Do you want an eCommerce funnel that converts?
Some people think email marketing is dead, but I’m still a fan. Bottom line is, it works.
The concept of an eCommerce sales funnel is this:
Growing your email list and sending them a sequence of sales emails designed to convert the subscriber into a customer.
When you build an email list (and add in a top notch email funnel!), you will convert more customers. Guaranteed!
Time and time again, I see my eCommerce clients enjoy their highest sales returns from ANY traffic source, from email!
So how can you grow your email list quickly and convert more customers?
Explode your sales – on autopilot
Done well, email marketing (in particular email AUTOMATION), works like dynamite.
A business can go from a trickle of sales to a full-on constant tsunami when they put solid automated email funnel in place.
Just think about it. You’d love to have sales pouring in consistently, on autopilot, without you having to constantly chase them all the time, right?
Ka ching!
The whole purpose of an email funnel is to help your potential customers to make a purchase decision – on autopilot.
Because as much as you want them to be, many people who are hitting your website aren’t ready to part with their money just yet.
They’re curious, they want more information and they may sign up to your emails to learn more about your brand and keep in touch. This is great!
But they also may simply click away and go looking at the website of your competitor. No new name on your email list. No brilliant opportunity to sell directly to them.
Get ahead of 90% of eCommerce businesses out there
Recently I made it my mission to pull together some examples of great email funnels being used by ecommerce businesses, but I came up empty-handed. I’m sorry. I did let you down on that one.
But what I didn’t anticipate was how difficult it would be to find examples great eCommerce funnels. I really did think that most businesses were already doing pretty slick email marketing – and doing it well – but surprisingly, that isn’t the case.
Here’s the lesson I learned from that exercise. If you do put your effort into creating a kick-ass marketing automation strategy for your business, you are going to be miles ahead of 90% of the businesses out there!
Even the big guys weren’t into it. It still boggles my brain as to why not. But I’m not here to fix their biz, I’m here to help with yours.
And here’s the help I actually went out to give you in the first place.
A walk-through some eCommerce-specific automated email sequences (aka ‘sales funnels’) that have some really good things going for them.
Two ingredients in a high-converting eCommerce funnel
#1: The carrot
If you offer a great reason for people to sign up to your email list, you’re going to get a whole lot of new sign-ups all the time.
Simply popping a sign up form at the bottom of your website isn’t going to guarantee a whole lot of sign ups. You’ll get a few here and there, but if you really want to attract people like bees to a honeypot, you need to give them something of value.
To get people flocking onto your email list, you gotta dangle a carrot. Call it an ethical bribe or a lead magnet. (I like to call it a welcome gift!)
Is the first thing you thought of to give a discount? This is a common opt-in offer in the eCommerce world. Providing a discount on your product when someone signs up to your email list. Doesn’t everyone love a good deal? Sure!
But most often a discount only works when someone is ready to buy your product. The rest of the visitors to your website need some education and nurturing before they are ready to buy.
Here’s 5 examples of eCommerce lead magnets that AREN’T discounts
Here’s some ideas for those of you who want to entice people onto your email list with something other than a discount.
1. Use a quiz to provide personalized recommendations
Oz Inflatable Kayaks and Circle of Life Botannicals both use a quiz as their lead magnet. The quiz is a brilliant strategy because it provides great value to your email subscriber, in the form of personalized recommendations.
The quiz strategy is also highly valuable for the eCommerce store owner. Once your email subscriber receives their personalized recommendation, it makes it much easier for them to buy from you!
2. The downloadable/printable
Play Mackay toyshop has a really cool free gift for their email subscribers. A beautifully designed printable ‘play scene’ that children can colour in and then cut out and assemble into their own mini toy shop!
3. The cheat sheet
Happy Tummies has run a particularly successful lead magnet – a ‘kitchen hacks’ cheat sheet. This works really well for their customers, who are time-poor. (At the time of writing, they’re running a different Christmas-related opt-in.)
4. The expert guide
The whole ‘eGuide’ concept has kinda been done to death, but it still works really well in some situations.
For example, Zestio offers a recipe book, T-Leaf Collections gives away tips from a professional photographer, and Snotty Noses gives away a free sleep guide.
5. The contest or giveaway
With this option you also need to be a bit careful, because some people (freeple!) will sign up to any competition because they just love free stuff.
But, competitions or giveaways can still work well as an email list-building offer. You just need to make sure you NAIL the automated email sequence that follows so you get them buying as well!
#2: The automated email sequence
Once you’ve enticed people to subscribe to your email list, then they enter your sales funnel.
This is where you can automate the process of educating your new subscribers, moving them through their buyer journey and helping them to reach purchase decision.
This strategy gives them a big reason to shop with you rather than your competitor!
I’ve written before about how to write emails for your sales funnel, so I won’t repeat myself here.
My free guide and template will help you to implement this strategy in your own business.
Create your own eCommerce sales funnel
So now cast your mind over your own email marketing. Do you already have an opt-in offer and a nurturing email sequence? And do they adequately address the needs of those who click over to your website?
If yes, you’re in email marketing nirvana!
If not, spend some time getting to know your potential customers and what makes them tick. Once you know what they want, you can give it to them and watch those sales pour on in!
What do you think?
Comment below to let me know. I’d also love you to link me to your own opt-in offers or tell me about any brilliant examples of eCommerce sales funnels that you’ve come across!