Although email may be the oldest form of digital communication, it is still very popular.
There are many new ways to communicate with customers and your audience. There are many communication methods, including live chat, social media and live chat. Email is still the most popular marketing channel with over 4 billion users.
Email marketing also has a ROI of $38 per dollar, so it is worthy to be in every marketer’s toolbox.
Email marketing remains the most effective channel for marketing, surpassing SEO, social media and affiliate marketing.
Why? Despite all the hype surrounding new channels, why is this still an effective marketing strategy?
Despite social media's rise, email is still preferred by people over other platforms. What good is marketing to someone who's not on it?
The majority of people use email to communicate with each other, according to data. This number is increasing every year.
You also own your connections with email marketing, so you don't need to worry about algorithm changes limiting your reach.
It is therefore more important than ever to build a successful email marketing program.
The problem is that most people don't know the right way to do this. You've likely seen them in your email.
This article will provide tips and strategies to help you create effective email marketing campaigns.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing refers to the practice of mass mailing promotional messages to large numbers of people. It is used to generate leads or sales and may include advertising.
Remember, you're a guest in their Inbox
People are bombarded with pitches and interruptions everywhere they turn.
Even though you may think your email is unique, it's not. Your email may seem special to you, but it is not to the reader.
It is important to be aware of where you are and to use good manners.
It's like inviting someone to your home for dinner by getting into their inbox. Respectfully take off your shoes if they ask.
Email marketing is the same. Before we start, I want to remind you that you are a guest in their inbox.
Let's now talk about building your email marketing strategy.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is a top-performing strategy, due in large part to its intuitiveness and automation.
An effective email marketing campaign is composed of three elements.
1. 1. An email list
An active email list is essential for successful email campaigns. This is an email list of people who are interested in marketing communications from your company.
There are many methods to build an email database. One way to build an email list is by creating a lead magnet (also known as an offer), that your target audience is interested, such as a coupon. In exchange for their email addresses.
2. 2. An email service provider
Email service provider (ESP) is also known as an electronic marketing platform. It helps you manage your email list. It can also help you design and implement automated email marketing campaigns.
An ESP lets you automate actions triggered based on your target audience's behavior. They allow you to personalize every interaction with them, which can improve engagement and conversion rates.
3. 3.
Email marketing can be used to accomplish many business goals. Email marketing can be used to:
- drive sales
- Increase brand awareness
- Leads can be generated and nurtured
- keep customers engaged
- Increase customer loyalty and lifetime value
Your email list, ESP and goals need to align in order to execute an email marketing campaign that works. Once you have this alignment, it's time to get to work.
Segmenting your email list based on subscriber actions or demographics is the first step.
Next, create an email series or email series that will encourage consumers to take action (your goal).
Send emails to your ESP and track the campaign automatically.
Email marketing has its advantages and disadvantages
Email marketing is just like any other channel for marketing. There are pros and cons to it. Let's take a look at some of the most important ones.
Email Marketing: The Advantages
Email is permission-based
It's like being granted the keys to your house if a customer trusts that you have their email address. Engagement and conversion rates are higher when you have permission to enter than if you just show up uninvited.
Get Direct Access to Your Audience
It is possible to communicate with subscribers directly on their schedules. Your email will be seen by people who check their emails every day.
It gives you more control
You don't own most marketing platforms. All your hard work will be lost if the platform stops functioning.
Email is your tool for building relationships with your subscribers.
More Personalization Capabilities
To create hyper-targeted and personalized campaigns, you can use psychographic or demographic data. Segmented and personalized campaigns can increase revenue as high as 760 percent, according to research.
Measurable
Automated email marketing makes it easy to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
Scalable
Email marketing campaigns are easy to scale, without putting pressure on your resources or compromising on quality.
Email Marketing: The downsides
Competitors are tough
It can be difficult to stand out in a cluttered inbox. To ensure that your emails are noticed and opened, you need to be creative.
