Google Analytics is a powerful tool that you should be using in your marketing mix. It allows you to view a magnitude of data from your website that you can use to assist in making educated marketing decisions. There are so many options with Google Analytics that it can sometimes be overwhelming on where to start and what features are the most applicable to your business. Listed below are some of the features that we find the most helpful for any e-commerce business.
We have previously covered Google Analytics. If you need a general overview of the application, you can see it here.
Behavioral Flow:
This section can be somewhat intimidating if you are unsure what to look for. By using the behavioral flow feature on Google Analytics, you will be able to track your user’s step-by-step experience navigating your website. It allows you to see what pages they clicked on, if they backtracked, and where you might have lost them along the way. Using data from this section can help optimize the journey for your users and guide them to making a purchase.
A behavioral flows feature that I find specifically beneficial, is that it shows you the page that visitors started on. This can help you better understand where the traffic from your site is coming from. Whether that is from a marketing campaign, social media advertisements, or users clicking onto the homepage from Google.
Audience Reports
The audience reports gives you an insight into the users that are traveling to your website. It provides you with multiple variables that you can click on ranging from demographics, interests, and even the operating system they are running when visiting your site. Knowing this information about your traffic can help you make more direct connections with them and how you choose to represent your company.
There are many avenues in this section, but I think that one of the most interesting is the Behavior section. These reports provide a gold-mine for understanding how your audience is interacting with your website. It provides how recently they visited, the frequency of the users, the time they spent on the sight, the number of sessions, and multiple other things.
Custom Reports:
Do you consider yourself a Google Analytics pro? After using the software for a while it could be time to step your game up and try custom reports.
Using this feature of Google Analytics allows you to view your data exactly how you want to. To create your own custom reports in Google Analytics you just need to scroll down on the right side. It will provide you with multiple variables that you can customize to see the exact data that you want. Because of this it will help you save time by producing more efficient reports and provide you with the exact data that you’re looking for.
Additional:
If you are still trying to gain more Google Analytics experience, I suggest checking out the training certifications that Google offers. There are six different courses that cover a wide range of topics. The certifications combine watching short videos with step-by-step tutorials to help you gain the most out of each course. Upon completion of these courses you will be able to set up more complicated configurations, more complex data analysis, and more marketing tools to help grow your business. You can find an overview of the certifications here.
Takeaways
We hope this article showed you just the beginning of Google Analytic’s power. Utilizing these new features on Google Analytics will help you capture the full benefits and maximize your use of the application. If you need any assistance Google Analytics, feel free to reach out to our team.
Product descriptions are an important aspect of an e-commerce business. Unfortunately, they often get overlooked or underutilized. It is easy to fill this area with unappealing information, or just to copy the factory specifications from your supplier. This should be avoided at all costs. Although it may take some time, we advocate having strongly written product descriptions which can help to increase sales and revenue for your company.
A product description is used to show a products value to a potential customer on your website. If done well, it will provide features and benefits of the product which will influence a potential customer to purchase. A product description should include a description on how it can fix a customers problem. Many times customers go shopping to find a solution to a problem, this is a perfect area to highlight why your product is the best for them.
Below are some of the tips that we have created to help you get the most out of your product descriptions:
Tips:
Write Your Product Descriptions:
Sounds easy right? Many e-commerce retailers tend to copy the description and facts that are provided by the manufacturer. Some of these facts and features will be relevant, but not all of them. Make sure to take some time to develop and write at least part of your product descriptions, it will help you stand out to your consumer.
Tell a Story:
This doesn’t have to be an elaborate fairy tail, but writing a story about the product can help sell it to the customer. You could use storytelling aspects to talk about the product’s history, or highlighting how it could help solve a specific problem.
Write For Your Target Audience:
This is one of the most crucial aspects to consider when writing product descriptions. Would you use the same language when selling a television on craigslist as you would selling it to your mother? Probably not. When writing these descriptions it is important to use phrases and words that are relevant to your target audience and their uses.
Test Descriptions:
You won’t be able to make every description perfect when you first write it. You will have to test different variations to see what works best for your website. If you notice low conversion on a product, consider adjusting the description in slight increments and measuring the results.
Details:
Make sure to include all of the details that are applicable to the customers shopping on your website. If you notice an influx of emails asking about certain product features, include those on the description. Some consumers want more details, while others want only a small amount of information.
Easy To Read:
I know that we’ve given you a number of tips so far, but don’t let your descriptions get overly complicated. Make sure that they will be easy to read and comprehend for the users visiting your website. Have others read your finalized description to see if they can identify the main selling points.
Wrapping Up
Product descriptions are an important part of your website, and shouldn’t get brushed under the table. It will take some time and creativity to understand what aspects are important to include in your descriptions. If you need any help, feel free to reach out to our team.
