Building up an email list for your parts website has a TON of long-term benefits, like building customer loyalty and driving more sales.
Even if you don’t plan on doing anything with those emails right away, it never hurts to start building your list. Just set up a few things on your site, and you can start passively collecting email addresses to tap into at a future date.
This article breaks down some of the best ways to build an email list using the RevolutionParts platform.
1. Connect your parts website to MailChimp
MailChimp is one of the easiest email software systems out there, and up to 2,000 contacts, it’s free!
Best yet, RevolutionParts integrates with MailChimp. After you connect your account, you can start collecting those emails for future use. It will automatically build an email list for you with no added extra on your part.
When you run a sale or promotion, you can send out an email blast to the list you’ve built up. Let your past shoppers know about the sale you’re running.
You could also set up a promotion code and add it to the email, too. Shoppers love getting a coupon, and you’re saving them money on parts they wanted to buy anyway.
RELATED: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Custom Email Templates in MailChimp
2. Offer a sign-up discount
In order to encourage people to share their email address, try offering them a “gift” in exchange.
It’s a common strategy for online shops. Decide on a simple discount, like “$15 off your order of $150” or “5% off your first order (no minimum spend).”
RevolutionParts lets you set up a promotional banner on your website, which can be great for promoting your deals or inviting shoppers to share their email. You can also sign up with a service like Popup Domination to offer promo codes or discounts to shoppers before they leave your site.
This is a great way to build an email list because it starts with a gesture of goodwill. People like getting something for free!
3. Create a packaging insert
Once a buyer has completed their purchase, they’re not gone forever!
There’s a chance to make one last connection with them. We call this a “Packaging insert,” and it’s basically a card or slip of paper that you add to all your packages before shipping them out.
Read more about Packaging Inserts: How to Increase Repeat Customers with a Packaging Insert
Try creating a shipping insert that invites shoppers to join your mailing list. You could write something like “Thank you for shopping with us! Join our email list at ______ to get the latest part promo codes and discounts directly to your inbox!”
4. Start an auto blog
It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy, but a blog is a fantastic way to drive organic traffic to your parts website and establish yourself as an automotive expert!
These articles can be anything from a review of latest car model to installation instructions for an oil filter. If you don’t want to write them yourself, outsource the task to a writer.
From there, all you have to do is add a “subscribe” form to the sidebar or in the blog so interested readers can share their email address with you.
Whenever you post a new auto blog article, shoot out an update to your list. Regular updates will keep your parts website fresh on a subscriber’s mind so they think of you first next time they need to buy a part.
Conclusion
Once you start building that email list, you have a great resource to tap into when you want to drive more sales! Any time you run a promotion, whether it’s a flash sale or a holiday sale like Labor Day, just shoot out an email promotion to your list.
As long as you don’t spam them with emails, you won’t be annoying anyone. Your past shoppers are likely the DIY type who buy parts online often to work on their own vehicle. They’ll appreciate getting a discount on parts they needed to buy anyway, and then YOU can be the one to sell it to them!
The stronger you build that relationship, the more loyal that customer will become.
