It’s pretty much a given that every online store needs to embrace email marketing. When managed correctly, email is highly targetable, delivers an exceptional ROI and lends itself well to measurement and optimization. So how can you tap into the power of email and use it as an tool to increase revenue from your online store?

This is a complex question, and the ideal strategy will vary from one business to the next. But it’s fair to say that every online store owner, regardless of all other factors, can get started with email marketing by sending these 5 types of campaigns.

1. Discounts and promotions

A classic, and absolutely essential for any online store. Few things are more effective at convincing a consumer to visit your website and make a purchase than a sale or other money-saving promotion.

There are a number of ways to approach these types of email campaigns. You may want to have a standard discount like:

• 15% off a subscriber’s first order
• Free shipping above a certain threshold like $100

The above discounts tend to work well as offers sent to new subscribers who aren’t very familiar with your business and may need an extra incentive to make a purchase.

Another great tactic, that works well during both slow and busy times of year, is to offer store-wide sales or discounts tied to an entire category of products. These bigger promotional offers can then be emailed out to your subscribers to get them back to your site to make a purchase.

Whatever you choose, you need to make sure consumers aren’t conditioned to always wait for discounts from email campaigns and never shop at your online store at any other time.

2. Cart abandonment notices

We just covered how to write better abandonded cart emails in a recent blog, so we won’t get into it too much here, but abandoned carts are a problem that every online store must grapple with. If your Email Service Provider (ESP) integrates with your online store, then setting up automated campaigns targeting these shoppers is an easy, effective way to secure revenue that would otherwise be lost.

Make sure that you make these emails engaging and straightforward, and consider including a discount or other incentive to convince the consumer to complete the sale. 

3. Reengagement efforts

Somewhat similarly, every business needs to address the issue of lost customers and unengaged email subscribers. It’s inevitable that some customers, even recurring ones, will drift away, and it is absolutely worthwhile to attempt to reengage with these clients via email campaigns.

As FulcrumTech pointed out, these reengagement campaigns can also help keep a business’s email list clean, removing those individuals who have been inactive for a long time and show no signs of returning. This will improve your open and conversion rates, and will allow you to develop more relevant email campaigns targeted toward your most valuable subscribers and customers: those that are most likely to make a purchase.

4. Birthday and holiday messages

In all likelihood, you’ve had more than a few companies reach out to wish you a happy birthday, and you’ve certainly received your fair share of holiday greetings/holiday promotions from retailers. There’s a good reason for this – such campaigns work. Birthday wishes are particularly effective at demonstrating the company’s focus on its customers, and come at a time when the consumer is not necessarily inundated with offers.

Holiday-specific messages are more common, but considering how important the holiday season is for many retailers, you shouldn’t hesitate to jump on this bandwagon. Just make sure that your holiday email campaigns are interesting and unique enough to stand out from the crowd of similar holiday campaigns.

5. Review and social requests

Social media, review aggregators and onsite reviews have become essential components of the online marketing space as it relates to Ecommerce. Online businesses can and should use email campaigns to encourage their customers to leave positive reviews and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on.

Unfortunately, people are far more likely to use social media and review sites when they have a negative experience, so businesses should do everything they can to generate positive feedback and conversations on these channels. Be sure to always include an incentive, such as a discount or chance to win a prize, to increase the chances that your customers will follow through on your request.