Over the next few emails, I’m going to embed a little “mini-series” for you where each email builds off the previous one. Or, they’re at least more connected than my daily musings usually are.
There’s a couple reasons I’m doing this:
1. The topics I’m talking about are much too big to fit inside a single email.
2. The email “mini-series” idea, where you deliver a mini-series via email campaigns, has been a wildly profitable venture for my clients. (And while I doubt that I’m the first email marketer to use this idea, it’s also one that I’m not familiar with hearing before, outside of triggered automations like a welcome or post-purchase series—which isn’t the point of the mini-series. In fact, this mini-series idea is closer to a product launch promotion, but you don’t have to rely on a new product in order to create a mini-series.)
Anywho, here’s how it will work:
Today, I’m gonna reveal two of the most common ecom problems I see. These two problems are radically different, but also strangely similar.
Then, tomorrow, I’m gonna reveal the solution to one problem. The following day, I’ll reveal the solution to the other problem.
Ready?
In my ~4 years of running an email marketing business where the vast majority of my clients have been in the ecom space, I’ve noticed these two problems pop up quite often.
These problems are so deeply embedded into the brand that they’re a reflection of the brand itself—for better or for worse.
And while I’m calling them mistakes, that ain’t the proper word for it (because each has several possible solutions that can turn these “problems” into “benefits” of your brand).
But I’m using problem in lieu of a better, more apt word.
And before we dive into it, the good news if your brand suffers from one of these problems is I have experience handling both.
Okay, so what are the problems?
Problem #1: Some brands have too many products available for sale.
One of my longest-term clients has this problem (which admittedly makes my job as an email copywriter easy because we never run out of email ideas or products to promote). In fact, he has over 600 products available in his store (and the real count is probably closer to 800 than it is to 600).
Every product has different margins, brand names, price point, the whole shebang. But, thanks to the brilliance of my client, every product serves a purpose. There are some products who only a few people need, but he offers them so he can help those few people (even if the products themselves don’t make much money for the business).
Now, the real problem here isn’t that there’s so many products, brands, price points, or margins, but this:
Many products are similar to another—with very few nuances between them. Other products are vastly different from one another—with virtually no connective tissues between each.
It’s almost like Walmart: Where they have oil for your car, a grocery store, and an electronics section.
So the problem for the brand and for me as a copywriter is figuring out the ideal product that will not only lead to the most conversions, but will also help the most people.
Another problem with a brand like this is there is no “flagship” product.
Sure, we have our bestsellers, and I often write about these products much more than others. But there’s no single product which everyone should buy first, before they fall deeper down the rabbit hole of the brand.
And while we never run out of email ideas or products to promote, it can get confusing for our customers to talk about X product one day, Y product another day, then Z product the following day.
And confusion, much like boredom, can be the death of the sale…
Moving on.
Problem #2: Some brands have too few products to sale
I have more clients like this. Where, instead of 600+ products, they have less than 10.
While these brands are much more focused and niched down, this carries with it its own various problems:
It’s much easier to run out of email ideas. You often have to repeat yourself over and over again. Which isn’t a bad thing, in fact, repetition is the single best way to learn anything. But this creates its own problem: In the same way that the 600+ brand has to worry about confusion killing the sale, the 10 or less brand has to worry about boredom killing the sale.
See how wildly different, yet strangely similar these problems are?
Now, with a more focused brand there are certain pros you get:
Automations are easier to create and focus around a common product, pain point, and USP. But campaigns, especially when you’re sending as many emails as my clients send, can get stale much quicker than the first problem I introduced.
With these brands, most of the products have a similar (if not, exactly the same) price point. They also have similar margins, use cases, customer avatars, pain points, and the list goes on.
While similar to the first problem, it’s much different. Because the 600+ product brand also has wildly different customer avatars and pain points for each product.
So, which is better?
Well, it depends on you and your goals.
The 600+ brand suits my client well because he dives deep into his product research, invites interesting brand owners onto his podcast to promote certain things, and we generate as much as 60% of our revenue from email. His brand makes more than 7 figures, and has ever since about 6 months after we started working together. And I believe he’s at the happiest point in his life—because he’s serving his Mission to make everyone a healthier and happier person, no matter what ails them.
And the fewer than 10 product brands also suit my other clients well. They don’t have to have such a broad knowledge on everything. They get to specialize more, which means adding a membership site, for example, or a more focused social media and email marketing strategy works well. And having a more targeted customer avatar also lets you get away with charging more.
There’s no wrong answers here:
One brand acts more like Walmart. The other brand acts more like a fine-dining restaurant.
The only wrong answer is the one you dislike.
Building a business you hate is a good way to end up with a J-O-B.
Anywho…
If you need help with either of these problems, let’s hop on a call. Then, we’ll discuss strategies you can implement depending on the way your brand is set up, so we maximize your revenue, your customer loyalty, and your freedom regardless of how many products you offer.
Then tomorrow, I’ll reveal how to tackle the 600+ product brand.
Meet you back here then.
John