Marketing Experts Reveal Top Strategies To

Show Notes

Welcome to the e-commerce marketing podcast today. We are going to be talking about email marketing and we have Eric Patterson from aweber his the chief marketing officer for aweber Welcome to the e-commerce marketing podcast Eric. How are you doing great Robert? How are you? Thanks for having me?

I’m doing well. I’m excited about this topic just because I know email helps e-commerce businesses get a lot of traffic sales and customers and you can do. Lot of emails and who better than somebody who who works at a email marketing software, so that’s why I wanted to have you on and excited to hear what you have to say about email and heightened help becomes company.

Yeah perfect. I think specific to my background. It’s been great being part of a Weber, but also I have my previous lives that worked at agencies that were focused primarily on e-commerce marketing to so having the experience and working Ecommerce marketers across all marketing channels specifically email.

I thought this would be a great topic to cover. Okay, so if we can just a guess get into it, and maybe you can just tell me from what you’ve seen that a web and even through your experience working with e-commerce marketing ways email, too important to e-commerce, and how does email help e-commerce even those important because I mean emails as a as a Channel or discipline for marketers it helps to bridge that gap between a building that relationship with your prospects and one.

Convert them once they purchase from you, then. It’s your customers so emails a great way to to strengthen and build that relationship, but it’s also a way to stay relevant through all the Clutter and all the the influences that exists for the common consumer, and you know from a stats standpoint.

You know the over eighty 80. I think is 85 88 percent of marketers have indicated the email marketing is bringing them positive. Roi so not only is a great way to maintain that relationship, but it’s also effective in in growing top-line and bottom-line okay, and as far as the emails were going to be looking at today.

You just came up with and we’re going to be covering for emails that you actually think of the most important that every e-commerce company needs to to have in their final that’s correct and when I think of email marketing for the Hammers marketer. That there are some different nuances to the Commerce marketer versus let’s say the the B2B marketer or or or some other.

You know someone who’s more newsletter focused. I mean one thing to keep in mind with these four emails is that these are meant if if you know if you have a planning session, or if you have limited time, you know I would recommend focusing on these four emails as a starting point. Also if you’re about to head in the planning season or plan for next year is how can you organize your thoughts and your team’s around?

Specific tees for emails because they’re all intended to help you increase your ability to connect with your customer and increase conversions ok, so what are these four emails that you’re talking about sure, so simple fragrance to the four emails just some things to note about. You know you Converse marketers is you know when it comes to preparing your emails first is is be mobile ready, and I think it goes without saying that mobile consumption of emails is only increasing, and it’s just be cognizant of that.

You know tools like litmus and an email on acid will help you preview your emails in these in mobile devices, so just keep that in mind also know that in the Commerce space consumers are conditioned for offers. I mean let’s be honest. I think there’s there’s also research that supports the familiarity in the expectation of Brands to be sending offer driven emails per week per month is that you know if that’s that’s how your your customers always going to be thinking just be be aware of that because while they may be conditioned to look for offers.

There’s other things you can be doing. Set that so you don’t take away from your bottom line too much, and then also that email success that I’ve seen is really just about context and relevancy of your content, so whether that’s image text what have you but just the context and the relevancy is key as we go through these four emails, so let’s just a little precursor and just things to consider before getting into any sort of email planning, but the first thing.

I want to talk about is one that you know with with a lot of customers. I talked to here at a web. But also in Prior lives the email that’s probably the most underutilized is the the survey email when I say survey email. It’s it’s not saying that you have to do an exhaustive 15 questions survey, but it’s really just tied behind the notion of asking asking questions of your customers so that you become more intelligent about what their needs are what their preferences are and I think there’s a whole series of whole book called ask.

That would I will would recommend reading, but it’s just a kind of a good peek into the mind of the value of survey emails and how they can help you get a better connection with your customer OK, the book should just mention thoughts Us by Ryan Levesque correct, Ryan Levesque. The book s. Okay, okay, and so how do Ecommerce companies and businesses have this via email?

