This is where the magic happens. You can set up an automation sequence with your email marketing services, and when people subscribe to your list, they will receive a series of emails over a period of time. All without you pressing the send button.
This email automation sequence is also known as sales funnel.
The main goal of an email automation sequence is to convert shoppers to customers, and customers to repeated customers over a series of emails. We can do this by providing them with useful information and enjoyable content. Make sure it’s not overly sale-sy and spammy.
At the end, you should be able to build better trust and relationship with your shoppers and customers.
There are two main sequences we will look at: one for customers and one for shoppers. The content of these emails may not suit 100% and you can adjust to your products and shop when necessary.
Sequence 1 - Customers: To Build Better Long-Term Relationship
01 Welcome Email
As the first email, it’s important to NOT sell your customer anything.
The aim of this first email is to show your appreciation of their order, thank them for signing up, deliver your lead magnet promise and preview what you will send them in the following emails.
Here is an example:
Hi (name), thank you so much for your order and for signing up to this mailing list! I’m so happy to see you here!
Here is the (lead magnet) I promised, I hope you enjoy.
(Link to lead magnet)
Have a great day and I’ll talk to you again soon!
p.s. next time I’ll show you 5 best ways to take care of your (product) so that it can last for years.
02 Product Care/FAQ
A few days after the first email, you can send another email to your customers about some product care information. At this time, your customer is probably still waiting for the order to arrive, or has just received it.
No matter what you sell, there will be some information that you can send which will benefit your customers.
It can be a care guide for your clothing or jewelry, patterns for the knitting supplies, brewing guide for coffee, recipe for spices, styling guide for wall art, etc.
The point of sending the information to your customer is to:
- Improve customer satisfaction from the product
- Establish yourself as a trusted advisor or an expert
Both of them are crucial for building up a long-term relationship with your customers.
One thing to keep in mind when writing guides for your customers is that, they are most likely not as familiar with the topic as you do (remember, you are the expert!). Use plain words and phrases when explaining different concepts. It would be easier to understand if you have photos to get your points across.
If your guide is not too long, one email would be enough However, if the process is complex or if there are different topics you’d like to cover, you can break them into 2-3 emails.
03 Encourage Review And Feedback
This email should be sent a few days after the expected delivery time of the order. For example, if orders take an average of 7 days to arrive, then send this email during Day 8-10. So that the customers will have received and used the product.
In this email, you can ask whether they enjoy the product. If they do, encourage them for positive feedback. Nudge them a bit by saying that feedback is very important to small independent sellers like you.
And if they don’t like the product, let me know you are there to help; that you are happy to fix whatever problems they have with the product.
Also encourage them to upload a photo for the product for Etsy as they will be powerful UGC (user generated content) that entice other shoppers to buy.
Hi again! Hope you are doing amazing!
I hope you like your (product)! If you do, I would really appreciate your positive feedback as it’s super important to handmade Etsy sellers like me!
It would even be better if you can take a quick photo of it for the review!
But if you have any questions or problems, feel free to contact me as well! I’m more than happy to help :)
You can review the (product) on Etsy by following this link:
(link to Etsy Purchases and Orders page)
Thank you again for purchasing from (your shop name)!
04 Entice Them To Come Back
Time to send them an offer. According to this study, 68% of people say coupons generate loyalty, which means they are more likely to come back for other purchases.
If your lead magnet is already a coupon code, it’s ok to resend it to remind them to use it.
I generally prefer a percentage discount code because it doesn’t discourage bigger sized purchases. Think about a $10 cash coupon: No matter if it's a $50 or a $100 purchase, the discount is the same at $10. Customers may hold on to the extra item because of this. A percentage base coupon doesn’t have this issue.
Don’t make the discount complicated. Have as little restriction as possible. Don’t be like “Here’s your 10% discount that you can use on only these categories if you buy more than 3 items”.
Have it simple and easy to understand: “Enjoy this 10% discount coupon. For all items. Anytime.”
Sending a coupon like this can entice your customers to come back for later purchase. It doesn’t need to be a big discount. Many customers buying from Etsy know that a small seller usually can’t give big discounts like big chain stores.
Example:
Hey! Hope your day has been going amazing!
I really appreciate your support for my shop and small handmade business in general! Here is a VIP coupon to show my appreciation:
(Coupon code)
Get 10% off on any items in my shop. Simply apply it when you check out for the discount!
I hope to see you soon!
Sequence 2 - Convert Shoppers To Customers
01 Welcome Email
For the first email, the main thing is to welcome them to the list and deliver your lead magnet. There is no need to sell them anything yet as that can be come across quite sale-sy.
Hi (name), thank you so much for signing up to this mailing list! I’m so happy to see you here!
Here is the (lead magnet) I promised, I hope you enjoy.
(Link to lead magnet)
Have a great day and I’ll talk to you again soon!
02 Introduce Your Brand
A few days after the first email, you can introduce your brand more to the shopper.
The main purpose of this email is to let the shopper be more aware of your brand and products. Don’t push for a sale too hard or it could risk the shopper unsubscribe from your email list.
A few ideas that you can talk about:
- Your brand’s vision and value - What does your brand stand for? Read more in our Branding Course LINK
- Some interesting facts of how you make your craft
- What made you start this shop?
03 Benefits Of Products
Instead of hard-selling your products, treat this email more of an informational, educational one.
You can talk about one or more of these things:
- The unique benefit of your product - How does it improve lives of people who use it? Or how does it solve a particular problem?
- The different uses of the product - If your product is versatile and can be used in many ways/situation, then highlight it. E.g. 10 ways to wear this summer dress.
- Creation process - If your craft takes a special skill, then mentioning it can increase the perceived value of your product in the shopper’s mind.
- Material - Similarly, if the material you use is of higher quality than other sellers or big retail stores, then you should mention it.
At the bottom of the email, you can put a few of your bestsellers with a link to your Etsy shop.
04 Send Coupon Again With Link To Shop/Bestsellers
It’s time to push shoppers for a sale by giving them a discount. A small discount like 10% or free shipping works here.
At this stage, the shopper should already be familiar and somewhat interested in what you are selling. Most of them only needs a final push to make a purchase. So it’s time to give them the coupon code with some of your bestsellers.
Other than the coupon code, you can highlight some of your best products with a link to your Etsy shop.