I’m an easily distracted and indecisive shopper. I often put products in my online shopping cart but abandon them when I get a work call or the doorbell rings. At other times, I spend days comparing brands or debating if I really need another candle. (The answer is always yes.) And I rarely remember to check back if a product is out of stock.
My shopping experiences aren’t unique. According to a 2022 SaleCycle report, 79.5% of customers abandon online shopping carts. Additionally, 43.8% of customers view product pages without buying anything. Over time, this results in a significant loss of revenue.
Email remarketing helps business-to-business (B2B) companies re-engage customers and motivate them to complete actions. This technique involves tracking clients’ behavior and sending them targeted emails. Email remarketing might sound complicated, but it’s easy to get started.
This guide covers everything you need to know about email remarketing. We’ll discuss the benefits of email remarketing, best practices, and marketing automation strategies.
What is email remarketing?
Marketing professionals often use the terms “email remarketing” and “email retargeting” interchangeably. But there are a few small differences between these concepts.
Email remarketing uses email to re-engage existing customers. Marketers use cookies and other tools to track user behavior. This data allows them to send personalized messages based on client interactions.
What does email remarketing look like in action? Let’s say a client subscribes to your payment processing software. You can send them a post-purchase email encouraging them to try an invoicing package.
Some people use retargeting as a synonym for remarketing. Others use this term to refer to advertisements that re-engage website visitors. Companies can pay for Google email remarketing ads and other types of online advertising.
B2B email remarketing moves customers through the sales funnel. You can send remarketing emails at any stage of the buyer journey. For example, abandoned cart emails can lure back clients at the beginning of the funnel. Meanwhile, cross-selling and upselling emails re-engage customers who have already bought products.
Benefits of email remarketing
There are many benefits of email marketing and remarketing alike. Here are five reasons to add remarketing to your email marketing toolbox.
Increased customer loyalty
Customers have many brands competing for their attention. Email remarketing lets you stand out from the crowd and respond to your clients’ needs. It also enables you to reward customers with exclusive offers.
Start by crafting personalized emails based on your customers’ behavior. Did a client buy a new manufacturing tool? Send them an email with product tips and recommendations for accessories. Did a customer spend 20 minutes browsing software packages on your website? Inspire them to come back with a 10% off coupon.
These types of messages build customer loyalty and trust. Your clients will appreciate that you recognize their individuality. They’ll also feel like you value their business.
Re-engaging your customers
It’s normal to have inactive subscribers on your mailing list. Maybe a client has stopped opening your emails or hasn’t bought anything in a while. An email remarketing campaign can help you win them back.
Analyze the past behavior of inactive users to find ways to spark their interest again. Say a customer once bought a subscription to your delivery service but didn’t renew it. Send them a renewal reminder or coupon. This simple strategy can revive your mailing list.
Improve click-through rates
You spend hours perfecting your subject lines and calls-to-action (CTAs), but clients don’t click your links. Boost your click-through rates by sending reminders to customers who opened your emails. This strategy can help you re-engage clients who show interest but don’t click the first time.
Drive more sales with targeted campaigns
You can increase sales by sending clients targeted messages. Start by emailing product recommendations based on previous purchases. For example, clients who buy cameras may want accessories.
It’s also a good idea to send customers information about newer models of products they’ve bought. These emails could encourage them to upgrade.
Reduce shopping cart abandonment
Email marketing retargeting is one of the best ways to get shoppers to return to abandoned shopping carts. Marketing automation tools make it easy to send cart abandonment emails. This software gets triggered when a customer abandons their shopping cart. It automatically sends follow-up emails to encourage them to finish their purchase.
Email remarketing best practices
Follow these email marketing best practices to create effective remarketing campaigns.
Develop a remarketing strategy
Focus and optimize your efforts by creating an email retargeting strategy. Start by setting specific and measurable goals, such as:
- Build brand awareness
- Reduce abandoned shopping carts
- Re-engage inactive users
- Collect customer feedback
- Get more clients to join your loyalty program
Next, plan out actions you can take to reach these goals. If you want to build brand awareness, you could send targeted educational emails. To gather feedback, email post-purchase surveys to customers.
Create actionable and engaging content
No one wants to get spammy or dull emails. Avoid this problem by researching your customers’ interests and tailoring your content accordingly. For example, people who buy electronics may want to learn about advanced technical features. Meanwhile, business leaders might be eager to discover the latest trends in their industry.
You can also increase engagement by adding interactive elements. Create a quiz to help customers find the perfect product or poll them on their favorite features. These elements can make emails more dynamic and fun.
Segment your audience for personalized messages
With email segmentation, you sort clients into groups based on shared characteristics. This method allows you to send targeted emails to specific audiences. It’s often more effective than blasting bulk messages to your whole mailing list.
There are many ways to segment your mailing list. You could divide customers by:
- Demographics: Age, gender, education
- Geographic location: City, state, and country
- Behavior: Purchasing habits, engagement level, frequency of visits
- Psychographics: Hobbies and interests
- Communication preferences: Email, SMS, social media
- Lifestage: New subscribers, loyal customers, inactive users
Research each segment’s pain points and preferences to create personalized emails. Let’s say your business sells educational courses, and you segment customers based on their industries. You can email recommendations for marketing courses to ecommerce and finance professionals.