How did they add it to their automations once the right time to add it? And how to customers even end up in a final that has this survey email asking them to questions that this businesses want customers to tell them I’m So sooo yeah, so I think there’s a lot of ways to go about it. I guess really depending on pain your your product or service, but let’s say you know in the example of if you’re just online online retailer.

A lot of companies some companies were asked for it in the beginning as part of your email sign up if you’re registering before you purchase. They may ask some information, but when I think of this survey email, you know it could be something. That’s asked after they’ve already made a purchase so what you know about that person have they purchases they purchased product X so the survey email that you could be sending after they’ve purchased or hit a certain threshold could just be more about about that product.

How do you plan to use that product you know feedback on the sizing you know anything? Going to help you make better informed decisions the one thing about about serving emails. I like to say is just make sure that they whatever you’re asking for its information that you’re going to be using because a lot of times when working on surveys customers think that it’s just a matter of asking.

What comes to mind and it may make sense at that moment, but there’s no end there’s no thought around how you plan to use it information don’t ask so I’d say it could be asked you can ask that question after the purchase after certain threshold, or if you want to set up a. Frank Cadence think about asking you know every month a specific question tear your customers or your segments now the questions that you’re going to be asking can be tied to whatever your overall strategy is in terms of where you’re going as a product if you’re looking to expand if you’re looking to go go from offline to online or vice versa so it really the Cadence could be driven by where you plan to take your business or your product set okay, and with this via email like you said you use it.

To better understand your customers and build that Persona that you’re going to be using to help direct. How the company is going to is going to move forward once you have all this information. I guess the next email you had listed is the welcome email right so so think of the survey email as you know that’s that’s an email to meet to be asked at certain points of the the the cycle of the Journey of your customer.

Okay, the next most important email is the. Came email, and when I say welcome email, that’s about really setting expectations. It’s your first chance to say something. That’s contextual say something. That’s relevant to somebody who just signed up whether it’s for a newsletter that you have whether it’s for the promo code offer that you’re offering by saying give me your email give you 10% of your first order if that’s the case again.

You’re you’re welcome emails most important setting an expectation and oftentimes the welcome emails just here’s your offer. You know come back and and and. Just something, but I like to you note ask customers or Brands the thing about the welcome email has an opportunity to be kind of the starting point of another series of actions that could help again help you gain more information or help your customer become more connected to your brand so that would be things like you know if the welcome email sets expectations of here’s your peers your coupon code.

Hey, did you know we had a podcast or here’s a coupon code? Hey? Did you know we had this so use it as a way to direct or at least. Give yourself the chance of engaging with that customer who clearly is this looking to you know looking to make a purchase of that coupon code, but introduce them to other pieces of your brain ok, I’ll before we move on to the next email just a quick question something that I just thought of right now does it matter what type of template you use or if if you have text emails or if you’re going to create beautiful newsletters does not matter when you’re looking at this for emails for either the.

Of the welcome email, yeah, just for all emails sure that doesn’t matter whether you want to use a hair CML newsletter, or just text how much do you need to have your brand your layout do need to think through all of these or can you just get away with having a text email or just something simple I’d say the the use of images versus text is going to depend on the context of the email if.

If the survey email is really just one question that could easily be delivered with just text okay as much as it could be with what they just a straight flight image, but the other indicator here. Is is think about your brand is your brand a is it a power company. That’s that’s rooted in a lot of heavy images and need like an images if so, then you’re probably going to want to carry that through into the messages that you send to your customers.

Even if they are just a a quick welcome or quick. Thank you. Okay, so that answers it so it really depends on what type of email it is and also just how you have your brand as a business correct as you can imagine. You know I can apparel companies are very focused on Imaging if your restaurant or something like that the images of the food and the experience is important too, so it really just depends on how heavy you are in wanting to carry that brand message through to your your emails ok, then thats email is the nacha email and that it kind of feels like.

