Marc Haase — January 19, 2020 When it comes to email marketing for ecommerce, you know the drill. You need to do it without spending too much. You need to make it less promotional while still bringing in sales. You need to stay in touch with your audience without spamming them.
Enter your blog. Blog content is with you every step of the way, from driving leads with locked content, to segmenting your list, to building targeted email flows.
Here are six ways small businesses and ecommerce brands like yours are incorporating content into their emails for better results.
1. Sea to Summit’s content roundup emails
Your blog is more than just an information dump — it’s a living, breathing database of valuable resources to offer to your audience. One brand that’s mastered this is Sea to Summit. Their vast database of adventure tips, campfire recipes, and branded content serve as the ultimate information hub for outdoor adventurers.
If you don’t have a blog and you don’t have content, then the only thing you have to say to your customer is, ‘Here’s another widget. Come buy it.’
– Amanda Schreier, Ecommerce Manager, Sea to Summit
Their emails reflect this idea. Check out what landed in my inbox.
2. People’s Choice Beef Jerky grows their audience
Look at how People’s Choice Beef Jerky ties everything into a succinct package with this email. This is the perfect representation of the give and take an email list should be — delivering high-quality content, an exclusive discount, and social proof.
All this is accompanied by a few gentle asks for their audience to refer a friend and spread the news about the products they already know and trust.
And using content in their emails is clearly making an impact! The month they sent this email, 9% of their ecommerce revenue came from their blog readers. Compare that to a 2% share the month prior, before they started including licensed content in their emails.
3. Nuts for Protein’s quick and easy blurb
If you’re already pressed for time (and let’s face it — who isn’t?), a straightforward content-only email can be the perfect solution for driving subscribers back to your site.
This Nuts for Protein email ticks all the boxes, making it hard not to click through.
Hi-res image Enticing copy To-the-point CTA
You don’t have to spend hours creating super-long emails to bring people to your website. Sometimes, you just need to keep it simple.
4. The Edwin Hotel sends long-form emails
The goal for every email you send doesn’t need to be “sales, sales, sales.” Email is also a valuable channel for customer retention, audience nurturing, and staying top-of-mind. Each email you send supports one or more of these goals.
The Edwin Hotel recognizes that not everyone is ready to convert right away. They build a relationship with their audience over time until they’re ready to make a reservation.
In this email, they present an article in its entirety. No strings attached, no call to action — just value (and beautiful graphics).
5. Superfeet stands out with seasonal content
If your inbox looks anything like mine, it’s full of nearly identical promos, discounts, sales — you name it, we’ve all seen it a dozen times.
Content can help your brand stand out in the crowd.
Superfeet has been offering a free beanie with an insole purchase for the past month. They cut through the inbox clutter by including two separate pieces of seasonal content to complement the offer, along with a catchy subject line: Squash Foot Pain 
!
We want to really get down to having a targeted conversation with someone. Content helps us take this traffic and nurture our audience even more.
– Jessica Spencer, Marketing, Superfeet
6. Greensbury Market pairs products with relevant content
While you’re always looking to retain and engage your customers, the ultimate goal of all your marketing efforts is to push people to purchase. Give them a reason to do that with your emails.
Take Greensbury Market, for example. They syndicated this picture-heavy compilation of delicious dishes to serve alongside some product recommendations. After all, there’s nothing like a mouthwatering recipe to get you dreaming of sustainable, humane meats delivered right to your door.
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