So, you got the visitors to subscribe and your email list is growing as well. Superb! But, how do you manage to retain those subscribers? Not every shopper signs up after getting convinced about the value of the brand. Many subscribe before purchasing so that they can learn more about the value a brand has to offer.
That’s where newsletter campaigns come in. A well-researched and created newsletter should be one that adds value with every edition or email. It should be something that educates and entertains the shopper and converts them.
Newsletters are also a good way to nurture online shoppers who have shown some amount of trust in your brand by sharing their email address, until they make their first purchase, and then nudge them towards becoming a repeat buyer.
But when every brand out there is creating and sending newsletters, how do you make yours more engaging?
To send a more engaging newsletter, you need 2 things:
- The right Shopify email marketing strategy
- And a perfect Shopify email marketing app
With these two set in place, you can create ever engaging newsletters and improve your brand image.
That’s what we are going to tell you in this article: More ideas to create email newsletters. But first, let’s take a look at what email newsletters are.
What are Ecommerce Email Newsletters?
An eCommerce email newsletter is a periodic digest of all the brand affairs that you convey to the subscriber in the most engaging manner. A newsletter can have updates with respect to your brand and products, upcoming offers and activities, tutorials, deals and discounts, and much more.
It is a short boost of information that makes the subscriber or shopper learn something new and interesting about the brand and its products.
The best thing about creating a newsletter is that there is no limit to what you can put in there. The only thing constant is your brand language and design. From sections to information, you can go all out and keep renovating and innovating it, depending on your target audience.
So, how do you create an engaging newsletter?
How to Create an Engaging Shopify Newsletter?
Keeping all that we have told you until now, let’s now figure out how to create the best email Shopify newsletter for your brand.
#1 Understand your subscribers
The first step towards creating an engaging eCommerce email newsletter is understanding your subscribers.
You can do that by creating buyer personas and further segmenting them to create dedicated email lists. You can do that by keeping a track of your visitors’ browsing habits, demographics, motivation to buy, etc before subscribing to your newsletter.
This will help you customize the content and create a direct connection with the reader. It will also help you send relevant content in the newsletter that actually adds some value and is not just a combination of attractive words and images.
#2 Build a well-segmented subscriber list
It is important to study your target audience. Know their browsing habits, demographics, etc and segment them. This will help you create customized emails, even if the newsletter content remains the same.
A good practice is to set up different email capture popups and CTAs on your Shopify store based on the content and products presented on the pages. This lets you easily segment buyers based on the products they’re interested in.
#3 Decide the type of content you can create
Next, once you know your target audience, decide what type of content you want to create and share with them. Put yourself in the shoes of the reader whom you wish to convert.
People love testimonials, how-to guides, celebrity pop-ups, etc. If your brand can utilize glamor, do so. Create a stock of facts to create a knowledge bank that you can use for your newsletters.
Remember, you have to create interesting content that captures the subscriber’s attention, nudges them to know more and visit your store. Also make sure that you’re not repeating yourself too often.
Whatever content you create, it should be relevant, should entertain and educate the subscribers, and should add value in some way or the other.
#4 Create an attractive design
Creating an attractive design that holds the interest of the reader. Use GIFs, colorful elements etc that are in sync with your brand but at the same time calls out to the shopper.
You can explore using some ready-to-use newsletter templates as well for your content, with apps like BayEngage. This email marketing platform for Shopify will help you save a lot of time as compared to creating a design from scratch!
#5 Set a flow to your email/newsletter content
You have decided the content and also who should read it. But the coherence of the content is equally important. Even the best content can fall flat if not readable.
Hook your readers with a catchy start and go on to engage them with vibrant images, videos, etc. Make sure that by the time they reach the call-to-action, they are ready to take an action, i.e. make a purchase or even visit your store.
Newsletters can be long, but they need to be well-segmented into sections that give subscribers a journey to walk through. Learn more about Shopify email automation
#6 Make use of social proof
In today’s time, if you are not leveraging social proof, you are losing out many potential customers. Keep a track of social media mentions, whether by a regular customer or by an influencer or celebrity.
As per a Nielsen study, 92% people trust non-paid reviews and recommendations over paid advertising. Social media is one space where they are bound to get such testimonials. Create relevant sections in your newsletter, where you can insert such social proofs.