It’s self-explanatory like you’re using this email to probably you use this email to try and convert those prospects into customers and also if if you’re dealing with customers just to continue helping them understand the brand exactly Robert is the nail on the head that the nurture email is really meant to strengthen the relationship, and that’s both with folks that are not yet customers, but also with your customers knowing that it’s easier to convert or sorry easier to strengthen the life.

Value of your current customer, then is to acquire new 1i, just see a lot of opportunity out there with nurture emails that I receive where there’s an opportunity to not just asked me for more information to become more relevant, but also to help set expectations for what it is that that I could experience or what?

I just ordered with you with with the brand, so it really comes down to a you know what value can you give in these emails these Nursery emails I’d order to get something from your customer now that you’re looking to get a tremendous amount from the customer, but again if you’re if you’re giving value.

What value can you get and you know example that would be you know just a surprise and Delight email ones the last time in a retailer of Commerce marketer or any brand for that matter sent you an email just to thank you for being a customer, and it doesn’t mean that you’re the moat the one spending the most money, but it’s just acknowledging you as a valuable customer that sort of surprise and Delight can can do a lot in terms of increasing awareness of your brand if someone were to share that email with somebody else, but at the end the day all you want to do is just build that connection with your.

Summers so if you haven’t just sent a thank you for being a customer email try it I think you’d be surprised with the reaction that you get from from the customers that open it up and then another one that I like from a from a nurture email is just continuing to build relevance or find relevance with your customer base, I think.

Is Dollar Shave Club does a good example does a good job with this with you’ve made an order that ships every month. They actually send you an email to say hey. We’re getting ready to ship your your your order because it’s a subscription model its ongoing, but at least it lets me know when I should expect to see it in my mailbox.

So I think that just that little that one quick email. It’s nothing fancy. Just hey we’re about the ship this. It’s a great way to stay relevant to me so that I can expect. You know when to keep an eye out for that for that delivery OK with the one example you said you brought about companies. Just thanking you for being a customer.

Yeah, I can’t remember receiving that in my inbox, but at the same time since we live in this you know the age of email and everybody sending out emails. I’m so accustomed to getting a lot of emails from Big Brands and sometimes. It just hit delete and now I’ve trained my body just to hit delete immediately even the content, so is that one worried that e-commerce companies should have that they may not be sentenced spam emails, but the recipient the subscriber is been over one with other emails, and they’re trying to maintain that Ian box where they.

This overlooked some of these emails yeah, I think overlooking the emails in a flooded in box is a is a should be a concern for many marketers, which I think goes back to my earlier point of of how do you maintain context and relevancy for what you’re sending, so if I’m expecting because you’re welcome email told me every Tuesday.

I’m going to send you a hottest deals email. Well, then you know I’m gonna keep an eye out for that that email every Tuesday because it’s relevant to what what I’m looking for and what I told you so I think it’s how creative. And we get with being with setting expectations so that you know that’s Prime real estate inside that that inbox and how can we do a better job of setting expectations and building trust so that you know when they see it comes from our brand?

They’re more inclined not to delete it or move it off to another folder and that that that does take time, but also again takes making sure that the context of your content is relevant OK, and the last email is the Abundant cart email some e-commerce business. Might think that this is the most important email to be sending out.

What are your thoughts on that? I mean I agree in that it’s important when it comes to what are ways to you know you’ve gotten somebody who’s gone as far down as to being put it putting items in a cart, and then to say yeah. I’m not really sure or for whatever reason. I do think in the Commerce space most important email in terms of driving direct Revenue, but I have seen or or have experienced emails from Brands where the intent of their.

I’ll pay you left this in your cards come on back and and purchase really fell on deaf ears or eyes in this case and that I really didn’t get me excited to go back and complete the purchase even if I may have gotten this tractor left, so yes the abandoned card email is important, but it’s about again the context that you’re putting into that email if it’s a heavy.

