Targeting Existing Customers: The Definitive Guide to Maximizing Sales Through Free Email Campaigns

Did you know that you can send out free emails to your existing Etsy customers and earn additional money? Hey, my name is Robert, I am the co-founder of Alerio Print, and in this video, I am going to show you how you can, for free, send out news about your new products, new designs, everything you want to, to your existing Etsy customers and earn money from that.

This robust, step-by-step method allows you to leverage your established customer base for recurring revenue. While the specific tools detailed herein are tailored for utilizing customer data originating from the Etsy marketplace, the overarching principles of image optimization, list segmentation, effective content creation, and strategic timing are foundational to any successful e-commerce marketing strategy.

Phase 1: Product Preparation and Campaign Foundation

The initial step involves defining exactly what you want to promote and ensuring all necessary assets are ready.

Establishing Your New Offerings

Let’s assume, for example, that you have created a collection of autumn designs with several products, or perhaps a whole new section of new products, or even just one new product or something new that you want to inform your customers which have been purchasing something from you on Etsy. The most effective way to start is by creating those collections and adding them to Etsy.

Sourcing and Preparing Visual Assets

You have to download the images for your email if you want to add some of your product images, of course. Once you have created all the listings on Etsy, you can go to a mockup library (for example, for MacBook case designs) and download all of those mockup images if you need them.

The image which you downloaded actually is in a big size—for example, 5 megabytes (MB). This size is too big for an email. If you want to add it to the email as an image inside it, it has to be small. The ideal target size should be around 100 kilobytes (KB) or 200 kilobytes (KB).

Phase 2: Mastering Image Compression for Email Deliverability

Because a 5MB file is vastly oversized for email standards, a process of rigorous optimization is required.

The Importance of Compression

What I suggest is to find some kind of image compressor. You just load the image and compress it. For instance, a 5 MB image might compress to 1.29 MB, but this might still be too big. You might need to open up the compressor once again and compress the image repeatedly. Right now, it might be 1 megabyte, which is still too big, but you can use it for this purpose. You have to compress your images as low as possible to ensure fast loading times. This process must be applied to all of your images that you intend to insert into the email.

Phase 3: Extracting and Organizing Customer Data

Next, we will need customer data out of our Etsy store. You can go inside Orders, and you can download all your customer details from there, but we will not do it one by one. I will show you the best way to do it automatically.

Methods for Data Collection (The Automated Approach)

You can use a Google Chrome extension. You open up the Google Chrome store and type in Etsy order email extractor. Find it, open it, and install it to your Chrome browser. Then, go inside Etsy, open your Etsy orders, and find the extension on the top corner. As you can see, it opens up, and you can extract all your emails and save them to a CSV file. This file will be downloaded to your computer. Now, you have the complete list of all your previous customers from Etsy.

Phase 4: Choosing an Email Platform and Building the Audience List

There are many options for sending out emails, such as Milechimps, Sendinlue, and Brevo.

Selecting a Cost-Effective Platform

The sources identify a platform called sendox.com. This one is considered the cheapest and the best way. The free version of this platform allows you to save 1,000 contacts and send 3,000 emails per month. You can use any email sending platform, but this one works well and has a decent amount of customers you can save for free. 

Importing Contacts and Creating the Audience

You have to create your audience. Create a new list, perhaps named "Etsy customers". Then, hit "add contacts" and select the option to import contacts. You can either copy or paste, or upload the CSV file you just downloaded from the extractor. When uploading, confirm which column is the first name and which is the email. The system handles duplicates; for example, 14 entries in the list might result in 10 unique contacts. If you have a decent amount of orders, you are going to have a lot more customers.

Phase 5: Designing the High-Impact Email Campaign

Now that the list is inside the email campaign program, you need to create an email.

Utilizing Templates and AI for Content Generation

You can hit "create an email" (or use a created template). You must select your customer email list and add a subject (e.g., "New fall case collection") and preview text. The body text (e.g., "Hello customer, we're excited to share that...") can be generated by asking an AI tool (like Midjourney) to create a short email campaign text. This text can then be refined by GPT to look nicer with some emojis.

Integrating Optimized Images and Links

You must then add those images which you compressed earlier. There is a little image sign; you click on it, browse the image, upload it, and insert it into your emails.

What is important is that under the image you can link your products. There is a little link button. You click on the image, click on the link button, and it will show you the option to add the link. You open up Etsy, open the specific product you want to show, and copy the link from the product page. You paste the link there and save it. This way, you can drive customers directly to your products.

You can write down the price and everything if you want to, but don't add too many visual elements—three to four images is enough for one email. Remember to compress them as low as possible.

Implementing Calls to Action

You should also add a special button, which you can create in your own style, linking directly to your main store page.

Phase 6: Maximizing Conversions with Special Discounts

You should add a special discount for your existing customers.

Creating the Promotional Offer on Etsy

Go inside your profile under marketing sales and discounts. Over there, you create a promo code for them. You can add any amount, like 30%, 20%, or 15%, as you wish. Crucially, you must set up a limit of the date for the offer (e.g., till the end of October). Once the code is created, you copy it and add it to your email list.

Phase 7: Strategic Scheduling and Final Launch

Once the email is complete, all you have to do is send it out to your customers. You can set up a sending date or send it right away.

Choosing the Optimal Sending Time

It is not good to send out emails during the night or during the middle of the day. You have to check time differences and find out the best time you should send out the emails based on where the main amount of your customers reside (e.g., USA or inside Europe). If most of your orders are going to the US, check the time in the US and schedule the sending time so that in the US it would be like 10:00 AM in the morning or perhaps 2:00 PM mid-afternoon.

Conclusion: Continuous Sales Growth Through Retargeting

This is how you can send out emails to all of your customers regarding all the new products and new designs. You can save this as a template, and whenever you add some new designs, you just extract your customers and send them out.

I am more than sure you're going to get some sales from your previous customers for sure, if they were satisfied with your products and designs. This method works and you definitely have to do it. If you like what I just showed you, you can learn how to create stunning designs and products, and you can get a free course in our course section Alerio Print.