Consumers are becoming more alert and aware of what you send to their inbox. They are sick of spam email! Sending creative and strategic emails can ensure that your emails stand out among the thousands of emails received by your busy consumer daily. Creating captivating emails gives the consumer the incentive to open that email rather than continuing to scroll by. Sending effective emails will help increase traffic and sales to your website.
Who is this for: This article is for online businesses that are looking to increase sales and visits to their website from automated emails. This could be used by business owners, marketing directors, marketing agencies, and more. This article will help you understand why these emails are important and provide helpful tips to get started. It will also allow you to make adjustments to existing email templates to help you get the most out of every email.
In order for new email campaigns to work you should have an established website with products or services that are available to customers.
Listed below are six of the crucial emails that will increase your email efficiency when sending them to customers. Under every email there will be examples and tips to help you get the most out of each email template. If you want additional examples, you can sign up for our templates here.
Welcome Email:
A welcome email has become a standard across online marketplaces. Shortly after signing up for an account, a websites newsletter, or making a purchase, the customer will receive an email thanking the customer and telling them more about their brand or service. Normally this will be the first official form of contact that a business will have with a prospective customer.
It is important to note that this email will set the tone and expectations for other emails you send in the future. This in return will help to influence the consumer to open future emails from you. What makes a great welcome email? Here’s what we think:
Promptness
Include a brief and appealing overview of your business
Be Gentle on selling products
Include brand imagery
Track open rates to see what is working and what is not
Offer opt-in rewards for signing up, such as a first order discount
Add social media information in the email
Welcome Email Example:
Listed below are a few examples of welcome emails. The first email is from Vermont Smoke & Cure. This email uses a pun to engage and make consumers see their sense of humor. The email has a nice photo highlighting the examples of the product that the company sells. It also shows how consumers can use the product, pairing meat with hummus and vegetables. Provided in this first email is a coupon code that can be applied for 10% off their first order, to incentivize a product purchase.
The next email is from Hulu, a movie and television streaming service. This email thanks the user for signing up and welcomes them to the service. It provides a concise overview of the service and then has photos to engage the consumer. Hulu also added a silly catch phrase at the bottom “Get your TV on” to encourage the customer to start using the service right away.
The welcome email sent by Uber, a transportation network company, is one of my favorites. It thanks the consumer and provides a short description of the service. It also includes a photo of the application, to give the customer an idea of what it looks like. A link is also provided so consumers can download and start to use the application immediately.
Abandoned Cart/Browse Abandonment:
No company benefits when a customer adds a product to their shopping cart, but doesn’t follow up with the purchase. The good thing is, it shows that the customer expressed interest in that product. Abandoned cart emails recapture the consumer’s interest and will hopefully create a sale. Some companies will send these emails a few hours after not purchasing, while others will wait a few days. The ideal timing of abandoned cart emails depends on each company and the way that your customers engage with your emails. Below are tips and tricks to send successful abandoned cart emails.
Emphasizes “low quantities in stock”
Includes multiple photos of the product
Provides a link to access the abandoned cart
Gives contact information to answer any questions or doubts the consumer might have
Insert catchy phrases to pull the customer back into the process
Abandoned Cart Email Example:
Above is a simple yet effective email sent from AirBnB, a peer to peer marketplace where you can rent out houses and apartments. From previous searches on the website they were able to see what location/time frame the consumer was looking at. It is a friendly reminder to continue planning their trip and to influence the consumer to book through AirBnB. Abandoned cart emails are great because you can quickly adjust the elements to reflect the searches and experiences that other customers are searching.
This next email is from an e-commerce general store. The emails starts off with their logo, and immediately tells the customers that they left something in their cart. A photo of the forgotten photo is pictured to remind the customer of the exact. Paired with reviews of the product to help influence the customer and to show them the positive experience of others.
Order Confirmation:
This is another standard that consumers are now expecting from ecommerce websites. Once an order is placed, it is important to quickly process the initial request and confirm the order to the customer. In this email you can describe the next steps in the order process and ways for the customer to track the progress of the shipment. Many companies will send an additional email once the item has been successfully shipped.
Order confirmation emails provide an opportunity for extra brand promotion. You could highlight similar products, or other services provided by your company. Here are a few tips to help you send order confirmation emails to customers.
Send them shortly after you receive the order
Thank the customer for placing the order
Give them ways to track the shipping/process
Include the order number
Provide a photo of the product they have ordered
Include opportunities for consumers to continue shopping
Order Confirmation Email Example:
This is an email that confirmed the purchase of concert tickets, making sure they display the appropriate artist and date. It added the order number and ways to reach out if there were any issues. It gave the customer all the information they needed and was easy to comprehend.
This receipt from Google is for the rental of a movie. It is similar to a traditional receipt that you would see in a storefront. But it still covers some of the important aspects we covered above. It thanks the customer and provides a description of the rental along with the total cost. Proving that your emails don’t have to be too fancy to be effective! Receiving an email receipt from an online purchase helps the customer keep track of their purchase for their records.
