Last year, we published more than 155 blog posts…
Which means I can barely keep track of them all, so I definitely don’t expect you to.
That’s why I wanted to pull together a list of some of the top posts from the entire year. So you don’t have to comb through pages and pages of posts that might not be relevant to you.
And honestly, there’s a reason we love to see things like best-sellers lists and reviews. Because chances are if other people thought that book, blog post, jacket, etc. was awesome, you’ll find value in it too!
So whether you’re trying to build a stellar email program, get inspiration from other brands, or improve conversion, these 15 posts will set you up for success in 2021 and beyond.
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Nail email marketing for your Shopify store
It’s hard to overstate how valuable email is as a channel for your brand. It’s seriously a money-printing machine if you get it right.
But there are so many brands that:
- Don’t collect email addresses
- Don’t have a regular cadence for emails
- Only send promotional emails
I can promise you that’s not a winning formula. But the brands that wait to get value out of email always regret that they didn’t start sooner.
And email is only becoming more valuable. In 2019, we found that every email our customers collected was worth about $16. Well, in 2020, that number more than doubled to $33.
So for every email you collect, you should expect that contact to spend about $33 with your brand. Which is why more emails (collected and sent!) = more $ for your brand.
1. The 2020 Email Marketing Benchmarks Guide
It’s always helpful to have a general sense of where your email strategy stands.
How are your open rates? Are unsubscribes too high?
And while it’s incredibly valuable to have these targets, you also need to set your own benchmarks. Look at the data you have for your brand.
You might find that your open rate is way higher than the average. Which is amazing! But it means your definition of success will be different.
The goal here is really just to have a way of looking at the performance of each email you send and knowing whether it was a total hit or an epic fail. Then you’ll be able to spot trends over time and know before you hit ‘Send’ that it’s gonna be a winner.
2. How To Write Email Subject Lines
Honestly, sometimes the subject line is the hardest part. Because you might have written the best email of all time. But if your subject line doesn’t stand out in your subscribers’ inbox, they’re never going to see it.
So please. Don’t get lazy and send an email with a subject line you threw together without any thought.
And if you’re struggling, go through your own inbox and look at the emails you’ve opened (if you’re lazy like me and have a million unread promo emails). Because if the subject line doesn’t excite you, I promise it won’t excite your subscribers either.
3. 18 Examples Of Killer Emails That Drive Sales On Shopify
You might be sitting there thinking, “Ugh I get it already…email is important. But I have no idea where to start.”
Well let me stop you right there. Because that’s where the power of examples comes in. Again, look in your own inbox. What kinds of emails resonate with you? Which emails have led to a purchase?
Find brands (doesn’t matter what industry they’re in!) that have amazing emails and use them as inspiration. I promise if you do that you’ll never run out of ideas.
4. How To Send Cart Abandonment Emails For Shopify
There’s no way around it. Abandoned carts stink. A shopper liked your product(s) enough to add it to their cart, then they bounced.
You were so close!
But you can try to win them over with an abandoned cart series. You can always start with one email and add a couple more later on. But if you don’t have abandoned cart emails set up for your store, you’re missing out.
Side note: you need to know the difference between cart abandonment and checkout abandonment. It’s definitely possible you’re only sending checkout abandonment emails…which means you’re leaving $$ on the table every single day.
5. How To Drive Repeat Sales With Email
It’s no secret that repeat purchases are the real lifeblood of ecommerce.
Don’t get me wrong…it’s amazing to land first-time customers. But you have to keep them coming back. And email is your best friend here.
There’s so much you can do here. Cross-sell and complete-the-look campaigns, reorder emails. The bottom line is that you shouldn’t be leaving it to chance. Email is your friend when it comes to driving repeat purchases. And trust me, you need them.
Get inspiration for your Shopify store
Finding other brands you love learning from is a cheat code that cannot be replaced. Because over time, they’ll help you build up a full swipe file of everything from social posts, to subject lines, to offer ideas, and everything in between.
Which means you don’t have to come up with everything on your own. And it doesn’t matter if the brands are in your industry or not. To be completely honest, sometimes it’s better if they’re not…
Because if everyone in your space is doing the same thing it’s tough to stand out. So whether your swipe file is jam-packed or you just heard that term for the first time, these posts will hook you up with some serious inspo.
