You’ve got mail! Insights into entering an Email Marketing & CRM role in ecommerce: Part One

As we’re sure you are well aware, email marketing and CRM roles are pivotal within the ecommerce world. Countless brands are competing to deliver unique, exciting and relatable campaigns to retain their customer base while building attention outside this foundation.

Are you considering a role like this, in an ecommerce environment? We’ve decided to be very generous, and provide you with the latest insights and trends for potential candidates. We can even provide a dash of insider info from our very own email marketing and CRM panda. Aren’t you lucky?

Today, we will look at a few skills employers really want in their email marketing and CRM teams, and what candidates believe they can bring to the table. 

What innovative skills stand out?

A potential customer might be relaxing in the park or sitting on the bus when, lo and behold their phone sounds off. It's an email! There’s nothing else to do, so they have a look. Wait a minute, it doesn’t really display well on their phone, so back in the pocket it goes. So, multi-channel understanding is a must have. However, will that be enough in the ever changing ecommerce landscape?

• We’ve mentioned multi-channel marketing, and optimising your campaigns so they can be viewed comfortably across mobile platforms. However, omni-channel marketing has been creeping in as quite the buzzword in the last few years.
• Haley, our email and CRM panda says, “I have been working with both smaller start-ups and medium sized businesses who have stressed the urge for me to find a candidate who has offline marketing experience to launch their brand further into the realms of global success.”
• A quick example of a successful omni-channel campaign is Starbucks. Customers can check and restore their Starbucks cards on their phones, on the website or at the store itself. Updates and changes are fed through to users in real time, so they are always in the know. Rewards, which obviously make coffee lovers very happy, are sent through notifications without any action required by the user.
• So, both physically and electronically, customers are made to feel their experience is seamless and rewarding all at once. However, make sure the ecommerce role you want would work with this kind of marketing. Don’t go into a job application with grand ideas that might not even fit the target audience of the brand.

What skills are vital to achieve this innovation?

Omni-channel strategy

If omni-channel marketing is something your potential employer is after than what will you bring to the table? Your strategy should cover ALL bases; social media campaigns, mobile friendly formats, a great website and customer understanding.

Department Teamwork

Part of your strategy, and most likely your job requirements, will be to work closely with all departments to ensure you are all on page one, ready to get your customers engaged with what’s to come. Your email campaign may be the first introduction to the brand for some customers, and the feel of the brand should flow through all channels.

Responsive design

You want every screen the campaign is opened on to display perfectly. To have an understanding of this when creating your campaigns, and to ensure the customers will be seeing it perfectly, is fundamental. Perhaps get some inspiration from your favourite brands, seeing what works best for you. It will give you ideas for the big interview!

Personalisation and relationship building

“Very important email candidates are analytical as imperative to assess each campaign and strategize how the next campaign (s) can be better. A/B split testing is very important.” Haley explains. The key part of omni-channel marketing is to make the customer feel valued and understood.

Being able to assess what speaks to them personally, and improving when it doesn’t produce ideal results can’t be overlooked. Personalisation through your campaigns makes the customers feel like you want them to enjoy their experience, not just spend their money. As we mentioned, your campaign may be the start of their journey. This means building the customer relationship from the very beginning rests on the shoulders of an engaging campaign.

Let’s digest!

We won’t overload you all at once. This is just the first in our focus on email marketing and CRM. Stay tuned for part 2. 

Did you enjoy Haley's great input? She's the go-to panda if you're looking for (or looking to fill)  a job in CRM, email marketing, and acquisition (online / offline channels).

Get in touch, or connect with Haley on LinkedIn.