Top Email Marketing Tools for eCommerce
Image courtesy of MailChimp.
From announcing your store’s new products to offering a special promotion to simply staying in touch with customers, there’s no substitute for email marketing. Studies consistently show that email is one of the most effective tools for online retailers, delivering a very positive return on investment (ROI).
Email marketing tools allow you reach out to customers automatically after a purchase, when a shopping cart is abandoned, or even when a certain time period has passed without shopping activity. These kinds of follow-up and reminder messages can generate more sales almost automatically – and that’s just the start!
To maximize the power of this proven tool, many retailers engage service providers who can design, implement and monitor the many facets of email marketing. They also turn to specialized sites to help track the results of their campaign or integrate email with their social marketing initiatives. Here is a look at some of the most widely used email marketing tools:
As a multi-purpose marketing tool, Constant Contact offers a host of features, such as customizable email templates, personalized messages, and auto responders based on customers’ actions. It’s easy to upload an email list and schedule messages, and the service will take care of unsubscribes, bounces and inactive addresses as well.
DotMailer. A versatile email tool, DotMailer handles a wide range of email marketing tasks, from designing newsletters to list management, creating personalized messages and handling multiple channels and applications. It also integrates well with your eCommerce platform.
MailChimp. With hundreds of eCommerce integrations, MailChimp can help you create targeted campaigns, make adjustments and track the results. Its automated features are designed to reach prospects and past customers at the best time to trigger responses.
Google Analytics. If you want to understand the results of your email marketing, Google Analytics is a powerful, free tool for online retailers. For example, you can track sales that resulted from your email marketing, as well as other channels. You can also learn about customer purchase patterns, helping you create more effective email messages.
SurveyMonkey. This online tool helps you learn more about your customers, including how well they are satisfied with your services. With SurveyMonkey, you can also determine what topics and trends are most important to your customers, helping you determine the best content to include in your email messaging.
HootSuite. While HootSuite is designed to be a social media tool, it can be very effective in amplifying your email messaging. If you’re running a special promotion or introducing a new product, HootSuite allows you to take that email content and post it to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and your other social media sites.
Canva. If you want to include engaging content in your email marketing, Canva has ready-to-use graphic templates, infographics and more to capture prospects’ attention. You can personalize your messaging, even without an in-house design team.
Emma. A robust creative tool, Emma offers templates that can be designed for your store’s commerce strategy. It’s a way to accelerate the content development process to help you get emails out more quickly with an engaging appearance.
These are among the leading tools to help you build an effective email marketing program. Whether you are looking for a convenient “all-in-one” platform or assistance with a specific function, there are plenty of solutions available to help you boost your store’s sales and profitability.
