Launching a new product can be an exciting time for your business. How do you get the word out about your awesome new product?
How does a total user base of 4.3 billion sound? That's the total number of expected email users by the year 2023, according to Oberlo.
More than 91% of these email users open their emails on a daily basis. For that reason alone, using emails to launch new products with email marketing campaigns is the best strategy there is.
A well-built and strategic email marketing user base like no other.
People don't fall out of "favor" with email.
With all the noise out there everyday, emails are like an oasis for successful product launches (given that these email subscribers are a captive audience, that they signed up to “hear” from you, and that they already voted their love for your brand (by signing up).
As such, it's a promising channel (and a profitable one at that) to help launch your new products with email campaigns (when you do it right).
You could spend money on expensive marketing campaigns, but this is not always necessary. How about doing product launches with email campaigns instead?
In this blog post, we're going to discuss what things you need to consider before launching a new product and how to use email marketing strategies that will help generate more revenue.
Make Emails Relevant
According to OptiMonster, only 14% of subscribers ever feel that the emails they receive from brands are relevant to them. You don't want your subscribers to ever fall into that 14% bandwagon.
With an eclectic mix of proper email list building strategies (use appropriate lead magnets while trying to build your lists), personalization, email marketing segmentation, email marketing timing, and working with your tags and/segments, ensure that you only send out emails that are relevant to your users.
Utility emails such as order confirmation emails, order update emails, shipping update emails, etc. are already very relevant. It's the email marketing emails that you have to focus on to ensure relevancy.
Discounts & Savings: Give it to them
More than 42.3% of Americans sign up for email marketing campaigns just to receive savings opportunities and discounts, according to Evently.
While we don’t always suggest doling out offers and discounts as a perennial strategy (or worse, a habit), you can certainly send out discount coupons and provide opportunities for your email subscribers to get a “deal” on launch days at least.
Use FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) along with your discount strategy to ensure that the message you are sending out is that these discounts won’t last long and are specifically launch day specials.
Use Visuals Inside Emails
We are wired to process information visually. We learn, get inspired, and our minds react to visuals more than anything else. Visuals are powerful tools for promoting your products, but you may not be utilizing them to their full potential. How do you use visuals? Use visuals to promote Your Products, in three steps:
- Create buzz: Don't send a single email out on launch day. One of the open secrets to successful product launches with email campaigns is to create buzz and excitement around launches (and yes, it never gets old. Just see what Apple does each year). Work your way backwards from the launch date, and "tease" your product launches using visuals.
- Build Excitement: Send regular emails leading up to launch day with "progressive teasers" -- each email reveals just a little more information to your subscribers and potential customers than the previous one does.
- Launch with product visuals: Finally, splash emails with product visuals designed to entice.
Here's an example:
Use Videos. Share videos within emails
Did you know that almost 50% of online shopperslook for videos about products and services they might be looking for? Video has a direct correlation with eCommerce sales and revenue. Period.
See how DJI does it (for every single product launch):
Produce videos (anyone can do it today, and there are tools to help you create videos that can also double up as ads) and use them inside your email campaigns for product launches.
There’s a range of video types you can use though: product reveal videos, actual videos of products themselves (but don’t reveal too much for product launch email campaigns), animated videos, video testimonials, and so many more.
Embed videos directly into your email (if your email service provider allows that) or create a GIF preview for your video that email users can click and watch elsewhere.
Take Conversations Beyond Email (Email marketing + Social Media)
An email marketing campaign is an email marketing campaign, and we agree. But why just depend on emails when you can take the party everywhere?
Use email marketing + social media (on top of your blogs, PR campaigns, paid advertising campaigns, and even referral software) to help spread the word and get the world talking about your products and/or brand.
See how Harry’s uses a “referral” system to help spread the word:
But brand Harry’s doesn’t just stop there:
Here’s an example of how Harry’s also pushes excitement for launches on Twitter as well:
Push the excitement, buzz, and the events of the launch on social media as well: use videos. Use short teasers. Get people talking about your products or your brand using hashtags.
Go beyond email and use the collective power of social media, the visual impact of videos, and the insane reach of social media to work in your favor.
Use Pre-order emails
Why should you wait until the product is ready? Who says email marketing campaigns for product launches make sense only “after” or just before product launches?
So, what's a better email campaign than the product launch email campaign? It's the pre-order email campaign.
Sell even before your product is ready and the launch date is out. Asking for pre-orders is so much better than even the actual launch emails. First, you are already building anticipation and buzz (above). Second, pre-orders get you revenue even before the product is ready. Third, it's the ultimate form of validation for your products.
See how a pre-order email looks like:
Make the sale
Your emails are not the time to be timid about asking for the sale directly. The goal of an email marketing campaign is to sell something - and if you're launching a new product, you want people to buy it.
What do you know about your prospects? What are their fears or hesitations? How can you address them in conversation with prospects? Understanding all of this is a prerequisite for successful launch emails for eCommerce.
Once you are past that, ask for the sale on launch day.
Launches are forever
So, your launch day is 2 weeks from now. You’ve successfully used email marketing campaigns for product launches before. You’ve done it again now.
But most businesses just stop after the launch day. Emails fade away.
Launches are forever. Don’t stop sending out regular emails (even for those who never purchased during the build up to launch and on the launch day itself).
Continue with your email marketing campaigns. Nurture your potential customers with exclusive information, behind the scenes footage, events, and more content.
This is also when advanced tactics such as retargeting ad campaigns and retargeting email marketing campaigns come into play.
Based on proper audience management, email marketing segmentation, timing, and personalization, launch new campaigns to get several of those non-purchasers back and have them complete the sale.
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