6. Brands To Copy For SMS, Email, Social & Site Design
Nik Sharma is a DTC savant – so he seriously knows his stuff when it comes to the ecommerce world.
That’s exactly why we asked him for some of his favorite brands for SMS, email, social, and site design.
So you don’t have to do tons of your own research to find brands that are already running textbook plays on every channel. Subscribe to their lists, follow them on social, and check out their stores for nonstop inspiration.
7. Best Shopify Stores: DTC Drink Brands With Sites You Need To See
There are SO many drink brands out there right now. And there’s a ton you can learn from their Shopify stores (even if you’re in a totally different space!).
For everything from the ‘About’ page to product pages, these 6 brands pack a serious punch.
Screenshot after screenshot will show you exactly what we loved about each brand – so you can take what you love and apply it to your own store.
8. 50 Black-Owned Ecommerce Brands To Support
Supporting Black-owned brands cannot and should not be a trend that fizzles out. It has to be a long-term initiative and investment in a future that looks different.
Not to mention that these 50 brands all have websites and email lists that you should look to for inspiration.
I promise if you spend enough time looking at other brands, you’re going to get ideas you never would have come up with on your own.
9. 75 Books, Podcasts, Blogs, And People To Follow
There’s so much information out there that it can be hard to know where to go to find what you’re looking for.
So we pulled together this resource with books, podcasts, blog posts, and people to follow so you wouldn’t have to.
If you’re ever feeling stuck, start here. You won’t feel that way for long.
Boost conversion on your Shopify store
It’s hard to grow your business if your conversion rate isn’t where it needs to be.
Whether it’s growing your email list or turning visitors into buyers, boosting your conversion can have a serious
That’s why you’ll find so many ecommerce gurus dedicated specifically to conversion. These posts will help you improve without spending a dime.
10. The 12 Laws Of Ecommerce Marketing
We work with tons of Shopify stores. So when it comes to ecommerce marketing secrets, we have a few.
These are 12 tried and true laws will help you grow sales and improve the experience on your store.
It’s a win-win for you and your customers.
11. The Top 10 Marketing Plays For Small And Growing Ecommerce Brands
Whether you’re using Privy today or you’ve never tried it before, these 10 plays will show you how powerful it really is.
Privy can help you build your email list, save abandoned carts, drive repeat purchases, and SO much more.
And after helping thousands of brands, there are the top 10 plays for ecommerce brands to grow sales on their Shopify store.
12. The Equipment You Actually Need To Take Product Photos For Your Store
Product photos can have a huge impact on the conversion rate of your store. Just think about it: if you’re on a site that doesn’t have awesome photos, are you going to make a purchase?
Probably not…
And that’s because awesome product photos are table stakes. You need to have them for your site visitors to take your brand seriously.
I mean, you’re probably not going to give that brand your email address either are you? So if you haven’t invested in clear, high quality product photos yet, it’s time.
13. Use A Free Shipping Bar To Sell More And Increase Store Conversion
How many times have you left a store because they don’t offer free shipping? I do it all the time.
And that’s exactly why free shipping can be an incredibly powerful lever when it comes to your conversion and AOV.
So try out a free shipping bar if you haven’t already.
14. 10 Ways To Increase Your Conversion Rate
The bottom line is that your store should be your best salesperson. It should be selling for you while you sleep.
And what might seem like small adjustments to you can have a BIG
So don’t underestimate the power of adding in things like social proof and FAQs. The easier the experience is for your visitors, the more likely they’ll make a purchase.
15. 9 Tips For Designing Popups That Convert
You can’t just throw one popup together and expect your list to grow over night. You need to think about things like the design and the offer.
If you nail those 2 things, that’s where you’ll really start seeing results.
These tips will help you create popups that are sure to convert. So you can focus on the million other things you have on your plate and grow your list 24/7.
100 lessons to take you into 2021
Now that you’ve seen 15 of the top posts from 2020, it’s time you see one that didn’t actually make the list…
But only because it was published at the very end of the year, so it didn’t have time to rack up the views.
I pulled together 100 Ways To Grow Your Shopify Store from 100 episodes of our podcast, Ecommerce Marketing School.
It’s looooong. But it has some seriously helpful tips to help you drive sales this year. I promise you’ll get a bunch of ideas from this one. It’s worth a read.
