If I had a nickel for every time I read that email is dead, I wouldn’t be writing this article. I would be retired and enjoying the good life on a tropical beach somewhere. My retirement goals aside, the truth is that email is not dead. It is very much alive. And at the hands of a skilled ecommerce marketing expert, it’s a powerful tool for engaging with customers.
I am a big fan of email. I prefer it over text messages, social media private messaging, and even traditional telephone calls. So when someone asks me about the ecommerce marketing potential of email, I am more than willing to share everything I have learned about and over the years. You might even call me an email disciple to the ecommerce crowd.
Fast, Easy, and Direct
Email offers three inherent characteristics that make it ideal for ecommerce marketing. Here they are:
Speed – Sending marketing messages via email is fast. I don’t know of a faster way to do it. With email, I can compose a marketing message and, with the click of an icon, send it to every person on my subscriber list. Best of all, the message goes instantly.
Ease of Use – In addition to being fast, email is easy. Anyone who can use a word processor can create email messages with little to no effort. Writing an email is arguably easier than creating a social media post.
Direct Messaging – Finally, email offers the opportunity to directly message subscribers. More on that later on in this post.
When you look at ecommerce marketing from both a time and cost perspective, it is truly hard to beat email. I am generally surprised that I don’t receive more marketing messages from the companies I do business with online.
Invite Voluntary Subscriptions
To me, the key to successful email marketing within the ecommerce space is building a subscriber list from people who voluntarily sign up. I asked some friends over at Webtek Digital Marketing what they thought, and they confirmed my thoughts on this. Incidentally, Webtek is a Utah digital marketing and SEO firm based in Salt Lake City. They have a sister office in Austin, TX.
As for building a subscriber list, it boils down to this: people who voluntarily sign up to receive your email messages are essentially asking to receive them. They are very likely to read them. On the other hand, sending messages to people who have never voluntarily subscribed is a virtual guarantee that all your work ends up in the spam folder. I know. I get my fair share of emails to which I have never subscribed.
Segment Your Audience
I also recommend segmenting your audience. In other words, divide your subscriber list into smaller groups based on whatever criteria suits you. Then ensure that at least a portion of your email messages target individual groups. You will find that targeting segments is a more effective way of directly reaching key audience members.
Take Advantage of Automation
Before I run out of space, I want to sneak in a word about automation. Email works best as an ecommerce marketing tool when automation is employed. Use automated tools to send out messages on a regular schedule. By all means automate abandoned cart reminders that encourage customers to go back and complete their purchases.
There are plenty of ways to utilize email as an ecommerce marketing tool. I have only scratched the surface in this post. Needless to say, I am sold on email. I think it is one of the most effective digital technologies the internet age has ever produced.
