Getting Started On Shopify: A Beginner's Guide To Email Marketing
Email marketing has been around for decades, and it remains one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience. Although it may be regarded as old-fashioned by some, email marketing has proven to be very successful for Shopify store owners.
If you've been wondering how to start an email marketing campaign and aren't sure where to begin, don't worry! In this post, we'll cover everything you need to know about getting started with Shopify email marketing tools, including the benefits of email marketing, types of marketing emails, and how to set up email automation to create your first email marketing campaign.
What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is a promotional strategy that uses email to send one or multiple advertising messages to customers and partners. Email marketing is like any other form of marketing. Moreover, It can be used to grow a consumer base for a new product, re-engage lapsed customers or give valuable content to existing Shopify customers.
Top Benefits Of Email Marketing
If you get email marketing right, you'll be able to get more sales without spending more money on advertising or promotion. Let's take a look at the benefits of why Shopify merchants need an email marketing strategy:
It is relatively easy to implement and measure.
It boosts your sales.
It improves customer relationships, loyalty, and trust.
It is less expensive and provides a strong return on investment compared to other marketing channels.
It raises brand awareness and keeps you at the top of people's minds.
5 Types Of Email Marketing Emails
Email marketing is a vital part of any online business. In this section, we will be going over the five types of marketing emails and how to write them effectively.
Welcome Email
Abandoned Cart Email
Transactional Email
Holiday Email
Newsletter Email
1. The Welcome Email
The welcome email is an effective way to let new subscribers know what they will receive from you. It can be used to get more subscribers by offering an incentive or to convert subscribers into buyers by offering a discount or freebie.
Here are few tips for writing an effective welcome email:
Personalize your message by establishing a relationship between you and the reader. This establishment could be achieved by having the subscriber answer a question or two or placing their name in the subject line.
Optimize the welcome email to include a clear call-to-action and make sure you use a professional and enticing subject line.
Add images to make it more appealing and encourage the user to take action.
Make sure you include all the details of the offer and answer questions that your subscribers may have.
2. Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is sent to customers once they've left their carts without making a purchase. A happy customer will come back, but an unhappy one will not. That's why it's crucial to generate valuable content for your customers, keep them updated on the progress of their orders, and motivate them to come back.
Here are some of the most effective ways to write an abandoned cart email:
First, you need to personalize the abandoned cart email using the customer's name.
You can start with mentioning the products that the customer left in the cart, and then you can thank them for visiting the site and remind them that the products they left out are available.
Add some emotion into the email by showing how much you care.
To create even more engagement, you can develop a sense of urgency paired with the call-to-action.
And finally, follow up on your promises once you've sent the email.
3. Transactional Email
Transactional email is a type of email that you send in response to a user's action. For example, if someone signs up for your newsletter, they will likely receive welcome message through automation workflows. Or, if a customer places an order on your website, they will get a confirmation email from you soon after.
Here are some tips for writing a better transactional email:
Get permission first! Please do not send an email without their consent. This is one of the most important rules to follow when sending out transaction emails.
You should put a catchy subject line from which users get curious about reading the mail. Make sure not to spam as it can harm you instead of giving benefits!
Keep the email content simple and to the point and provide helpful information and resources within the email itself.
Try in different formats like HTML, text and rich text format, etc. By using advanced features such as tracking ability or content blocks, it becomes easier for the users to understand the information more quickly and easily.
4. Holiday Email
A holiday email is a great way to keep in touch with customers and potential customers. It is the perfect time to thank people for their support or encourage them to support your business even more next year. If you are not sure how to write one, then the following tips will help.
The most important part of a holiday email is the subject line. It has to be catchy and stand out from all the other numerous holiday emails.
Your email body should be short, concise, and straight to the point.
You can add a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your email promoting something valuable that you offer them, such as some special discounts or some freebies in exchange for their information.
Best of all, make a personal connection, be grateful and show appreciation to your customers.
5. Newsletter Email
A newsletter is a simple email sent out to subscribers in which you can tell them about new products, services, or information on your business. It's great for pushing special deals that only subscribers will have access to.
