Generally all of us want some new electronic mail advertising concepts to gasoline our digital advertising inspiration.
Electronic mail has cemented its place as one of many worthwhile advertising channels, boasting 3x larger conversion charges than social media advertising. Tactful, personalised emails assist eCommerce manufacturers scale back deserted carts, enhance buyer retention, drive repeat purchases, and discover new alternatives for model development.
However continuously producing high-value emails can exhaust your creativity. All of us undergo dry spells the place it looks like we’ve had our final nice electronic mail thought (till the subsequent one pops up on the most surprising time).
Generally, you simply want some artistic inspiration to get your mind gears turning once more. This roundup of 10 electronic mail advertising concepts seems at a number of new and established favorites that will get you began. Bear in mind, inspiration is the leaping off level and there are many alternatives to mix or construct on what you see.
“Clients don’t learn” is one thing of an exaggerated inside joke in retail. And whereas it could be removed from the reality, leveraging visuals and media is a good way to seize your audiences’ consideration and brighten up creatives.
Understanding your viewers helps you incorporate extra related, partaking media codecs. For instance, in case your clients reply nicely to entertaining media, humorous gifs may give them fun. In the event you’re operating a marketing campaign, corresponding to for a brand new product launch, you would possibly need to contemplate media for presenting important info. Movies and infographics make it simpler to digest key info. For instance, you would embrace a graphic illustrating your product’s key options, or a brief video that showcases it in motion.
Now, whenever you’re going the visible route, keep in mind so as to add within the alt-text for the whole lot. You need folks to see your message whether or not or not they’ve acquired pictures blocked of their electronic mail view by default. One thing so simple as “the best-looking advertising workforce you’ve ever seen says ‘hello’” can get folks to click on and see the picture.
Be playful when your model permits and take into consideration what would possibly make somebody click on. The one factor to keep away from is making a promise. By no means make a promise you possibly can’t maintain and don’t create false hope. Maintain issues uplifting and light-weight to keep away from that lure.
2. Ship solutions
Answering your clients’ questions improves their experiences and strengthens their relationship together with your model. It’s your approach of showcasing that you simply’re conscious of their questions and considerations, and are proactive about answering them.
The very best FAQ campaigns are knowledge pushed, which suggests don’t depend on what you assume clients need to know. As a substitute, examine and discover out what they’re already asking or hoping to study extra about. In the event you obtain a help request or a query from one buyer, there’s an excellent likelihood that many different clients have the same question. Many purchasers shrink back from opening help tickets or asking for assist, so people who attain out to you replicate a bigger pool of inquiry.
Past help requests, you can too leverage zero-party knowledge (like polls or surveys) and scour social media for questions your viewers is asking. Incorporating your findings into an efficient FAQ electronic mail marketing campaign may also help your marketing campaign succeed. Many FAQ objects might be repurposed into social and different content material, too. This implies your electronic mail marketing campaign might be changed into visuals and a social marketing campaign that reinforces your model.
Persist with solutions which can be related on your viewers and their wants. In the event you’ve acquired established clients, then a fundamental FAQ is probably not useful as an electronic mail marketing campaign. As a substitute, dive deep and supply superior help. In the event you’ve break up your electronic mail listing to phase out new subscribers, they are often began at an earlier stage or extra fundamental factor.
3. The retargeting ‘You left one thing in your cart’ electronic mail
Deserted carts are the bane of eCommerce conversions, and present-day abandonment charges are unnervingly excessive. The traditional “You left one thing in your cart” emails stay one of the crucial efficient technique of combating deserted carts—they may also help you get better greater than 10% of these gross sales on common.
You may get artistic together with your abandonment emails and even embrace incentives to extend click-throughs. For instance, right here’s an attention-grabbing cart restoration electronic mail by ThinkGeek:
This electronic mail is fine-tuned to the model’s voice and purchaser’s persona, catering to its “geek” viewers. It’s artistic and succinct with out compromising on conciseness, and evokes the reader to take motion. Almost each eCommerce retailer has this electronic mail now. Don’t fear about setting your self other than the competitors with it; as an alternative you need to use this to strengthen your model and get clients to recollect why they visited you within the first place.