Post Purchase Follow Ups:
Following up with customers shortly after they have purchased a product is an important way to receive feedback on a product/service. You can provide features such as a place to put reviews, to help you sell products. In these emails it can be beneficial to highlight other products that are associated with the product(s) they purchased. Many follow up emails also have a link to direct the consumer back to the company’s main website. Below are tips to help you gain the most out of post purchase follow ups.
Send 3-5 days after the customer receives the product
Thank the customer for their purchase
Ask them to leave a review of the product
Provide a link to leave the review
Add related products to the email
Post Purchase Examples
Skylynx, a transportation service from Vancouver B.C. to Whistler B.C., sent a follow up email after I had traveled with them. It first thanked me for using their service, and asked me to leave a review of my experience. They didn’t provide any specific link, but they did provide examples of websites I could use to leave a review. It was sent about two hours after I had traveled with them, so they could receive immediate feedback on the experience.
This email was sent shortly after I received a new pair of reflective sunglasses. The company wanted to make sure that I was satisfied with the product, and provided the appropriate contact information for sending questions/complaints. Later in the email they asked for a review and provided the medium of which they would like it written. It was a short but sweet email to help make sure that I was happy with the product.
Educational Content:
These emails offers additional value for your customers while also increasing the feeling of commitment and care to the customer. It expresses your interested about their business and life and aren’t just using them to make some quick cash. The beauty of educational content is that it doesn’t need to follow any rules. It can be anything that you would consider beneficial for your customers and help your customers gain the most they can out of your brand.
You can write articles about multiple use products, show tests on products, best practices, or write a funny write up of how your company started. Educational content can take many mediums including film and writing. Here are some tips and tricks to sending out educational content emails.
Send these emails on a regular basis, one or twice a month
Include information not obvious to the consumer
Providing value to a diverse group of customers
Include photos for products
Have others in the office create content for these emails
We send out our own educational content emails bi-weekly. We call it Taco Tuesday and it’s filled with helpful marketing information. If you are interested in signing up, you can do so here. Below is an example of a Taco Tuesday we sent our a few weeks ago. We include blog posts, videos, and recipes to help add value to the emails we send. Below are two parts of an email that we sent out a few weeks ago.
If you are interested in getting our educational content, you can sign up here (insert hyperlink here).
Cross-Selling Emails:
Cross-selling emails can be a simple but effective way to persuade a customer to make additional purchases from your brand. By compiling previous purchases you can make useful recommendations for productions that complement or are compatible with their previous purchase. Below are tips to get the most out of your cross-selling emails:
Thank the customer for the previous purchase
Provide multiple additional items
Cross-sell similarly priced items
Include pictures
Add links to look at the products from the email
Make sure products are not drastically different in price
Cross-Selling Example:
This example below is from a shaving service that provides a monthly service to customers. This email sent is a reminder of what the customer was receiving, and provided additional products they could purchase. With this strategic model, a customer can add one, or multiple additional products to their cart. The more they purchase, the higher their investment in the brand becomes. This will lead to an increase in revenue for your company.
Wrapping Up:
Emails are one of the easiest ways to increase conversion and traffic to your website from customers already in your system. All six of these emails have provided new options for you to follow up with the customer and keep them coming back to your business. Many of these emails can be automated, which will help you save time and ensure these emails are sent exactly when you want them to be. You can gain our email templates here (insert hyperlink) to start sending emails to customers right away.
Content is now, more than ever, a critical component to your marketing strategies. The content that consumers look at is the center of connection between your brand and them. Because of this, it is crucial that this content is produced at a high standard and aligns with your overall business. Below are 7 tips to keep in mind while you produce content for your website, social media, and other avenues for your company.
Content Marketing Plan
It is paramount that you and your business develop a plan to help align content strategies with business goals. Having a documented plan allows for your business to strategize and produce goal oriented content. Sit down with others from your company and decide exactly what you are hoping to gain from producing content for your business. Firms with a good marketing plan will have their calendars filled to the brim with content and when it should be produced/posted.
Quality vs. Quantity
There is no need to rush the creation of content for your website. The content that you produce directly reflects your website and brand as a whole. Take the time to produce quality content that will impress your visitors and leave them with a strong view of your brand.
Original Content
As the internet continues to grow, it is becoming more difficult to stand out. Producing original content will help to draw in and engage consumers and it will help you stand out. An original blog or video post can stick with a customer and leave them thinking about your brand in a way that a paid ad never could.
Use Multiple Types of Content
Content is now consumed under a multitude of mediums. Consumers don’t always want to read a blog post, sometimes they prefer short videos or social media posts. Mixing up the ways you produce content will help reach and engage a broader audience.