Newsletters email marketing campaigns are a great way to build up an audience. But, you need to know how to write newsletter emails that people will want to read. Here are some tips on how you can do that:
Your newsletter headline should be compelling and exciting enough to get the reader's attention and keep them engaged in what you're talking about in the rest of the email.
Make sure you are including the right content in each newsletter email. Your readers want information that is relevant, interesting, and helpful for them.
Write in the first person and use personal stories or anecdotes that tie directly into the topic at hand. Ultimately, people subscribe because they want to feel like they know you as a person, so give them that experience!
Be as helpful as possible, so creating great content is the best way to do that. Keep in mind who you're writing these newsletters for, and make sure they know you care about them and their interests – even if your interest isn't directly related to them.
How To Get Started With Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for building relationships with your customers and generating leads. But many first-time email marketers don't even start because they feel intimidated by the process. Here are seven simple steps to get started with an email marketing platform:
1. Understand Your Goals
As a marketer, it's essential to understand the objectives of email marketing. Know your answers to why you want to use email marketing, and what you expect from it.
Understanding your goals and how they can be achieved will help you make better decisions when sending out your message.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
When trying to identify your target audience, you'll need to ask yourself a few questions. Who am I writing for? What is their demographic? Where do they live?
The answers will vary depending on what business you're running and what industry you're a part of. For example, if you operate a restaurant, the answer to the first question might be "people who enjoy eating out." With a clothing store, it could be "women in their 20s."
3. Choose An Email Marketing Provider
This step will allow you to create an email newsletter and email campaigns. Many providers are on the Shopify App Store, such as BayEngage, MailChimp, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, Omnisend, and much more. Costs vary by platform so choosing your best email marketing app will involve balancing the features you need with the price.
4. Set Up An Autoresponder
This marketing automation step is the backbone of any successful email campaign as it allows you to communicate regularly with customers who have opted into your list.
5. Do Your Homework
Before you start collecting emails, ensure that your content is top-notch and that you have an autoresponder set up so people who sign up for your list will receive value before they even subscribe.
6. Create First Email Campaign
Many people are afraid of sending out their first email marketing campaign, but it's not that hard. You need to remember the basics, and then you can get on with creating an effective newsletter for your audience.
Keep these tips in mind when building your first email campaign:
Write a compelling and personalized email subject line.
Keep the copy short, concise, and direct to the point. Your subscribers are busy people, so don't waste their time with long irrelevant messages.
Maintain image text ratio in your email.
If at all, choose an email template that emphasizes your brand value and customize it according to your need.
Set up the timing of your email so that it reaches the subscribers at the right time, as well as help you achieve a high open rate. (learn more in the "Best Time to Send Emails" section below).
Always preview and test the email before sending it to your wider email list.
7. Track Campaign Performance
Tracking campaign performance involves setting up various engagement metrics that allow you to monitor the activity around your campaigns. The most common metrics used today include:
Open rate - the number of persons who opened your emails.
Click-through rate - the number of persons who clicked on links in emails.
Unsubscribe rate - the number of persons who unsubscribed from the list.
Click-to-open rate - the number of people that opened your emails and clicked on links.
Bounce rate - the percentage of people who did not receive your emails.
Conversion rate - the percentage of people who clicked on a link in an email and completed the action you planned.
Best Time To Send Emails
Timing is everything. It's not about the time of day or day of the week that you send emails, but rather the best time to send emails for maximum open rates and click-through rate (CTR). If sending out daily emails, always aim for Tuesdays. In terms of time, any period between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. is a safe bet. This is the busiest period for customers.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a great way to communicate with your audience and drive sales. Using email marketing, you can improve your Shopify store's branding, increase customer retention, and generate more revenue.
In this article, we've covered a lot of the basics. Now it's your turn to take action and get started with email marketing in Shopify. We hope you found this guide helpful!
About the Author
Janani is a Content Writer at TargetBay, an Ecommerce Marketing Cloud used by thousands of online stores across the globe. When she isn't writing, she can be found riding the Metro and enjoy trying new local foods.