Use eye-catching designs and engaging subject lines
Hook readers right away with snappy subject lines. These headings should intrigue your audience and make them curious to read more. The best subject lines often tell a joke, give a command, or ask a question.
Once your audience opens your emails, grab their attention with captivating designs. Use colors and fonts that reflect your brand. You can also add illustrations and photos to appeal to readers emotionally. Finally, use visual elements like arrows or colored boxes to highlight call-to-action buttons.
Conduct A/B testing for optimized campaigns
When conducting A/B testing, you create several versions of an email and send them to different groups. You might send a funny subject line to Group A and a serious one to Group B. Next, you’ll collect data to find out which email performs best.
Follow privacy regulations
Some countries and states have passed laws that restrict email marketing. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act requires companies to let customers opt out of sharing data. Research relevant privacy laws to make sure your remarketing campaigns comply.
Examples of successful email remarketing campaigns
Companies in all industries have embraced email remarketing. Here are two successful case studies for inspiration.
ParkMobile
The parking company ParkMobile sent customers a reminder email about a thank-you gift. By encouraging the reader to claim their gift, ParkMobile invites leads and existing customers to try out their offerings.
Semrush
To get leads on board, Semrush sent an invitation for a free trial of their marketing software. This email retargets prospective customers who haven’t purchased subscriptions yet.
How to implement email remarketing
Follow these simple steps to incorporate remarketing into your email marketing strategy.
Build an email (and SMS) subscriber list
You can only remarket to customers who belong to your mailing list. Add sign-up forms to your website and invite your social media followers to join. You can also offer incentives for joining, such as coupons or exclusive content.
Gather customer information
There are many ways to collect customer data for remarketing. Cookies and tracking pixels let you watch how users interact with your website. You can also track purchase histories, email interactions, and social media engagement.
Segment your audience
Use client data to create audience segments. Your goals can help you determine how to group customers. If you want to upsell clients, group them by purchase history. Segment your audience by geographic location if you want to promote local events.
Set up email remarketing campaigns
Choose an email platform that lets you create email remarketing campaigns. Constant Contact is one of the best options. This platform allows you to automatically send emails to customers based on triggers. For example, the service will send automated retargeting messages to customers who abandon shopping carts encouraging them to complete their purchase.
Design remarketing emails
The most engaging remarketing emails have clear and personalized CTAs. You should also use responsive templates that display remarketing emails for mobile users. Finally, create sequences of remarketing emails to guide clients through the sales funnel.
Strategies for different retargeting scenarios
Here are a few popular uses for remarketing emails:
- Renewal reminders: Send clients friendly reminders to renew their subscriptions.
- Cart abandonment emails: Encourage customers to buy products they’ve left in their online shopping cart.
- Replenishment updates: Let customers know when you restock products they want.
- Re-engagement messages: Motivate inactive users to re-engage with exclusive offers or recommendations.
- Product recommendations: Offer related products to active subscribers.
Advanced remarketing techniques
Take your remarketing to the next level with these advanced techniques.
Add dynamic content
Platforms like Constant Contact let you add dynamic content blocks. This content automatically changes based on customer data and interactions. You can add dynamic product recommendations, subject lines, and other personalized elements.
Retarget emails during holidays and sales events
Use email retargeting to engage customers during special events. Start by segmenting customers based on their behavior or demographics. Next, send targeted emails promoting your products.
Leverage integrations for data-driven remarketing
Integrate your email platform with other software to gain insights about your audience. Study your customers’ browsing behavior by using email and web analytics tools. You can also integrate social media platforms and customer relationship management software.
Tools and software for email remarketing
There are many email remarketing resources. Email tracking software like Constant Contact lets you watch how your campaigns perform. You can track click-through rates, engagement metrics, mobile open rates, and more. This data can help you improve your email remarketing strategy.
Spellcheck and grammar tools can help you avoid embarrassing errors. Grammarly and LanguageTool are two popular resources.
Measuring the success of email remarketing
Key performance indicators (KPIs) let you analyze how your remarketing emails perform. Here are a few useful KPIs:
- Bounce rate: The number of emails that don’t get delivered to subscriber inboxes
- Click-through rate: The number of people who click your CTA
- Conversion rate: The number of users who complete an action
- Engagement lift: The increase in the number of active users
- Website visits: The number of people who interact with your website
Display campaign analytics in interactive dashboards to make them easier to understand. Dashboard tools like TapClicks integrate with email platforms to help you analyze data. You can use this information to improve your remarketing strategies.
Engage your audience in new ways with email remarketing
With the right email remarketing strategy, B2B companies can deliver personalized content at the right time. Email remarketing can boost engagement, increase revenue, and strengthen brand-customer relationships.
Get started with email remarketing by setting clear goals and segmenting your audience. Next, use email software to build automated workflows. Start small with one or two remarketing messages, such as cart abandonment emails and renewal reminders. Once you get the hang of this method, you can develop full-fledged email remarketing campaigns.
