Why you should use email marketing for your e-commerce business

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When you’re running an ecommerce business you’ve probably not had time to set up a robust email strategy (yet), but in this article you’re going to see why you should be using email marketing today.

Why you should use email marketing for your e-commerce business

I’m sure you probably know that email marketing is a powerful strategy, after all you hear it from ever corner of the internet, so why are you yet to embrace the full power of emails?

If you need to know why you should invest some of your valuable time (I know you don’t have much of it, but it will be worth it!) into getting a consistent email strategy in place, then read on, because this could change your business forever.

Why use email marketing?

Email marketing is THE best way to have the ear of your potential customer and new customer.  Once you have their email address, you have a direct line into their psyche.

If you need a little help understanding how to capture a lead before a sale, then take a look at: My opt-in series here or 12 email opt-in ideas fro your ecommerce store

If you’re still not convinced that email marketing is worth the investment then here are a couple of facts. The DMA reveals that for every £1 spent on email marketing, you get a return of £32.28, and Litmus tell us that the ROI on email is 42:1. 

While these figures don’t line up, they’re still pretty impressive. If you could get a return like that, then wouldn’t it be worth your while to make email a priority?

Once you have your (potential) customers email address, you now have a coveted seat at their table (or a place in their inbox). But grabbing their attention and “training” them to open your emails is a skill that must be mastered because you have something they need… not just your products but your mission and message that is tied closely to your customers ideals.

• You show up as a ray of light when times are hard.

• You show up to remind them that there are better choices to make.

• You show up to give them permission to change their life (and the world) one step at a time

Because that’s all it is - educating and “coaching” them around their choices, and inspiring them to MAKE a decision.

The best way to do this is with an email sequence that your subscriber automatically receives after opting in for your lead magnet.

But it’s not just about slinging a few emails together, there’s a careful process of coaching your potential customers, disassembling their objections and beliefs so that you can frame your products as the solution to their problem.

It takes research, curious questions and the curation of a voice that not only represents YOU in copy, but also connects with your customers and potential customers.

• Emails are my favourite way of creating this connection because it’s intimate.  It’s like sitting down in a bar next to your best friend and asking them how their day went.  

• Emails are your direct line into your potential clients thoughts so you are top of mind when they are ready to say yes to your offers.

• Emails are where you can get really authentic, be vulnerable and open up so your customers see the truth behind your brand - not just another company out to make money at all costs..

But isn’t email meant to be dead?

Have you heard that ‘email marketing’ is dead?  It’s like one of those urban myths that strikes fear into your heart, but just because people are spreading the rumours, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

Every single marketer has their own strategy in how they can help you get more customers but what do all of them do?  They ask for your email.  So they can keep in touch with you and sell you their stuff.

I’m not saying other marketing strategies aren’t worth it - they each have their role in a business - but to believe that email is dead is like believing the Earth is flat! 

If you’re still not convinced it’s worth your time to go all-in on emails, then maybe some powerful voices can help convince you?

What others are saying about the power of email marketing.

Ezra Firestone is probably known as the Godfather of e-commerce.  He has run several massively successful e-commerce stores with his most notable store BOOM! By Cindy Joseph generating well into the 8 figures for revenue.

Ezra tells his students that 33% of their revenue should be coming from email marketing.  That means if you’re not yet using email marketing (other than to notify a customer about their order), then you can essentially add another 50% of your current revenue to your financials. How does that sound? 

By simply focusing on sending emails to build a connection with your subscribers and customers (because you should have more than just customers on your list) you can really scale your business without adding massive logistical elements of new product creation or sourcing.  You can harness what you’ve already got and see a huge uplift in sales.

Chase Dimond is the go-to email guru for Gretta Van Riel who has built  4 multi-million ecommerce brands in a very short space of time.  Chase says (on his agency website Boundless Labs)...

“Email is one of the most powerful marketing channels a brand can leverage to engage with their audience. Current data shows email converts better than social media, direct mail, and SMS. And it’s not going anywhere.”

He also quotes McKinsey that email is 40x more effective than Facebook and Twitter when it comes to acquiring new customers. If you’re working hard to gain followers on social media platforms, just remember that you don’t own that data. Algorithms change and an account can be deleted at the drop of a hat.  Whereas once you have an email address, you have the honor of showing up in that person's inbox for as long as they let you - so make it count.

Ryan Deiss of DigitalMarketer.com has been called one of the world’s leading digital marketers by Shark Tank star, Daymond John. He clearly states...

“list size is certainly not the primary driver of email marketing success. I know lots of marketers with great big lists that don’t make a dime because, at the end of the day, it’s not the size of the list that matters… it’s how you use it.”

He also reiterates that the money isn’t in the list but the relationship you have with the humans that read your emails. Notice the difference in how I phrase that because every one of those email addresses is a human with a beating heart (hopefully!), and they should be treated with respect. That’s where the genuine connection piece comes into all this. And finally...

Maria Veloso, Director of Web Copywriting University and author of Web Copy That Sells.  She is known as the “killer copywriter” and it has been said that she’s “simply the best web copywriter on the internet today”. In her book she states…
“Most online entrepreneurs overlook the significance of email and as a results they write emails haphazardly, almost as an afterthought. They regard email as something that support the objectives of the website, or as a vehicle for customer service… In other words, they regard emails as a low cost, inconsequential accessory to their web presence...While email can and does make a fine supporting actor, used properly it can assume a starring role as the primary sales tool.”

Are you ready to harness the power of email?

So there you have it. Email marketing is most certainly not dead and if you’re not harnessing the power of email marketing, you’re missing out on making a huge impact with your customers AND an impact in this world with the products you sell.