Shopify has its own built-in Email Marketing within its Admin area, with additional options in the Shopify App Store such as Klaviyo, MailChimp, Smart Mail, Send in Blue, and others. The tools provided by Shopify such as pre-built templates, tracking, and managing campaigns are all part of the Shopify Platform, this native feature gives one more reason why Shopify is a one-stop shop for merchants.
Digital Marketing Strategy
To reach out to audiences, your digital marketing strategy must be made of all the various mediums your audience spends time in. Social Media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like are all different ways to reach them. Anywhere between groups, posts, articles are all viable content to be used. When doing the marketing segmentation of your audience, patterns will emerge on what medium the audience spends more time in - however, given one medium that has been there for a long time has been "Email" and with Email addresses, you can reach clients.
Why is Email Marketing still relevant?
Given that your Email Address is still a key component of your credentials for access to any account, recovery of accounts is a core component of an individuals' identity online. The user experience is well understood when it comes to using your Email as a login credential. This basic fact puts anyone on the net on the same footing to be using Email to secure, communicate, and manage your various accounts. With this in mind, it does mean that everyone will be using Email to check on notifications, alerts, and various group distributions you might have subscribed to - including a store's online marketing. This is why Email Marketing is still at the forefront of a digital campaign.
Market Segmentation Strategies
Content marketing will differ from one market segment to another, same when it comes to the lead product being highlighted, or the service being offered. A lot of emphasis is made between B2C and B2B where the purchase behavior is different, same with the product features and needs. Even the sales funnels are different for those segments. So when it comes to Email marketing, understanding your audience and aligning the products/services is important, and having landing pages for each segment with language and relevant information aligned. The same will go for geographic segmentation - a product for Japan will be different in the USA in some cases, and will therefore have these differences. While social media marketing will follow the same approach, the engagement is different given the platform's tools, therefore adaptation to each platform must be considered. With Email Marketing, taking the client from Email to a landing page is by default the goal, customer engagements on the platform might divert to chat, comments, or re-tweet/share as a call to action to the audience which Email is a lot more basic.
Lead Generation
Subscribing to an online store usually takes the form of dropping your email address into an entry box, sometimes you get a bonus discount for doing so. The sales team collects your email addresses to do product introduction awareness, seasonal sales events, and are treated as qualified leads. Lead generation strategies now are part of the digital marketing strategy and effort when advertising, and pushing your social media marketing to gain these leads.
Campaigns and Brand
When you send emails to your audience, the ones who like to stay in touch with you will enjoy a 3-4minute read of your news. This is short and sweet to keep your audience updated on your activity, and as your brand grows, it becomes increasingly important to keep them front and center to your product introductions, product promotions, and clearances. Email templates are available for various purposes, from blogs to announcements - keeping your campaigns fresh and allowing your quality leads to hearing your voice is part of building the brand.
International Email Campaigns
When you do your demographic segmentation, it is natural to split things into regions that are linguistically relevant - countries align well to language, even though English is a good substitute in some places around the world where English was introduced to trade and be a second language. Customer segments are a bit harder to reach since finding the places where they gather and obtain email addresses for these segments is tougher to collect. However, when your online store collects subscribing clients and it is in that region, you are achieving both customer segments and regional demographic segmentation. Within Shopify Email marketing, customizing your templates is part of the exercise of adapting to your customers, and demographics. All the tools are at your fingertips.
Conclusion
Email Marketing is an integral part of your Digital Marketing Strategy and requires continuous attention on reaching your audience. It is a slow build-up, and slowly influences and gains momentum. Being front and center of your audience is difficult - the content has to be fresh, engaging, and provide benefit to your customers, to which your creativity in content, articulation of your message, and engagement funnels are a key part of your methods in driving additional business. If you need a hand in setting up your Shopify Email Marketing templates, or need a hand when it comes to content, we have SEO experts that can assist you. Feel free to reach out to us at wish@thegenielab.com
Related articles
Shopify Email Marketing features: https://www.thegenielab.co.uk/blogs/articles/shopify-email-marketing
Digital Marketing with Shopify: https://www.thegenielab.co.uk/blogs/articles/digital-marketing-for-your-shopify-store