#7 Utilize trending topics
Take advantage of the current trend or season. See how you can weave a story around it. This will increase the relevance of the newsletter content. It will also help strike a conversation around the brand on social media, which would further increase its visibility. Create themes and make sure your content and design revolve around it as well.
Take a look at this email newsletter. It’s simple. The brand recognizes the market trends and goes on to list the products that sit well with those trends. It tops it off with its latest blogs. A simple and effective method for returning visitors to the site and completing their purchase. As a result, your abandoned cart rate will improve. Learn more about Shopify abandoned cart email.
#8 Have a clear CTA
Do not create ambiguous CTAs. It is important that it is clear, both in terms of language and design. It should also be placed strategically and not necessarily at the end. It should be in the line of sight of the reader yet not imposing on them.
But more importantly, your CTA should tell the subscriber what to do next if they really like the content in your email newsletter. If you want them to create a wishlist for an upcoming sale, do so and don’t beat about the bush!
#9 Use social media to create curiosity
Social media is the best tool to give your readers a teaser of what’s to come. While it is important to create a newsletter that is catchy and interesting from start to end, it is also essential to promote it well.
Make sure you only tease but never reveal the newsletter on social media. This will make your followers curious about what you’re sharing with subscribers. Try using different platforms efficiently, to the best of their strengths.
For instance, you can utilize Instagram stories for a live teaser launch that will be announced in the next newsletter. At the same time, you can use Facebook and Twitter for promotions via GIFs and images to encourage more sign ups.
The idea is to generate curiosity in those who have already subscribed and follow you to go back to their inbox to find your Shopify email notification. At the same time, it is also to encourage others to subscribe for they could be missing out on interesting news from you!
#10 Be unique and consistent at the same time
. You need to be unique in terms of how you add value and you should be consistent in how you design your newsletter. Brand recall value is one of the most important things that drive revenue. The easier the way a subscriber (or later on, a customer) can recall your brand from your email newsletter, the better the chances of them thinking that your product is the ultimate solution for all their needs.
When you use a different design every time, you lose out on that. While the shopper may enjoy the content, it is not doing anything to convert them. The purpose of the newsletter is to convert the shopper into a customer and not just make them a reader.
Ensure consistency when it comes to brand design and layout, no matter how distinct the theme and content.
#11 Make sure your email/newsletter is responsive
Approximately 85% of people use their mobile phones to check their emails. Out of those 47% use some form of email application. That’s a huge number! Make use of it.
Ensure that your newsletter is not too loaded with graphics or it will not open on the mobile website or an application. Make sure it is optimized for different devices and is responsive. Not leveraging the mobile audience will make you lose a huge chunk of potential customers. Keep that in mind when choosing a template as well as writing your content.
#12 Measure and tweak your approach
It is not sufficient to just create and roll-out newsletters. You also need to customize your approach on the basis of the results. Compare relevant statistics such as open rates and clickthrough rates of various email newsletters to know what worked better than the rest.
Know what engaged the recipients of your email newsletter well enough to convert them into customers. Tap into what actually works rather than sticking to the same approach. It is not about getting the task done. It is about doing it in a manner that generates revenue.
#13 Stay consistent
Don’t be someone who emails today, disappears tomorrow, and reappears after two months. People today have an array of options. If you don’t engage them, they will move on to another brand and forget about yours.
The point of creating an engaging newsletter is to acquaint them with your brand and product, enough to help them make the purchase. Decide a frequency that works best for your email newsletter; weekly, fortnightly, monthly, and stick to it without spamming your subscribers.
Some good examples of engaging newsletters
Visuals speak like nothing else. So, here are some good examples of engaging email newsletters that we have come across.
Create engaging Shopify newsletters in a snap!
Thinking of creating Shopify newsletters but not sure where to start? We have a solution. You can prepare and send the best Shopify email newsletter campaigns.
With BayEngage, you can now get editable templates for various eCommerce industries — from beauty, pharmaceuticals, fashion and apparel, cosmetics, and more.
You can customize the templates as per your content and add the magic of your brand to it. So you don’t just get to create a great email copy, but also a well-designed newsletter that is visually appealing!
It’s easy and without any hassle.
And the best part? You get to create 2500 emails for over 250 recipients.
Sign up for BayEngage to create the most engaging Shopify newsletters that will have your shoppers converting in no time.
