Email’s not dead.
Social media may have gained popularity and influence over the past decade but ecommerce brands should still build a solid email marketing strategy. It’s a big piece of the puzzle in marketing an ecommerce direct-to-consumer business because it’s a highly effective lead-generation tool that builds rapport with your customers and drives sales.
If you’re worried about the cost and time involved in creating an email campaign, know that email marketing is absolutely worth the time and investment. Studies show that the average ROI for this channel is $36 for every $1 spent.
That’s a tangible 36-fold increase that social media or SMS can’t give you. Your numbers could even surpass that, depending on your industry. The benefits are numerous and the costs are low–what’s not to love?
In this article, we’ll cover what email marketing is, why it’s crucial for DTC ecommerce brands, and the 30 most effective email marketing campaigns you should be running ASAP.
Let’s dive in.
What is ecommerce email marketing?
An email marketing campaign for ecommerce is a series of emails used by online brands to reach existing and potential customers.
It is designed to nurture relationships and drive sales and it does so at a relatively low cost. The purpose of an email campaign may include leading subscribers to your website, nurturing leads, retaining customers, engaging potential customers, and growing awareness of your brand.
Furthermore, email is a form of communication that can be personalized to the recipient and creates a goldmine of prospects for your business.
Why do I need email marketing for my ecommerce brand?
Email helps you connect with your customers and nurture those relationships
Email allows you to reach customers through a channel they check regularly: their inbox.
You can personalize your messaging to your customers and give them information they’ll appreciate such as how-to guides, tips, discount offers, and recommendations.
When you create engaging email campaigns that are personalized to your customer, you’re more likely to stand out in their inbox.
Email leads to more sales
Email is a venue where you can connect with your customers. If they find your content valuable, you drive them closer to buying from your store, or at the very least, visit your website and survey your products.
Email marketing can lead to up to 30 percent of your revenue if done correctly.
Email is a channel that you have full control over (and it’s free)
Email campaigns are distributed through an owned channel. It’s a platform you own completely. Unlike social media, you’re not at the whims of a third party’s algorithm or required to compete with the massive sea of content out there.
Email encourages repeat purchases and increases LTV
Lastly, email marketing is great for ecommerce because it turns your subscribers into loyal customers, thereby increasing their customer lifetime value.
Customer lifetime value measures how much a customer spends on a brand’s product or services over the course of the customer’s lifetime. The higher the LTV, the better.
Without further ado, here are the 30 email marketing campaigns your ecommerce brand should have.
- Calendar Holiday
- Resolutions for New Year
- Halloween
- Black Friday
- Christmas
- Valentine’s Day
- Sale
- BOGO
- Free Shipping these 2 days
- Customer Birthday
- Buy More Save More
- Brand Birthday
- New here?
- Social Proof
- Comparison Email
- Before/After
- FAQ
- Featured Reviews for A Specific Product
- 4 Reasons You’ll Love….
- Branding
- Your Main Proposition Value
- Meet our Must-Haves
- Where the brand is coming from
- Sneak Peek
- Customer Relations
- Referral Program
- Loyalty Program
- Expertise
- Problematic 101
- Let’s Ask an Expert
- Quiz
- Lifestyle
- Christmas - Top Gifts
- Summer - Prep Your Vacations
- Autumn Cocooning
- Stock Management
- Product is Selling Out
- Countdown to New Product Launch
Effective Email Marketing Campaigns
Calendar Holiday
Resolutions for New Year
A new year means a new you. Tap into the resolutions trend just like Casper does by recommending that your audience try something new. In this case, it’s a Casper mattress for upgrading the customer’s sleep.
Halloween
The underwear brand Me Undies gives a twist to their Halloween newsletter by advertising their “scary good collection” for people “brave enough to stay at home”. They also include the products being offered and a discount for their Halloween bundles.
Black Friday
Made is a good example of a brand that does Black Friday promotions well. They prominently display the heading “Last call” for their Black Friday sale event with a discount and free delivery perk to make it more enticing. It’s simple but targets last-minute shoppers effectively.
Christmas
Christmas is a must for every content calendar. Our example features Uncommon Goods, which sends out a countdown 100 days before Christmas. Their CTA says “Get gifting” followed by featured products appropriate for the holidays.
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Valentine’s Day
Create a marketing campaign for Valentine’s Day encouraging people to spread the love by gifting your products. The Sill highlights their favorite plants and even includes assistance for picking out gifts, plus free shipping for early shoppers.
Sale
BOGO
The Buy One Get One offer is popular for a good reason. It reels in customers who are already eyeing your products but are hesitant to buy. Hydrant does this sale promotion well by prominently displaying BOGO and explaining the benefits and where to find their promoted products.
Free Shipping
Nick’s gives a teaser of their free shipping promotion and invites customers to “stock up” on their treats. They also display their bestsellers along with a Buy Now CTA button for easy purchasing.
Customer Birthday
Make your customers feel special on their birthday by giving them a discount on their next purchase, just as Hennessy does here. Their CTA “Get your gift” is simple but effective. They even include a recipe for a birthday cocktail just for the reader, highlighting their products and showing how they can be used while still keeping it relevant to the birthday post.
