If there’s anything that can be done, changed, or added to what you’re already doing in your marketing efforts to get better results, there is a gap that you have to fill. A gap analysis can help you find those spaces and identify what’s working, what’s not, and what you can do to close the gaps. In this article, we’ll show you what an email marketing gap analysis looks like to help you start seeing the gaps in your email marketing campaigns.

Emails sent out to prospects and customers can be divided into two:

• Transactional emails –  sent out to prospects once they take a specific action related to the website or to customers after making a purchase

• Marketing emails – sent out to prospects and customers to let them know about upcoming offers or events

Gap analysis: Transactional emails

Welcome emails

Suggested structure and elements:

• Clear and engaging subject line
• A CTA guiding the user toward the next action
• A small gift to the subscriber
• A survey with the aim of finding out more about the user’s needs and preferences
• Information about your team or brand
• A video to highlight interesting things about your business
• Highlighted main benefits

Possible gaps in welcome emails and how to fill those gaps

1. Establishing a personal connection

If your welcome emails are quite product- or sales-focused, you might be missing the opportunity to establish a deeper connection with your customers. Telling them about the story of your brand and sharing your values and aspirations as an organization could be a great way to start creating that connection.

Here’s what you can do to fill the gap:

• Introduce your subscriber to what the brand is about
• Share the values your brand cares about
• Tell your customers why they are special
• Proudly communicate how much care is put into creating your products

And then, you can gently guide your customers into getting to know more about your products. Filling in the gaps first will help customers identify themselves with your brand better. For a high-end brand, this can also help justify the price point. 

2. Adding a personal touch

Customers like receiving personalized attention. For example, simply calling them by name in email communications makes them feel like you are really reaching out to them personally. If the emails you’re sending are too generic, there’s definitely a gap you need to address.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Address customers by their name
• Provide a small gift

You can do these when sending out newsletters and account registration emails. A good example of a personalized gift is what Burberry sends to their customers—an exclusive wallpaper with the subscriber’s initials. That’s a subtle but powerful way to establish a relationship with prospects/customers. 

3. Being clear about unique selling points

It is important to remind customers of the unique selling points (USPs) of your products to nudge them toward a purchase. 

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Prominently display USPs and highlight features
• Place USPs at the bottom part of the email

Cart abandonment emails

Suggested structure and elements:

• Snappy subject line and introductory text
• Number of items left in the cart
• An offer or discount
• A CTA button that leads the user to the cart
• Reviews or social proof
• Closing text

Possible gaps in cart abandonment emails and how to fill those gaps

1. Offering support in case of issues

Part of the reason why prospects leave the website after adding products to the cart (or simply browsing certain products) can be concerns or technical issues. By offering them a helping hand, there is a chance to convert them into customers.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Offer a quick way to contact support
• Add a CTA button that leads to a contact form

2. Providing personalized suggestions

Another concern for users that abandon the cart may be whether or not the products fit their purpose or style. 

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Address possible concerns in the abandonment email and empathize with the prospect/customer
• Add more context to the cross-sells, e.g., “Interested in a different style? Check these out!”
• Add a link to a fit or style guide, e.g., “Not sure about the fit? Take a look at our fit guide!”

3. Adding social proof

When reminding prospects/customers about your brand, an excited review from another customer can create an additional nudge towards a purchasing decision through social proof—a psychological phenomenon where people tend to behave the same way as others do.

Also read:
Subscription Email Campaign Management for Magento 2
Best Practices for Email Sign-up Forms

Post-purchase follow-up emails

Suggested structure and elements:

• Information about order confirmations
• Surveys to gather information about the user experience
• Invitation to review purchased products

Possible gaps in post-purchase emails and how to fill those gaps

1. Making the CTA more pronounced

If you’re asking customers to write a review but your CTA is not prominent enough, this may create friction that will prevent them from doing the action that you want them to take.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Make the CTA more noticeable
• Be creative and intentional in our copy