An email list is essential
Email marketing requires that you have an existing email list in order to make your campaigns effective.
There are many rules that govern email use for commercial purposes. Examples include GDPR and CAN-SPAM. These laws prohibit you from sending unsolicited email.
Some subscribers report your emails as spam, even though they have subscribed to the mailing list. Your sender reputation is affected.
Delivery and delivery issues
It is impossible to guarantee that your email will reach the inboxes of recipients. You must address delivery and deliverability issues in order to run successful email marketing campaigns.
Email Marketing Examples
For some inspiration, let's take a look at a few examples of email marketing.
Teaonic
Teaonic is an online brand that specializes in organic and healthy teas.
Subject lineGetting low on wellness?
What is the message of this email?
- Fantastic subject lineThe subject line should focus on the main problem of the target audience, i.e. improving their health.
- Leverages color psychology:Bright, cheerful colors can bring out feelings of happiness and health.
- It's well-timedThis email is for customers who have purchased the product. It is sent just as the stock is running out.
Bluehost
Bluehost is well-known for hosting services and decided to create a website builder.
Subject lineBluehost's new Website Builder makes it easy to build a website.
- Selling the benefits and not the featuresThe copy will be more persuasive if you focus on the benefits.
- Clean design:This email is simple and attractive. It's easy to read.
- Excellent targeting:Bluehost understands that their audience consists primarily of small business owners who don't have technical knowledge. This is the audience that Bluehost targets with their email.
How to automate your email marketing
Although the process of automating email marketing can vary from one ESP, there are some steps that will work for all.
Define Your Segments
Segmentation is the key to effective email marketing campaigns. To group your subscribers, you can use the data that you have. This will allow you to create more personal campaigns.
Create a Workflow that is efficient
Now it's time for you to create a workflow. This is the sequence of emails that will accomplish the campaign's goal.
Find the right triggers
Once you have created your workflow, identify the triggers that will send the next email. You can use the following triggers: customers may open your email, click on a link or close it within a time period.
The Best Email Marketing Strategies
Email marketing is a strategic endeavor that requires you to plan your campaigns strategically. These are the top email marketing strategies that you can use.
Make sure you use the right list building strategies
Your email list is key to the success of your email marketing campaigns. List-building strategies that target your audience are essential to build such a list. A case study that is promoted on LinkedIn might help a B2B brand to build a list, but it will fail if used by a B2C company.
Use good email list hygiene
Good email list hygiene is another important strategy for email marketing. You can build a positive reputation as a sender by cleaning out inactive subscribers or email addresses that have been deleted.
Keep your list warm
To keep your subscribers warm and engaged, send regular emails. Frequent emailing can lead to subscribers forgetting who they are, which could cause low conversion rates.
You can run a campaign to re-engage subscribers who have gone cold.
Concentrate on one goal
Each campaign and email should have a single purpose. Email marketing is not about trying to kill multiple birds with one stone. This confuses your audience, and decreases your conversion rates.
Track and define the right KPIs
Email marketing goes beyond sending a few emails to your subscribers. You must also track the results of your campaigns. You must identify and track the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you do this.
The Top 7 Email Marketing Tools Every Marketer Must Know
Email marketing tools can be used to optimize your campaigns and make them successful. These are the seven most important things you need to know:
Email Service Providers (ESP).
An ESP is a critical tool in email marketing. These are some of the top ESPs:
- Constant Contact: This plan is ideal for e-commerce email campaigns due to features such as automated product recommendations and shoppable email. Plans start at $20 per month
- SendinblueSendinblue is the best choice for small businesses that run simple email campaigns. You can use it for live chat, SMS and CRM. Plans start at $25/month
- PardotB2B email campaigns need a platform that is specifically tailored for B2B buyers. Pardot is the perfect platform. Pardot is a great tool for building high-growth email campaigns. However, you will need to spend at least $1250 per month to get them.