Buy More Save More
Rewarding customers for buying more of your products is appealing and ignites interest. Alexis Bittar executes the Buy More Save More strategy by prominently displaying the promotion and how buyers can qualify. The CTA button makes buying easier while the product photos show how their jewelry looks when worn, further stoking curiosity.
Brand Birthday
Just as you can celebrate your customers’ birthdays, you can celebrate your brand’s birthday too by throwing a sale. Do as Cupshe does here and highlight the categories you’re offering during the sale, feature your best products, and give a snippet of your brand’s story.
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New here?
New subscribers may not know much about your products and their benefits so give them a hand by presenting a quick rundown of your main offerings. Brooklinen does this by giving a short description of the kinds of bedsheets they have and who they’re made for.
Social Proof
Comparison Email
Have a list of features or benefits that you can compare against your competitors to prove that you are the better choice. Dandy gives an “us vs. them” comparison that’s short but gets the point across quickly.
Before/After
If your product has visually apparent benefits or effects, show them through a before-and-after email. Glossier often uses this approach in their makeup products. They even detail how many seconds the transformation took to get the results using their product.
FAQ
Answer questions that your audience might be interested in. These can be informative or myth-busting in nature. Jinx does this successfully by publishing an FAQ that explains why they’re a good pick and what ingredients they use, as well as their track record and a few valuable pet tips.
Featured Reviews for A Specific Product
Customers don’t have to take your word for it so feature a review and make it the centerpiece of your email, as Feals does here. They insert a short quote from a satisfied customer, followed by a shop button and product picks to lead the reader to the purchase.
__ Reasons You’ll Love….
Take a more direct approach and give your audience the top reasons they should choose your product. Make sure you highlight the most appealing features and explain each reason succinctly, as Peloton does here.
Branding
Your Main Proposition Value
Strengthen your brand’s image by elaborating on your unique value proposition. Explain why your products are a cut above the rest. Empathy Wines does this by showing a letter from its co-founder and the story of how the brand came to be. If readers want to read more, there’s a button that leads to their website, as well as a Shop Now CTA.
Meet our Must-Haves
Subscribers may not know what products to buy from you, especially if you have an extensive catalog. It’s important to have featured products or “must-haves” that are appropriate for a season or occasion. Lookiero sends out a newsletter about their spring items with product photos of their line.
Where the brand is coming from
Differentiate your brand by telling a story, especially a personal one from your team or founder. Ariat applies this by attaching a letter from their founder, who explains why she created her equestrian brand and where the brand’s name came from. If your brand has a unique story about its origin, you should definitely include it in one of your newsletters.
Sneak Peek
Give a sneak peek of new product lines and collaborations by describing the products and their benefits and unique properties. You should also place the dates of your launch so readers can take note. Genusee takes this a step further by encouraging readers to preview the collection on their website and displaying featured items in their emails.
Customer Relations
Referral Program
It’s a good idea to create a newsletter about how your referral program works. Keep it simple, as Jambys does, by giving a referral link in the email and highlighting the benefits when they participate in the program.
Loyalty Program
Another must-do email campaign is one promoting your loyalty program. Take cues from Meow Meow Tweet, who use illustrations and a dash of humor to describe how the program works. Make sure you announce the program with copy like “Big News” and attach a CTA button that guides the reader into participating immediately.
Expertise
Problematic 101
Be an expert and explain the pain point your product addresses using the 101 method. Ruggable does this by publishing a “Runners 101” guide that details where runners can be placed around the home. The examples feature their rugs, showing that the 101 problematic style can give information while promoting your wares as well.
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Let’s Ask an Expert
Another email campaign idea that you can repeat all year round is the Ask an Expert email. This is an avenue for you to offer expert advice to your audience around your market or niche. We love this example from Ohne, who features a sex therapist and her answers to common questions about intimacy and menstrual wellness. At the end of the email, Ohne includes product photos with a shop button to promote their products and lead readers to their site.
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Quiz
A quiz is a fun and engaging way to promote your products while giving helpful advice to your readers. Frank Body executes this well by providing a skincare quiz for subscribers who are interested in developing a skincare routine. They also take this further by giving an exclusive discount to those who take the quiz.
Lifestyle
Christmas - Top Gifts
Show how your products can make for great Christmas gifts as Aurate does in their cheekily-named “Gifting Gold For Dummies” guide. They suggest 5 products and use large photos throughout the email. They also make buying more enticing by offering a discount code.
Summer - Prep Your Vacations
Include an email campaign in your rotation, especially one that revolves around vacation prep. Thread encourages readers to “Get away in style” and features Thread products that are recommended for summer.
Autumn Cocooning
Autumn is a time for comfort and cocooning. Make sure to maximize this season by promoting autumn-related products in your email campaign, like this one from Buffy. They highlight the new pumpkin colors of their staple, the puffer blanket, and recommend “comfy essentials” to their readers.
Stock Management
Product is Selling Out
Create urgency by notifying your subscribers when a product is selling out. Scentbird uses the subject line “HURRY! Pamella Roland is selling out fast”. In the email body, it describes the bestseller scent and includes a Shop Now CTA button to lead the reader to their shopping cart.
Countdown to New Product Launch
Build anticipation for a new product by creating a newsletter that teases the product launch. Blume does this by using a large header photo and dropping hints about what the new product is. They also give subscribers the opportunity to be on the list and be one of the first to know when the product drops.
