We let you know about the increase in email marketing allocations back on the 14th and eBay have now released more features – templates and scheduling.
As well as the existing customisable layout there are five new designs to choose from along with the ability to schedule boilerplate messages to your customers. These can include newly listed and ending soonest so if you always list on a set day you can now have emails automatically sent to selected marketing lists.
There are some really cool features now available, such as the ability to automatically send a welcome email as someone subscribes to your shop mailing list, and you can schedule emails for events such as holidays, or times that you list special offers.
Here’s an idea: How about always listing items on 99p no reserve on 10 day auctions on Thursdays and automating a “Newly listed email” for Friday morning highlighting the new listings. On Sunday mornings send an “Ending Soonest email” to prompt buyers to log in showing them the 99p auctions as they finish. If you don’t want to list 99p auctions every week do them fortnightly and schedule the emails to be alternate weeks!
Email marketing is one of the least used features with only about 18% of shop owners ever sending one. With the ability to automate boilerplate templates there’s no reason not to set them up and forget about them. The sellers that utilise them to the fullest extent though will be those that carry on changing the content rather than relying on the rather trite boilerplate messages eBay have prepared.
We highly recommend checking how many people have subscribed to your email marketing – they’re waiting to hear from you!
eBay have an email marketing tutorial to help you get started and you can find email marketing by clicking Manage my shop in My eBay