Delivery Tools
Email deliverability is the ability of an ESP send emails to your recipients' inboxes. A reliable email marketer will always have a test for email deliverability in their arsenal. These are the best:
- MailGeniusMailGenius scans your email for potential spam triggers. It can be used to perform deliverability tests to ensure that your emails reach the intended recipients. MailGenius can be used for free.
- GlockAppsGlockApps displays your delivery results in real time. This includes whether your email arrived in the Inbox or Spam folder, Gmail’s Promotional tabs or if it was never delivered. Prices go up if you have a personal account.
Tracking and Testing
You can optimize your campaigns by tracking and testing their performance. What email marketing tools work best for tracking and testing?
- LitmusLitmus can be used to track and test your email in both traditional web clients as well as popular mobile devices.
Email Personalization Tools
Use a personalization tool to expand your personalization options beyond simply using the recipients' names.
- HyperiseHyperise is the best tool for personalizing email marketing campaigns. You can add dynamic, personal images to every email, even profile images from social media.
How to write email marketing copy that drives results
No matter what your email marketing goal may be, email copy is key.
This is why yours must be written well. This is how you do it:
Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is the first step in creating compelling email marketing copy. This will allow you to segment your audience and create highly targeted email copy.
Create a hard-to-ignore subject line
Email copy is a crucial component. It helps readers decide whether or not to open your emails. How to craft an easy-to-understand subject line
- use keywords
- Make it benefit-driven
- use active voice
- Personalize as much as you can
The Preview Text is Right Here
Email preview text appears below or beside your subject line. It can be limited to 140 characters (email client dependent) and serves as an elevator pitch to get people to open your email. Optimized preview text extends the subject line and reinforces the value proposition.
Make it easy to read
People are busy. This is why it's important to make your email copy easy to understand and read. This is how you do it:
- Use short sentences and paragraphs
- Avoid jargon and complex words
- Use bullet points
Your readers will be more likely to engage with you if they find your emails simple to read.
Use Storytelling to Leverage
Stories can be a powerful way of grabbing attention and getting your message across. You should use storytelling in your email copy.
Psychology can be used to your advantage
The brain wires of humans are wired to respond in certain ways. To direct your readers to your campaign goals, use psychological triggers. These triggers are examples of psychological triggers:
- Fear of missing out (FOMO).
- color psychology
- Social proof
These triggers are a great way to create email copy that is effective when used correctly.
Email Marketing Step 1 – Build Your List
Before you can send out emails, you will need to find people to send them emails. How can you start building your email list? You can start by simply inviting people to sign up for your list by adding a banner to your website.
These are some of the tips you should follow.
1. 1.Offer an Incentive
Email addresses can be thought of as a currency. You wouldn't give away money for nothing, right? The easiest way to collect email addresses is by offering an incentive.
This can be done in many different ways. Some people prefer to give away something for free, while others offer product updates or a newsletter.
Morning Brew, a business newsletter, offers its readers an easy benefit: they get interesting, fun updates every morning.
Search Engine Journal offers daily news via a small form on their right sidebar. They also ask users what topics they are interested in to help them deliver more valuable content.
A checklist, ebook, whitepaper, or other downloadable asset can be offered. Giveaways and contests are another way to get people to give you their email addresses.
While I cannot tell you which path is best for your business, I can tell that you should have a clear purpose in asking for an address.
Here is where strong calls to action are needed. Copywriting is crucial.
Establish your credibility and explain the purpose of emails to get people to sign up.
Posting “Enter your email to receive updates” is not going to make anyone happy. Share details instead.
You can encourage more people to sign up by sharing a call to action or benefit in exchange for their email address.
Here are some common ways to get people to sign up:
- email series
- Downloads available for free
- Free white papers and eBooks
- Update lists include new releases and product upgrades
No matter what the incentive, be clear about it and make it attractive. Don't be afraid of promoting it.
