In a perfect world, visitors turn into paying customers the first time they land on your website. But the reality is much trickier than that.
Consumers love to take their time and get to know a brand before placing their orders. Because they can’t hold products when shopping online, it takes a while for them to warm up and take the leap.
Studies show that 97% of first-time visitors leave your website without buying anything.
Let’s put this in the context of Black Friday, for example. As much as we want to churn out sales, some consumers just aren’t ready, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The fact that they’ve been to your website and have seen what you have to offer is a step in the right direction.
But you need to work to bring them back—as in email retargeting.
What is email retargeting?
Email marketing is one of the best ways to nurture customer relationships and expand your customer base. In email retargeting, you re-engage leads and clients who have not taken action or have been idle for some time.
A lot of people confuse retargeting for remarketing. Remarketing is when you reintroduce an existing product after analyzing how it has appealed to consumers.
It’s sort of like a product relaunch. You improve the item or service after realizing it’s not attracting customers or that it fills a different need from what you’ve originally had in mind.
In contrast, retargeting is a gentle nudge. You contact consumers who have already shown interest in your product but didn’t push through the transaction.
The item stays the same, you’re just sending a reminder to users in the hopes that their hearts are finally set to seal the deal.
When to use email retargeting?
Email retargeting can be done year-round and is a powerful adjunct to your usual email marketing campaigns.
There are, however, certain situations when email retargeting makes a bigger impact. When you notice a spike in abandoned shopping carts, email retargeting helps recover lost revenue.
It’s also effective in encouraging repeat buyers and personalizing promotions for your email subscribers.
How does email retargeting work?
Email retargeting has a lot to do with understanding consumer behavior. Which of your links or buttons get the most clicks? At what point do people usually bounce off of your website? Which ad led them to your digital store?
The beauty of it is that there’s been initial contact, which means it’s only a matter of pushing the right buttons. You already know what your users are interested in and you can use that to your advantage to craft highly personalized messages.
The most common way to track key web activities is to enable website cookies. Marketers also use tracking pixels to monitor what users do upon opening an email message.
With good copy, stunning graphics, and perfect timing, you’ll push consumers further along the sales funnel and secure conversions.
Email retargeting tips and best practices
While there’s already some groundwork laid out, you need a detailed strategy for a successful retargeting campaign. Some of our tips include:
Track web activity
There is an abundance of tools out there to help you monitor and make sense of consumer behavior. But if you don’t know what you should be looking at, then they’re all worthless.
On top of the list is identifying which of your web pages users looked at the most and how visitors move through your website. You’d also want to check what kind of emails have the highest and lowest engagement rates.
If you’re retargeting past customers, look back to their past purchases, how much they spent, and how frequently they order from your store.
Segment your subscribers
Email segmentation is non-negotiable. Consumers have different needs. Even if two people fit the profile of one buyer persona, they may be on different stages of the sales funnel or have varying interests. What’s important for one customer won’t exactly apply to another.
Creating highly targeted lists ensures that you reach out to consumers with content that is most relevant to them. The more specific you can get, the better.
Personalize your emails
When you’ve done your research and grouped your consumers, don’t let your work go to waste. Work with your data and personalize your emails.
This goes beyond addressing consumers by their nicknames. Notify them on blogs or new items that are aligned with their interests, target their soft spots, and create meaningful online experiences.
Optimize graphics
Emails with pure text don’t leave much of an impression on your readers. In fact, lengthy blocks of text seem daunting and give off an unapproachable vibe.
Images and illustrations aren’t just for aesthetics. When you present information using graphics, it’s easily understood and consumers respond better and far more quickly.
Time your emails well
One of the many conveniences of the internet is that it makes information very accessible. But at the same time, it bombards us with so much stimuli that it’s easy to forget what we’ve seen on one website as we jump to the next.
That is why you need to act fast when re-engaging first-time visitors and those who have left stuff in their cart. BI Intelligence reports that abandoned cart emails sent within three hours after the user exited have a 40% open rate and a 20% click-through rate.
Timing makes all the difference and determines whether or not you’d be able to convert leads and keep your consumers.
Give your consumers space
Although it’s urgent to send reminders and make an effort to minimize customer attrition, you need to be mindful of how frequently you contact your email subscribers.
Waking up to an inbox full of your messages and ads can make consumers feel suffocated or that they’re being stalked.
Use automation tools
To help you get the timing right, take advantage of email marketing automation tools. Most tools allow you to integrate your email blasts to your website so that certain actions trigger sending messages.
You can set your tool to contact users on their birthday, during the holidays, and other special events. Tools for customer segmentation are usually included on the dashboard.
Strengthen Your Email Marketing Campaign with DevWerkz
Improve your conversion and customer retention rates when you hire the best email marketing partner. We customize templates and employ best practices to make sure your message resonates with your audience. Contact DevWerkz today.