building trust while keeping customers informed.
Not only can implementing an email list improve your eCommerce sales over time, but it also provides a more reliable way of reaching potential customers. While other platforms might have flashier techniques to catch interest, email guarantees that these messages reach their intended inboxes.
Therefore, today, we’ll explore why businesses ranging from small enterprises to major corporations must focus on developing strong email marketing strategies. We’ll also talk about different ways to harness the power of email lists and how to understand their importance in today’s digital landscape.
Why You Need an Email List
According to Statista, at the moment, there are 4.3+ billion email users in the world. Compared to Facebook’s 2.96 billion users (yes, Facebook is the largest social networking site right now), it’s evident that email has a significantly larger reach.
Plus, if you manage to get access to your customers’ and leads’ inboxes, you have better chances of getting their attention than on any other platforms.
But if this is not enough of a reason for you, there are many others. Here are some of the most compelling ones:
Highly Effective Audience Reach
While it looks simple, email allows you to craft complex messages through the use of text, images, videos, and documents. Plus, you can use (and make your own) special templates that help differentiate your brand from competitors.
Email also allows you to use hyper-targeted marketing strategies through detailed segmentation. As an eCommerce site owner, you can use analytics to understand your current audience and create interest-based email lists. For instance, you can create email lists based on demographics, behavior patterns, purchase history, and preferences.
This means that you can serve highly relevant content to each customer, which leads to increasing engagement rates and higher conversions.
Plus, you have better control over the viewer experience across various devices. With 92.3% of internet users actively using a mobile phone, this is not something you can ignore.
It Has a High ROI
When you’re investing time and money in your e-commerce marketing strategy, you want to make sure you get the best bang for your buck. Believe it or not, our good ol’ friend email marketing consistently outperforms other channels like social media or Google Ads when it comes to return on investment (ROI).
Running ads on social media platforms or Google can get pricey – especially when targeting competitive keywords. On the other hand, email marketing is far more affordable, even when utilizing top-tier providers with advanced features. This cost-efficiency makes a world of difference in profit margins and overall ROI.
Plus, due to effective segmentation and targeting options available within email marketing campaigns, the right message reaches the right person at the right time without fail. This results in higher open rates, click-through rates (CTRs), and ultimately higher conversion rates than comparable PPC campaigns or sponsored posts.
In summary, email marketing boasts better ROI primarily due to its cost-effectiveness, direct communication channel with interested customers,
It’s Easy to Personalize
Today’s email marketing tools allow you to personalize each email you send by adding the subscriber’s name and/or making sure the content is relevant from a demographic and geographic perspective (to name a few).
Plus, you can set up email campaigns for a specific e-commerce platform or use tools like Email Customizer, which is designed to help you personalize emails for Woocommerce customers. Overall, email as a channel and the tools around it allow e-commerce platforms to create personalized messages that resonate with their recipients on a deeper level.
Personalized messages (even if it’s only a little, like using the name of the person) foster stronger connections between businesses and their customers. And this is something no other channel can offer.
How to Start Your Email List
Now that you’re convinced of the benefits of having your own email list, here are a few ways to get things started:
Use Email Marketing Software
Nowadays, you have a bevy of tools to make your life easier. One such tool is iContact, a bulk email marketing service that provides a wide range of features, such as design solutions, email automation, audience segmentation, and much more.
And, since it’s a bulk email tool, you don’t have to worry about how many emails you can send in one day. Once you make the right settings, the tool will work in the background making sure every one of your customers receives the intended message.
This way, you cut down hours of work and data analysis and free the time of your online marketers for more urgent tasks.
Lure Subscribers With Honey
Why should people subscribe to your newsletter or give you their email addresses?
This is a question everyone asks every time they see a “Subscribe to our newsletter” pop-up. And your answer should be enticing enough (hence the “honey”) to convince them.
Here are a few ideas that make users click that Subscribe button at lightning speed:
- Free resources and tools (useful ones!) – offer complimentary resources or tools that bring value to the user’s life. This could be anything from a handy infographic, an industry-specific guide, or a customizable template that simplifies their life. It’s all about adding value right from the start.
- Discounts & special offers – exclusive discounts for new subscribers are always a winning formula for e-commerce stores. By providing money-saving deals or early access to sales events, you’ll not only motivate users to sign up but also give them an incentive to make their first purchase. A win-win situation!
- Access to exclusive content – curate premium content available exclusively for valued subscribers. This can be anything from higher-quality articles, in-depth tutorials, and webinars to podcasts with special guests.
Use Social Media
Social media is still a powerful medium, and you can use that power to boost your email list growth significantly.
For this, you can:
- Use engaging calls-to-action (CTAs) in your social media posts, encouraging users to sign up for your newsletter or email list.
- Run paid ads on platforms that offer precise targeting options, such as Facebook and Instagram.
- Create informative webinars and/or live events where you invite people to subscribe for more similar content.
Key Takeaways
As you can see, in our ever-evolving digital landscape, email marketing remains crucial for e-commerce success. With its wide reach, high ROI, and personalized touch, there’s no doubt that harnessing the power of email can give your e-commerce business a significant boost.
So don’t hesitate to dive in and connect with your audience on a deeper level through carefully crafted emails! Happy emailing!