Item that will have a high shipping price. Why not focus that that abandoned card email about here’s your final shipping price if you complete your order in the next 48 hours. You tie in some scarcity there if you if you purchase the next 48 hours will cut it in half. That’s contextually relevant to me because yes, it’s a heavy.

Item. I probably wasn’t going to buy it because of the shipping cost but because you you recognize that I’m more inclined to finish that purchase so it’s really about not just the cart email itself the Benicar email itself, but it’s how are you being relevant to the person who just left and if it’s a small ticket.

Item you know something. That’s $50 or less the message in the advantage card email, maybe something different like a. Hey, if you if you buy this you’ll need this and you get kind of get an upsell opportunity in and give somebody a chance to add something else to the card because it’s relevant to that purchase.

Okay, so one thing that think that’s coming through from all these four emails when I’m listening to you is all these emails are very important. It’s important to build a relationship and send out the emails to your customers, but one thing that I am here in and you can correct me if I’m wrong or you can just elaborate.

It is you need to look at these emails and see where you’re missing an opportunity to convert the customer or to better communicate to to that Prospect like this last email about an email. It’s it’s from from what it sounds like you’re saying. It’s not enough. Just to send out. The email with the general template that’s going to be provided to you by your email software or whatever system you use in your saying you need to look at that email and then customize it and modify it to meet the situation for that customer when the receiver absolutely I agree and will add you know the testing is also a very critical part of any email program so in that example of an abandoned card email.

You know try one that hasn’t has an. On shipping, but maybe try another one that has a testimonial. You know how many abandon card emails? Did you get that just has further social proof that this is the right purchase for you to make so yeah? I you just take a look at all your emails and what’s the what’s the one thing that you could test that may drive or increase results given or based on what you know about that specific specific customer that specific segment, which again ties back to the ask component, which is you know survey nor asking the right question so that you know more about?

Segments or types of customers that you have what about we’ve covered the four emails one thing I’d also like to get into can you mentioned some quick tools that people can use either for for the testing or maybe some resources they can look at to find examples of emails to look at do you have any resources that you can share the connection help people with looking at the emails and making sure they doing the right hand sure so one side.

It’s interesting to me just from a. Standpoint just to kind of get a notion of the power of email. Where email is it’s actually email is Not Dead Calm, and it’s provided by Jordi who’s part of email Monday, so e-mail is Not Dead Calm is a good resource for research when it comes to those survey emails so survey.

I think its survey funnel. Do is actually a product that Ryan Levesque has the author of that book ask, so that’s definitely worth checking out when it comes to the the one question survey so net promoter scores How likely are you to promote my? Product to a friend and that’s basically someone ranks you from one to 10.

There’s tools called delighted Com or ask nicely and it’s nicely. It’s basically a skn is excuse me as K and icel. Why these are two tools that let you set up really quick really fast one question net promoter score emails that can help get a good sense of where your customers are in their willingness to promote.

You ok, Erica really appreciate having you on if. Want to reach you how can they get out you best place to connect with MIA Twitter, and my handle is at Eric harvison. That’s ER. I ke har b as in boy i s o n or you can find me on LinkedIn. OK usually at the end of the podcast I always ask all the gas if they can share one thing that they think the listeners can do right now to actually help the business grow get traffic Gamble sale.

I would say survey your customers, so ya customers. Okay, Eric again. Thank you for being on the podcast, and I really thank you, and I enjoy everything that you’ve shared, and I think a lot of people are going to find a lot of value out of this great. Thanks for. Thank you for listening to the e-commerce marketing Partners join the e-commerce marketing podcast Facebook group to learn connect collaborate and grow with other e-commerce marketers at e-commerce marketing podcast for FB e-commerce marketing podcast for FB subscribe to us on iTunes by searching for e-commerce marketing podcast and please leave a rating and review.

Thank you for. Stance you next time.