Proclamations about the death of email have been greatly exaggerated. This technology has survived for more than 50 years, evolving and adapting over time. Your office may have moved to real-time communication apps like Slack, but you're probably still sending a lot of email. Email campaigns are still a big part of e-commerce marketing.
“Right now, my inbox will likely contain hundreds of promotional messages and email campaigns from companies I've purchased from in the past,” said Neil Hoyn, chief strategist for data and measurement at Google. speaks. Shopify Master Podcast. Anyone who shops online can relate. The challenge for businesses is to stand out in a crowded inbox. Learn how to create your own email marketing campaign.
What is an email campaign?
An email campaign is a marketing strategy that involves sending one or a series of emails to multiple recipients. Email campaigns usually have a specific purpose. We may announce new products or services, direct customers to take advantage of promotions, welcome new customers, provide educational content, or increase brand awareness.
How to run an email campaign
- Collect customer data
- Create buyer personas
- Decide what type of campaign to run
- Set up email automation
- Run an A/B test
Here's how to build a successful email campaign.
1. Collect customer data
An email address is required to send email. One common way to collect data such as email addresses is to offer discount codes to new subscribers in exchange for personal information. This is also a good time to ask for their name, so you can use that to personalize the emails they receive. Thoughtful, personalized emails can go a long way in making your email campaign stand out.
“Research shows that adding the recipient's name to the subject line of an email significantly increases the likelihood that the email will be opened,” says Neal. “But right now, even though my name is in my inbox, no company is actually using that data to build better relationships.”
2. Create buyer personas
Emails will be more successful if they speak directly to your target audience and complement your other marketing efforts. Marketing expert Nick Sharma said, “Good content is always created for a few people, not everyone.” Shopify Master.
“I always write for three people,” says Nick. “One is like a founder who doesn't have the money but needs to take action on marketing. One is his CMO of a company that's doing more than $50 million in revenue. And the third is Investors in early stage companies.”
The more specific your buyer personas are, the easier it will be to write engaging emails and subject lines that will attract the customers you want to talk to.
3. Decide what type of campaign to run
Keep your buyer personas in mind and think about what types of messages your subscribers want to read. A welcome series that highlights your brand story? An exclusive discount code? A post-purchase email with instructions on how to get the most out of a new product?
If you use Shopify Email, you can choose from a variety of email templates for basic campaigns, such as abandoned cart emails and welcome series.
4. Set up email automation
Email marketing automation is a strategy where your email service provider (ESP) automatically sends pre-written emails to your contact list based on specific triggers. You can set up automations that send emails to clients after they purchase their first product, sign up for your newsletter, or leave items unpurchased in their cart for a certain period of time.
Of course, you can send emails manually, but most marketers choose to automate their emails to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their campaigns. Unless your business is very small, the number of marketing emails you need to send can be overwhelming.
Email service providers that offer email marketing automation include Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Shopify Email.
5. Run A/B tests
Want to know what's working and what's not? Try A/B testing.
Email A/B testing is one way to use email marketing metrics such as click-through rate (CTR) to measure the success of various variables, such as subject lines and call-to-action (CTA) button colors. Percentage of users who clicked links in emails received.
Here's how A/B testing works: Send one version of your email campaign to one segment of your email list, and another version to another segment. The version with the highest click-through rate (or whatever number you're measuring, such as conversions) wins and is sent to the rest of your email list.
With A/B testing, every email campaign becomes an opportunity to learn more about customer preferences and inform your email marketing strategy.
Types of email marketing campaigns
The options for running an effective email marketing campaign are endless. Most fall into transactional emails (“Thank you for your order”) or announcement emails (“Try our new body lotion”). Here are some examples of successful email marketing campaigns.
abandoned cart email
Abandoned cart emails can persuade customers to come back to purchase your product, either as a simple reminder or by highlighting features of the abandoned product or addressing potential concerns. It serves as an opportunity to Another strategy is to offer incentives like free shipping or discount codes.
Include a photo of the lost item and a link that takes shoppers directly back to their shopping cart. This is an example of an abandoned cart email from home goods store Coming Soon.
email subject: “Did you forget something?”
Coming Soon's abandoned cart emails are simple, with the store's logo at the top and a short message about lost items. The CTA button is a link to the product in your cart and displays a photo of the product.
educational email
If you want to keep your subscribers interested, send them relevant educational content. If you're in the food and beverage industry, send us your recipes. If you run a fashion brand, show your customers how they can style themselves.
Educational emails don't have to be text-heavy. This email from home goods brand Quiet Town prominently features a striking image.
email subject: “Rental? Let this bathroom inspire you.”
This email from Quiet Town shows you how to use bathroom accessories to add personality to your rental property. The first half of the email has a purple background and tells the story of a renter. It's not immediately clear which products are from Quiet Town, giving the email an editorial feel. The second half is on a white background, highlighting his Quiet Town items with his CTA button to shop.
promotional email
Promotional email campaigns offer discount codes and sales to email subscribers. For example, this simple promotional email from clothing designer Ilana His Cohn features a photo of a clothing item on sale and a promo code on a basic white background.
email subject: “Up to 70% off on prints etc.”
Notice that the email subject line says “70% off” near the beginning to attract readers. Sale items are introduced in the email body.
Seasonal campaign emails
Seasonal email campaigns leverage current trends and events to highlight relevant content from your brand. For example, let's say you send out a Valentine's Day gift guide in late January or early February. A content calendar helps you plan seasonal events. It's also important to stay on top of the latest events in case the trending news is related to your product.
This seasonal promotional email from dog clothing company Little Beast takes advantage of current events and uses weather events to promote their dog clothing.
email subject: “Bund up your pups! A cold front is coming.”
The body of the email explained that “a major cold front is sweeping across much of the United States,” and urged readers to “don't wait until the storm hits and your puppy starts shivering — bring something warm now.”
welcome email
A welcome email is the first email a new customer receives after purchasing a product or signing up for your newsletter. Welcome emails usually contain a message of thanks and a few lines explaining your brand's story or philosophy. Many sites offer discount codes in exchange for signing up for their email newsletter. If so, include the promo code in your welcome email.
Your welcome email might include information such as estimated shipping times and how to use and care for your new product. You can also encourage new customers to create user-generated content by providing a hashtag for social media sharing. If you have a referral or customer loyalty program, mention it in your welcome email.
Email marketers often split the elements of a welcome email into a series of messages. The first email is sent the moment the customer makes a purchase, and the second email is sent when the product arrives to confirm that everything is as expected. After a few days, we may send you an email requesting an evaluation.
Below is an example of a welcome email with a discount code from clothing company hai.
Email subject: “Welcome to hai!”
High features large promotional images of its signature silk products, with its logo prominently featured. The welcome email includes a discount code for 10% off a future purchase, and a CTA button encourages customers to “Shop Now.”
Email campaign FAQs
Are email campaigns worth it?
Email marketing offers a high return on investment (ROI). A successful email marketing campaign can encourage abandoned customers to complete their purchases, build relationships with new customers, and encourage them to shop during promotional periods.
Do email campaigns cost money?
Email campaigns are expensive, but they don't have to be expensive. Email marketing automation comes standard with some email providers, such as Shopify Email. If your business is large, consider hiring a dedicated email marketer or agency.
What does it take to make an email campaign effective?
A successful email marketing campaign captures the reader's attention with an engaging and personalized subject line. The body of the email delivers on what the subject line promises, and the content is appealing to your target audience.