2. Follow the Email Marketing Laws & Regulations
Also, ensure that your emails comply with local laws and regulations such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
Do not let the legalese intimidate you. Just make sure that you do not buy email lists. Also, double opt-in options are an option so that people are aware of what they are signing up for. Make it easy for people not to subscribe.
Email Marketing Step 2 – Provide great content
Email marketing is about setting expectations.
A strong call to action and consistent follow-up are the keys to a successful email campaign.
You're setting yourself up to fail if you promise one email per week but instead, you send them every day.
Contrarily, if you fail to deliver on critical product or daily updates, your customer will be just as upset.
The first follow-up email is crucial for the success of email marketing campaigns.
Send an Introduction email
Here's an example of an Airbnb welcome email to a host. This email explains how to get started with Airbnb and what you can expect from them.
Spotify sends out an identical email to confirm their subscription and let them know what to expect.
Nearly all email service providers offer the ability to create an automatic welcome sequence.
As a way of introducing yourself and describing your plans for working with the new subscriber, you should immediately send the initial follow-up email.
It is better to be detailed and long-winded than to be concise and quick. But if you are able to do both, you have more power.
It's just a matter of living up the to their expectations.
Do not pitch right away
It's not a fun thing to run an email list. You are there to make sales and engage customers.
It can be difficult to switch from an email list that offers tons of value to one that sells a product for cash.
It's important to plan ahead for your pitching in order to do it well. It's not a good idea to try and surprise everyone by pitching your idea.
A successful campaign will be more effective if the public expects sales pitches every now and again.
Try to imagine yourself as the reader if you are going to be in the selling habit.
Check to see if your message is consistent with the expectations that you have set. Consider what your customer is interested in, and send them similar offers.
Blind offers are more likely to be rejected than those who send them.
Each business is different and each company has its own needs. There are no hard and fast rules about how often you can pitch content or how frequently you can provide it.
Remember that email lists are permission assets. It's better not to be reckless than to be cautious.
How to Create a Great Email Newsletter
Let's discuss the differences between a good and bad newsletter.
If you don't remember ever asking for it, this is the first sign you have received a poor newsletter.
This happens most often when a business fails to have a regular email schedule or adds someone manually to their list after receiving an email from a personal or business card.
You want everyone to remember you. The best way to do that is to not let your emails go unused for too long. Send an email once per month or more if possible.
The most engaging newsletters I have seen are those that combine messaging with updates.
The email may contain images and product updates, but it is balanced with a friendly message or personal message.
Your newsletter should be used to build a relationship with your customer/reader, not to sell them.
Keep the pitch to receive exclusive updates, offers, or announcements.
Take care when using email automation
It's easy to think that you will have the time and energy to respond to each new subscriber if you are just starting an email list.
It becomes almost impossible to keep up once you have more subscribers than you had before.
As your campaigns become more complex, it will be difficult to keep up with everyone.
This is what top marketers do. How do you do it?
Email automation is their secret weapon.
It automatically sends emails you have scheduled in advance.
You can avoid “going dark” by scheduling an email list in advance.
Companies often plan a series emails that will deliver within a few days or months. This warms up everyone who signs up to your list.
This way, when you need to announce a sale or product, you can be sure that people are paying attention.
You're less likely to upset your readers because you have built up a relationship over many weeks or months.
Email Marketing Step 3 – Analytics and Segmentation
Let's now talk about the details behind an email campaign that works.
Segmentation and analytics can be used to refine broadcasts and produce better results than a simple campaign.
How to Understand Email Analytics
We have discussed the importance of analytics for web copy before, and email is no exception.
All email service providers I have ever dealt with offer complimentary analytics.
Although they all are important, the most important three are open rate and click-through rates. Let's take a look at each and find out what we can learn.
Your open rate is the number of people who open your emails. It is based on one invisible tracking pixel, which loads when someone clicks on your email.
Open rates will tell you how well your relationship has developed with readers. People should be excited to open your emails and read them fast.
