– Email is a targeted broadcast channel, not a retention channel.
– Setting up flows, segmenting lists, and offering big sales can generate revenue.
– Collecting data during signup is important, but many companies are late in implementing this strategy.Engage with customers by personalizing emails and providing valuable content, rather than just promoting products.An e-commerce email expert is basically giving someone a bunch of names and saying, “don’t mess it up too bad.” Email isn’t a retention channel; it’s a targeted broadcast channel. If revenue was a badge of honor for sending email, I’d be fully decorated, pumping millions out of our list for years. Set up some flows, segment your list, do some big sales, and you’ll make money. The intent is already there. People don’t care about copy or visuals, just enough to let them know what’s available. Make sure the CTA is in there. The larger the discount, the more revenue. If you want to use it for more data collection, good on you! You’re going to land at about 10% data collection. If you brag about it, I’m going to tell you how you’re late and that you missed out on 90% of data collection by not getting it during signup. I’m also going to tell you that although you think you might be collecting valuable data, I’ve seen most surveys that are sent out, and they are largely crap because people really don’t know how to ask relevant questions that can be used in an actionable way. That lifetime open rate of around 50% is cool, bro. That annual churn rate of around 25% is cool, bro. Is email necessary and useful? Yup, 100%. Should you use the initial signup to collect data that can build trends that can be used beyond the channel with a 50% drop-off rate? Yes. But odds are you’re all too late. Two years ago, I talked to 15 email agencies, and they all said they were guessing on the welcome series. None of them could tell me the goal of each individual email, the tone of the email, or the questions a customer had that they were answering in that email. Nothing has changed in two years, I guarantee you. “Welcome to the family” sound familiar? Yeah, we’re there. At best, they are taking some quiz answers and throwing them into an email to personalize an experience – I can see the total automation wheels turning. Quizzes, though, are pre-intent, meaning the answers are more about figuring things out and going through it a few times to get a better understanding of what might be right for someone. Relying on that data isn’t the best. Let’s go a step further, though. this is just another example of talking at your customer rather than engaging with them. I brought up a brand where I loved their product page, it’s amazing. So amazing I bought their product out of respect. It’s a great product, but every email they sent me wasn’t about me. It was about them.
1. Ask for a phone number
2. Ask for a review
3. Email to buy a shirt
4. Email to buy pants
5. Email to buy more of the same product (I bought 2)
The product was workout shorts. All they needed to do was to team up with one of the personal trainers that they already have featured on their website and put together three 15 min workouts to share to break the shorts in. Do better. Seriously. #marketing #ecommerce #strategyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jivanco