4. Ship personalised invitations
You possibly can’t go mistaken with electronic mail advertising concepts that aid you construct a deeper relationship together with your subscriber, and that’s the energy of personalised electronic mail advertising.
Are you launching a brand new product quickly, or possibly internet hosting an informative webinar? If that’s the case, you’re doubtless trying to maximize attendance, and electronic mail advertising is nice for driving up the headcount.
When designing an invite electronic mail, personalization is essential to get one of the best response. And whereas graphics and visuals may also help you catch clients’ consideration, you’ll want stellar copy to entice them to attend.
In your electronic mail copy, some essential factors to cowl are:
- Why your clients ought to attend (particularly if this can be a Zoom occasion)
- What do they get out of it
- What to anticipate from the occasion
- The webinar’s breakdown and which codecs are going for use (e.g. stay video or recordings, too)
- Who the audio system are
- The necessities, together with the time, matter, date, and a hyperlink to affix
Right here’s an instance of an informative webinar invitation electronic mail by Litmus:
The e-mail has concise, compelling copy that clearly communicates the worth clients will get from the webinar, and the decision to motion is distinguished and actionable. Moreover, the footnote encourages readers to enroll even when they will’t attend, as a result of they will nonetheless obtain worth. This further contact is a good way of displaying your viewers that you simply’ll go to nice lengths so as to add worth to their lives.
5. Train one thing
Bear in mind when a McDonald’s fries hack went viral? A Twitter consumer identified that the fries field’s flap may very well be used as a ketchup holder. Did that enhance fries gross sales? Most likely not, nevertheless it was nice publicity. And customers responded with nice curiosity to the hack.
You possibly can domesticate the same curiosity in your individual merchandise by educating customers in your emails. In case you have some hacks or tricks to share, contemplate compiling them in a artistic format and sharing them together with your electronic mail listing. The hacks you share don’t even have to be product-specific options. Totally different use instances may present your viewers with each worth and leisure. For instance, when you’re promoting kitchen home equipment, you possibly can share recipes that customers could make together with your merchandise.
And the latest pandemic taught us that typically it’s essential to educate clients about broader points. That may cowl well being and security, firm updates, neighborhood considerations, or even somewhat on the provision chain when orders get delayed. Train one thing to develop into a beneficial associate or pal, particularly at occasions the place you’re not making an attempt to push a sale.
This differs out of your FAQ-type content material in that you simply’re working to offer somebody information they could want that’s new, situation-dependent, or not associated to your core enterprise. Just like the hyperlink above, a achievement firm would by no means write a transport delay electronic mail to the end-consumer. However, nearly each associate that achievement firm has would want such an electronic mail. Tips, templates, and how-to’s are all helpful within the B2B house so long as you retain the use case in thoughts.
6. Collect perception
Apple’s iOS updates and Google’s pending ‘cookiepocalypse’ are severely limiting our alternatives to gather third-party knowledge. As privateness restrictions are solely anticipated to develop from right here on, it’s essential for eCommerce manufacturers to shift focus to different sources of information assortment. Like zero-party knowledge – i.e., accumulating knowledge out of your clients immediately.
In the event you’re brief for electronic mail advertising concepts, contemplate launching a “knowledge assortment” marketing campaign with surveys or polls. You possibly can add some leisure worth or present clients with incentives to take part, and concurrently collect significant insights.
Right here’s an incredible instance of a survey assortment electronic mail from InsideHook:
The e-mail makes use of a relatable photograph to seize the reader’s consideration, and InsideHook clearly particulars:
- The e-mail’s objective
- Why readers ought to take part (whereas assuring them that it’s not a protracted survey)
- The right way to take the survey
Easy, efficient, and straightforward to finish. These actions work greatest when you’ve already acquired a longtime or engaged viewers who’re keen to see what you supply. Don’t neglect to pair some type of rewards with these in the event that they don’t already present a transparent worth to your electronic mail subscribers.
7. Invite a pal
Referred clients are invaluable for eCommerce shops. Statistically, they spend extra and are extra loyal to your model. However encouraging your clients to ask their mates isn’t simple.
In the event you’re making an attempt to extend referrals, it’s essential to contact your most loyal clients—those who’ve the very best chance of selling your model. You possibly can leverage a separate Internet Promoter Rating (NPS) survey to establish your most loyal clients and phase them. In the event you’re simply getting began, contemplate including this to your welcome and transport affirmation emails to construct the connection early.
