Email marketing has been around for a very long time, but it's still one of the most effective and reliable marketing channels. It allows businesses to stay in touch with customers who have opted in, keeping them informed about products, services, promotions, and more. Done right, email marketing is a great way to drive engagement, generate leads, and boost sales—all at a low cost.
Email marketing involves sending targeted messages to customers via email. These messages can range from promotional offers to informative newsletters. Emails can be automated, personalized, and measured, making them one of the most strategic tools in any online marketer's toolkit.
Not only does email marketing require relatively little effort, but it also boasts some of the highest ROI among digital marketing strategies. As long as the content is relevant, recipients will not consider it spam. The key is to strike a balance between consistency and value—don't send too many emails, and always ensure your content is helpful, entertaining, or informative.
Before launching your first campaign, step into your customers' shoes. Map out their journey from discovery to purchase to post-purchase support. This exercise will help you identify key interaction points where email can enhance the customer experience.
Make sure your first contact—the welcome email—is memorable. This sets the tone for future communication. Test your emails using A/B testing to determine which version performs better. And don’t forget mobile compatibility: with many users reading emails on their phones, your message must look great on smaller screens.
Make a strong first impression. Thank new subscribers and explain what they can expect. Share how your product or service can help them.
These are automated messages sent after specific actions, such as a purchase. Use them to confirm transactions and suggest related products or services.
Use newsletters to share valuable content like tips, updates, or stories. Focus on educating or entertaining your audience while gently promoting your offerings.
Reach out to inactive subscribers with messages like "We miss you" or "Help us improve." Offer incentives like discounts or ask for feedback through surveys.
When issues arise, acknowledge them and apologize. A sincere message, possibly with a small discount, can go a long way in rebuilding trust.
Tailor your emails to your audience. Use their names and reference previous interactions when possible. Personalized emails perform significantly better.
Keep them short, relevant, and engaging. Avoid excessive punctuation and capitalize on curiosity or urgency. Examples: "Limited Time Offer" or "Only a Few Left!"
Guide readers to take the next step with buttons or links. Make sure CTAs are visually distinct and relevant to the email content.
Images can enhance engagement, but they must display correctly on all devices. Use optimized images to avoid slowing down loading time.
Track open rates (average ~24%), click-through rates (average ~4%), and conversion rates. Use these metrics to fine-tune your campaigns.
Adapt your email schedule to your audience. General best practices suggest sending emails on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 8 AM, 1 PM, or 5 PM, especially for those with traditional work schedules. For other audiences, test and adjust accordingly.
Email frequency should match user engagement. New subscribers are most active during the first 3-4 days, so consider daily emails during this window. Afterward, space out your campaigns based on engagement levels.
To manage large-scale email campaigns, use an email marketing tool. These platforms let you:
Shopify Email, for example, is integrated directly into Shopify’s eCommerce platform and allows up to 2,500 free emails per month. It’s user-friendly and ideal for SMBs.
Popular alternatives include:
Choose a tool based on your business size, goals, and budget.