Decisions & Data
A strong way to plan how to create content is by making decisions based on data you already have access too. Looking into data from applications such as Google Analytics, can give you additional insights on your consumer base and how they interact with your website. This can help you decide the best type of content to produce.
If you are unfamiliar with Google Analytics, you can learn more about it here.
Focused Content
It is crucial to make sure that the content you produce is directed at your target audience. This will help draw in consumers that are interested in your products and will create more website visits and conversions. If your content is too broad, it will draw in visitors that won’t convert to customers.
Switch It Up
To help keep the creative spirit alive, have others in the office create content. This can be a fun way to get co-workers from other departments involved in the content creation process. This can also help prevent your team from feeling burnt out and struggling to come up with original ideas.
Hopefully this article has shown you that great, consistent content isn’t an unachievable goal. With a little time and practice you can be attracting customers through your businesses content in no time.
A logo is one of the most important elements of a business. It is a symbol that represents your brand to both you and your customers and it is used as an easy identifier when consumers are shopping. This is not an aspect of your business that you want to cut corners on, and it can be frustrating to decide where to start. It is expensive to pay someone to design a logo, and some of the high-end programs such as the Adobe Creative Suite, have a big learning curve. Fortunately enough there are many free and easy programs that can be used to help design your logo. Listed below are four of our favorite tools that can be used by individuals with ranging skill levels.
Canva
Canva is a free online tool that is a favorite for those DIYers. It gives you access to thousands of templates that are a great starting point for any project. To use the program you must first sign up. You can use Facebook, a Google account, or just a regular email. Once you have done this, there are hundreds of quality templates that you have access to for your new logo. Each template is designed for a specific document purpose. They have templates for social media posts, documents, designing logos, and much more. The application was created with an intuitive drag and drop operation, with millions of photos and shapes available to use. You also have the option to upload your own photos. Canva also has hundreds of fonts that you can choose from, this allows for increased customisation and a better representation of your brand. Below is a photo of the start to a Canva logo design.
Canva can be used on most computers and any IOS mobile device. This is great if you are on the move or have access to limited resources. Canva does have the option to upgrade and pay for the service. It is called Canva for Work, and is designed for small businesses that plan on producing a large amount of documents through the application. It provides more features, such as team collaboration, the ability to save brand logo/templates, and provides folders to help organize information. This additional features comes in at a monthly cost of $9.95 USD.
Hatchful
Hatchful is a free logo application designed by the developers of Shopify, and specifically for logos. If you want to learn more about Shopify, you can here. Hachful is a logo design application that uses AI to help suggest brand assets for your business, by combining icon and color combinations for your business. It only takes a few minutes to answer the initial questions asked on the screen, and it will provide you with a large number of new logos to test out. Each logo include pre-sized photos for most social media sites. This allows for you to have high quality logos that consumers will recognize on all social media platforms. I went onto the website and within 3 questions, they created hundreds of new logos for a fictional business “Chad’s Chucks.” An example of three of the logos are below.
Squarespace Logo Maker
Squarespace is a popular application that is known to help you build websites. They also offer a simple application to use during the logo generation process, Squarespace Logo Maker. This program provides both text and icon options that you can use when creating your logo. This application is the easiest to use on the list, with a very easy learning curve. The designs that it creates are somewhat basic, but it provides a great starting point. I again used the business “Chad’s Chucks” to provide an example of what the workspace provided by Squarespace looks like.
Squarespace allows you to download low-res and watermarked versions of your logo for free. But for $10 USD you can download a high-res version, or you can download them for free if you are already a Squarespace customers. This application is perfect for creating a simple logo that will still attract customers to your brand.
Gravit Designer
The last application we will be talking about is Gravit Designer. This is a free application that allows you to design your logo, but differently compared to the others listed above. This program is similar to Photoshop and GIMP, it includes tools such as layering, drawing tools, effects, and many more. This sort of application is more suited for an intermediate-advance graphic designer. But if you are looking to step your game up, Gravit provides video tutorials to help customers become more familiar with their application. Below is the start to a new logo for “Chad’s Chucks”.
Gravit does have a few templates that are pre-sized for specific uses such as blog posts. The application is designed to integrate with the Gravit Cloud, which is another free program. This will allow you to backup files and share them with others at your business. Gravit Designer is a great application if you are more experienced and are looking to create a unique logo, but it will take more time. Gravit is free but if you find yourself using it enough, you can upgrade to the Pro version for $80 USD.C
Even though it is intimidating to create a new logo, there are many applications to help you during this process. These applications can be used on a large variety of devices and cater to all skill levels. All of the options that we have gone over today have a free version to help you get started with your logo. A few of them charge small fees to download and use the design, but the $10-$20 dollars you will spend can give you a logo that you can use for years. Have fun designing, and if you need any help let us know.
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