After figuring out loyal clients, you possibly can encourage them to refer mates by:
- Giving them incentives, like rewards or retailer credit score
- Making it simple for them
You may make referring simple for patrons by offering them with a done-for-you emailing choice. Right here’s an instance of how Development Programs makes it simple for patrons to ask their mates:
The model’s electronic mail supplies clients with clear referral incentives and makes it simple for them to ask mates by means of their most well-liked channel. Social media sharing and electronic mail forwarding are only a click on away.
8. Seasonal surprises
Generally simply your calendar may give you inspiration for brand new electronic mail advertising concepts.
New seasons and the vacations are nice occasions to launch new merchandise and surprises. Sadly, your competitors may need the identical thought, and also you’re left combating on your clients’ consideration.
However you possibly can leverage your electronic mail listing to get clients enthusiastic about your product earlier than the launch. Generate hype and enthusiasm with particular teaser content material earlier than the launch.
Right here’s an incredible instance of a teaser electronic mail by Tom Raffield:
Right here, the model not solely sparks clients’ curiosity, however encourages them to interact and guess what the “secret” is. Once more, enjoyable and inventive examples like this may also help you consider methods you possibly can have enjoyable in your electronic mail too. Write one thing that engages you, and it’ll be extra more likely to interact your target market.
9. Rejoice birthdays
Birthday emails are the most effective forms of electronic mail advertising to indicate clients you care by offering them with a hyper-personalized expertise. Their click on charges are additionally 179% larger than that of promotional emails, showcasing their sturdy engagement potential.
And from a technical standpoint, birthday emails are comparatively simple to arrange. You possibly can create a normal birthday celebration template and use First Title and Date of Delivery tags to personalize it.
Don’t neglect to throw in a birthday present. A product or low cost code/coupon can go a good distance in delighting your clients on their big day. Right here’s an instance of Sephora nailing their birthday celebration emails:
10. Share prime sellers
Did somebody say FOMO? Of all of those electronic mail advertising concepts, leveraging FOMO simply may be probably the most highly effective one.
Sharing prime sellers is a good way to leverage light peer stress to nudge your listing into making purchases. The drive behind the concern of lacking out is so excessive that greater than 60% of shoppers will buy inside 24 hours due to it.
So don’t shrink back from rounding your retailer’s prime sellers up and displaying your electronic mail listing what they’re lacking out on. Right here’s how Bombas leverages greatest vendor lists to extend conversions:
The model has saved the textual content minimal, counting on engaging, strategically positioned visuals and concise copy. And better of all, they’ve put the merchandise proper in your face to showcase what you’re lacking out on.
You’ll need to restrict the supply right here to as much as two core merchandise. Goal your largest vendor with the bigger CTAs and buttons. Nevertheless, you possibly can attempt to deal with some slow-moving stock in secondary calls to motion by highlighting offers, creating shortage, or utilizing a “Clients additionally favored” banner. It offers you choices to succeed in a number of forms of clients simply in case the core supply doesn’t resonate.
Final Phrase on Electronic mail Advertising and marketing Concepts
Advertising and marketing channels have diversified considerably lately, however electronic mail advertising stays on the forefront of eCommerce technique. And whereas eCommerce advertising instruments have developed over time, giving us entry to extra knowledge, instruments, and adaptability, creativity remains to be the lifeblood of electronic mail advertising.
Manufacturers which have probably the most profitable electronic mail advertising are hyper-aware of their audiences’ preferences and excel at delivering personalised experiences. These manufacturers experiment with artistic angles and constantly innovate.
One in every of electronic mail advertising’s biggest attracts is its flexibility. You possibly can delight clients with a easy birthday celebration electronic mail, or drive conversions in a much less personalised approach by leveraging FOMO-inducing methods.
In the event you’re in search of extra electronic mail advertising recommendation, try these posts:
Hero photograph by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Writer Bio
Jake Rheude is the Vice President of Advertising and marketing for Purple Stag Success, an eCommerce achievement warehouse that was born out of eCommerce. He has years of expertise in eCommerce and enterprise improvement. In his free time, Jake enjoys studying about enterprise and sharing his personal expertise with others.