Low open rates usually indicate that you have many unengaged subscribers. It is important to provide value and manage expectations. These are some tips to increase your open rate.
Your click-through rate (or CTR) is the next indicator of how many people clicked on any link in your email.
Your CTR may be low because your message is not being received or is not being targeted. Focus on your copy in this instance.
Your unsubscribe rate is the number of people who have unsubscribed from your email.
If your unsubscribe rates are high relative to your opt-in rates, you have already reached the point where you can build value and write good copy. You've got serious work ahead of you.
You have built a wall and people who sign up will eventually leave. This is what you should do. Examine when people leave and take steps based on the leaks.
Re-work an automated email if they are leaving. Re-work your offers if they leave after receiving marketing messages.
If they are leaving your email list early, you should fix your original call-to-action so it is in sync with the content of your message.
Email analytics are crucial because they can give you specific clues about what's wrong if you pay attention.
The key is to pay attention.
How to Segment Your Email Marketing Mailing List
Email segmentation, if you don't know what it is, refers to the practice of dividing your email list into more specific groups.
These are some ways to break down a larger list.
- Customer list (in comparison with leads who haven’t bought)
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Daily email list, in comparison to weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc.
- Demographics such as age, job title, and location
- Interests, such as in marketing and sales topics
You can send more targeted communications, just like paid ads.
Some customers may want updates on both sales and product, while others might just want information about new versions. Sales managers might be interested in hearing about a new feature, but not about a marketing tool.
You can also send buyers specific emails thanking them for purchasing, such as this email from Chrome Industries, which thanks people for making a purchase.
Segmentation allows you to send a broadcast to only those who didn't open your previous message (ask them to explain) or to those who showed interest (a second pitch).
Splitting test messaging can be used to test different titles, content, and best practices.
Segmentation is not rocket science as you can see. However, it is hard work and that is why many don't spend the time to do it correctly.
You'll instantly be able to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack.
What is your email list worth?
Your email list can be one of your most valuable assets. If you know how to manage it properly, it will return many times its value.
You can track how much each person on your list spends on an average over time. This will give you an idea of the value of your list.
If 10,000 people spend $50,000 per year on campaigns, and there are two campaigns per year, it is possible to calculate that each subscriber is worth $10 each year.
It is easy to see that losing hundreds of subscribers can be a serious threat to your bottom line if you do the math.
FAQs about Email Marketing
What are the benefits to email marketing?
Email marketing can help businesses reach a wider audience, drive sales, recover abandoned carts, and further develop your relationship with your audience.
How can I create an email list?
You can offer a downloadable asset, host a giveaway, or provide a free email course.
What are the email marketing regulations?
CAN-SPAM and GDPR (for Europe) require you to protect user’s privacy and avoid sending emails to purchased lists.
What is email automation?
Email automation allows you to create complex email campaigns that send emails based on actions, such as when a subscriber adds an item to their cart or downloads an asset.
How do I segment my email list?
Use your email tool to split subscribers based on demographics, interests, or customers versus non-customers. Then, send customized messages to each segment.
Email Marketing Conclusion
It's time for you to review your email marketing strategy if you have been neglecting it.
Marketers who learn the right way to use email marketing can reap huge rewards. It doesn't need to be complicated.
Remember that you are a guest in your subscribers' inboxes. You are just one click away of losing their attention forever. Respectful, polite, and provide value.
Before you can get started, ask permission. It's the right thing. It's also a legal requirement in the age of new data protections like the EU's GDPR.
It is important to keep your promises. Give people what they want and send them emails regularly to meet their expectations.
There is no magic formula to increase email automation. It's all about you and your company's voice.
Once you have mastered the basics, you can move onto email segmentation or analytics. You can send different types of emails to different people so that you can send more useful emails.
How can you keep your readers interested in email marketing?
————————————————————————————————————————————–
By: Neil Patel
Title: A Beginner’s Guide to Email Marketing
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/beginners-guide-email-marketing/
Published Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:00:00 +0000