2. Being clear about CTAs

If your order confirmation email mentions several actions that can be taken by the user, it may be confusing for them to follow what you’re asking them to do.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• If you want them to create an account, add a CTA that says, “Finish account creation”
• If you want to inform them about the warranty, “Learn more about our product guarantee”
• If you want to encourage them to contact support for any issues, “Contact us”

3. Adding estimated delivery date

Your order confirmation email may contain all the information about the order, but if it doesn’t say when the order could be expected, that could create frustration on the part of the user.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Specify when the order is expected to be shipped and the tracking number sent
• Add the estimated delivery date/time

Gap analysis: Marketing emails

Reminder emails

Suggested structure and elements:

• Clear and engaging subject line
• Short description of what you are reminding the customer about—event, celebration, or campaign
• A CTA telling the recipient what to do next

Possible gap in reminder emails

Not sending a reminder email when you should be doing so is the main gap you have to fill. 

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Send a reminder email based on a date—it’s a great opportunity to not only deliver a timely message to your customer but also keep them buying your products and services over time, e.g., final days of sales, the start of summer
• Remind users of brand-led activities or events that they would not want to miss, e.g., store opening, product launch

Birthday or anniversary emails

Suggested structure and elements:

• Wishes on the occasion
• Attractive visuals that go with the wish
• A personalized message that will make the customer feel valued
• Some % off their next purchase and a gift
• A CTA to lead users into the shopping journey

Possible gaps in birthday or anniversary emails and how to fill those gaps

1. Collecting information about the customer’s birthday

If you’re not collecting information on your customers’ birthdays at registration, you are missing an important opportunity to build a personalized message and remind them about your brand on their special day.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Collect birthday information at registration
• Set up automatic personalized emails that send birthday wishes to customers
• Provide a special offer as a birthday gift

2. Sending best wishes on important occasions

Sending emails about anniversaries of being a customer/subscriber is another opportunity to remind users about your brand and build a deeper connection with them. You’re missing this opportunity if you do not celebrate such events!

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Send best wishes when anything calls for a celebration!
• Use attractive visuals to go with the wish
• Craft a personalized message that will make the customer feel valued
• Some % off their next purchase and a gift
• A CTA to lead the user into the shopping journey

Re-engagement emails

Suggested structure and elements:

• An offer to update email preferences
• Social sharing buttons to push more engagement in other channels
• Prominent CTA button

Possible gap in re-engagement emails

Like with reminder emails, the very gap you have to fill here is failing to send re-engagement emails altogether.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Send emails to reconnect with your customers
• Provide interesting offers or a discount on their purchase
• Highlight value propositions, e.g., free shipping, return policy, customer service
• Share information about the changes in your business

Newsletter

Suggested structure and elements

• Title introducing the theme of the newsletter
• An appealing visual to catch the reader’s attention and make them want to read more
• A short description as an introduction to the topic
• A CTA taking users to either the store to start shopping or a blog article to make them spend more time on the website and get inspired for future purchases

Possible gaps in newsletters and how to fill those gaps

1. Sending out newsletters on “bad days”

The most active and convertible day among site visitors is Sunday. After this day, site attendance gradually declines and convertibility noticeably drops—with Thursday, Friday, and Saturday displaying the lowest activity.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Take into account user behavior and preferences when sending the newsletter
• Abstain from sending out newsletters or email campaigns at the end of the working week
• Consider sending campaigns on Sundays

2. Establishing a relationship based on brand values

To encourage users to spend more time on your website and learn more about your brand, consider sharing content introducing users to your story, the quality of your products, your commitment to sustainability, etc. Sharing content in your newsletter that is not related to sales will help you build a loyal brand following based on your company’s values, not just products.

Here’s how to fill the gap:

• Occasionally send newsletters with non-sales content
• Consider including user-generated photos or photos featuring celebrities using your brand
• Talk about corporate social responsibility

If you want an expert analysis of your email marketing funnel along with recommendations specific to your own customers’ journey, we can help. Send us a message or hit that chat bubble to get a response immediately.

Share on: