For startup founders who are trying to grow their online store with a tight budget and limited resources, email marketing remains one of the best channels for ROI.
Competition is forever increasing as consumers receive more marketing material directly to their inbox, but getting seen offers a huge opportunity, especially for online store startups.
New businesses are having to find new ways to get noticed through email marketing. Sending a single email template to all subscribers is no longer enough, and customers are looking for personalization, targeted offers, and constant updates on their orders.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a guide to making your marketing emails stand out.
Is Email Marketing The Key To Small Business Growth?
There’s no denying the power of email marketing for ecommerce. For startups that are trying to keep marketing costs down to a minimum, it is one of the most effective tools to use.
Read also: Beginner’s Guide to Starting an eCommerce Business
The majority of consumers are checking their inbox as soon as they wake up, meaning you have a prime opportunity to be one of the first things your audience thinks about in the morning.
With this being said, quality over quantity is definitely the key when you decide to introduce email marketing into your strategy.
Achieving a good open rate requires a lot of experience and careful consideration since consumers are picky about the brands they choose to interact with.
Generic deals are no longer eye-catching enough and many people actually find more value in personal content, whether this be click-to-shop discount codes or delivery updates on their order.
The aim is to produce emails that offer clear value. Here are five ways you can increase engagement through your email marketing for ecommerce:
Use Subject Lines That Jump Out From the Rest
When a customer opens their inbox to a ton of marketing emails, the subject lines decide what is opened and what is ignored.
Overused subject lines with phrases such as “While Stocks Last” and “Limited Time Only” are no longer having the impact they once did.
Your subject line is your chance to cut through the noise so you need to make sure it is catchy, piques curiosity, and gives the reader a reason to click through.
Instead of playing it safe, unleash your creativity and try something new. After all, the unique subject line in the inbox is the one that gets noticed.
Personalising your approach is the first step. Many people who are new to email marketing for ecommerce are scared to play around with dynamic tags, but they are simple to use and can elevate your strategy. Start off with first names and build up your confidence from there.
Also be sure to try out things like rhetorical questions, fun puns, and colorful emojis to help add a touch of personality to your subject lines and build up your image.
Since you’re still learning what your audience is most responsive to, testing out different types of subject lines will help you fine-tune your approach.
The key is to stand out, not blend in.
Make Sure Your Landing Pages Are Optimized
However much you smash your subject lines and craft expert email designs, if your readers are clicking through to poor landing pages, all of your efforts are wasted.
Your website landing pages need to be optimized for a spike in traffic, loading quickly and functioning as they should. If not, you’re likely to face abandoned carts and a damaged trust in your brand.
Using Hostinger’s ecommerce website builder is ideal for those who lack development knowledge but are looking to create quality landing pages. It allows you to build and manage your ecommerce website and has a single dashboard that gives you full control over your store.
Your landing page designs should be a continuation of your email and help users carry out their desired action with ease. Whether they’re expecting to make a purchase, see your newest product launch, or access exclusive offers, you need to make sure the user journey is a flawless one.
The combination of a powerful marketing email and a high-quality website means your audience can enjoy a positive experience from start to finish, making them much more likely to return in the near future.
Build Up Excitement Before Launching
During busy shopping periods, it can seem almost impossible to stand out in inboxes. The key is to get in early.
When you plan on launching a new product or running a promotion, email marketing for ecommerce will become your best friend.
In the run-up to the launch, you want to be sending a series of emails which gradually build up excitement and increase the likelihood of your emails being opened.
An effective strategy is to first send a hint at what is coming around a month in advance. This helps to build curiosity and get people wondering.
After this, sending out sneak previews is a great way to make your subscribers feel involved and like they are getting exclusive insights.
Once you are ready to launch, your audience should already be much more engaged and invested in what you have to offer.
Make Mobile Templates Your Priority
Most shoppers use their mobile devices for browsing, so optimizing your emails is a must.
If you want to get your new online store noticed, design your emails for mobile-first interaction.
There are endless templates available to help you find a design that resonates with your new business, and the mobile email designs are fast-loading and scroll-friendly.
It’s also important to bear in mind that when you design for mobile inboxes, you need to write shorter subject lines to ensure they don’t get cut off.
When it comes to the template design, imagery is a huge focal point for mobile users. You need to try and draw in the eye with bright colors, high-quality product photos, and graphics that highlight your key messaging.
Since you’re working with a single-column layout, you need to keep readers engaged throughout to avoid them clicking off. Avoid long paragraphs and break up the text with CTA buttons, imagery, and headings.
Add a Sense of Urgency to Your Emails
Promotions are an easy win when trying to grab the attention of your subscribers.
Let’s face it, everybody loves getting their hands on a great deal. If you have an enticing offer on the table, you’ve instantly got a bigger chance of creating conversions.
Creating promotional emails that add a sense of urgency means the reader feels like they’ll miss out on a great deal if they don’t hurry – a great opportunity for you to drive them to your website.
To make the most of your email marketing for ecommerce, play around with fun features and build up some excitement around your latest offer.
Whether you add a timer that is counting down in front of their eyes or you add ‘limited stock available’ tags to the products which are running out, these creative additions are more likely to instil urgency.
Taking Your New Online Store to the Next Level
Email marketing has long been one of the biggest sources of ROI for marketers, and this isn’t looking to change any time soon.
While you are in the early stages of email marketing for ecommerce and looking to grow your online presence, it is the perfect tool for connecting with your audience without breaking the bank.
Building up a loyal audience and getting your name out there doesn’t happen overnight, but maintaining an ongoing email marketing strategy will help you drive your business in the right direction.
