You’ve heard about the power of social media, you’re well aware of the impact that traditional marketing methods have, but have you heard about what you can do with email marketing? No? Let’s get into it.
So, What is Email Marketing and How Does it Work?
Email marketing isn’t just about sending out random emails to your audience. It’s about creating engaging content that will enrich their experience and perception of your brand. That’s right, it has the power to do all that!
Despite what you’ve heard or may have seen, email marketing isn’t just for the trendy e-commerce businesses you see out there. Come on, we’ve all gotten that email enticing us with an extra 10% off those shoes that you really don’t need or even want. Somehow, that extra 10% just makes them that more attractive!
I mean, just look at this email marketing campaign from J. Crew and tell me that it isn’t attractive:
The more effective your email marketing strategy and campaigns are the more likely you will convert potential leads into customers. That’s their purpose and that’s what they are there for.
The first thing that you need to do in order to set up an effective email marketing campaign is to establish a lead capturing platform. There are many ways that you can do this like providing free guides, e-books, and discounts in exchange for an email address. You could also incorporate a pop up on your landing page to encourage visitors to sign up.
Once you have your mailing list, you can start on your email marketing campaign. How does it work? Well, you can choose to send this list occasional updates, newsletters, promotions, and the latest guides or blog posts to spark their interests. You can set up a drip campaign where a series of emails will be sent out to your list to keep them engaged.
Whatever you do choose to promote and keep in contact with your email list, keep the content engaging to reduce any unsubscribes.
Email Marketing Benefits
Your business can benefit hugely by incorporating email marketing.
- You are targeting an already engaged audience
- You are intriguing new, potential customers
- You have the potential to reach a global audience and extend your target market
- It is super easy to start up
- It is shareable
- You can send out a strong call to action to increase traffic and/or sales
- It has low costs depending on the platform that you utilize
- It has high returns in investment. For every $1 you spend, you get $45 in return.
- Highlight promotions can increase direct and cross sales
Email Marketing Strategies
- Make Use of a Drip Campaign
A drip campaign is a series of automated emails that get sent out to your target market with a purpose. These campaigns usually run over an extended period time with the purpose to nurture your leads.
An example of a drip campaign would be starting off by capturing the lead either by a pop-up or giveaway. Once the email has been captured, your first drip campaign email will send the guide. After that, you can send a series of emails checking in on the lead to see how they found the giveaway and sending them different blog posts that they will find helpful.
- Make Your Emails Personal
Grab readers’ attention by directly addressing them. Make use of your customer data to insert their names. According to Experian, emails that directly address the reader have an x6 open rate.
Don’t let your readers sense that your emails are automated. Go the extra mile by adding in a suitable signature and make your email address a real reply email address.
- Create Valuable Content
The one thing you need to always consider in email marketing is your unsubscribe rates. You never want to produce content that will cause you to lose leads. Think of your email subscribers as little seeds that need nurturing and love to grow into beautiful, big customers!
When crafting your emails, think to yourself, “would I want to read this?” and “what can my readers take from this? Is it making a difference in their lives?”. If the answer is no, then start again!
- Get to Know Your Customers’ Interests
Now that you are wanting to engage with your email base, it is important to consider why they signed up in the first place. Was it through a particular promotion? Did they sign up for a certain guide? Or were they just interested in knowing more about you?
Whatever it may be, keep it in mind. Just because you have their email address doesn’t mean you should spam them with your latest and greatest. Think of it like this, just because you like Christmas doesn’t mean you want to receive a long list of emails about easter, right?
Which Platforms to Use
Choosing your platform has a lot to do with your budget and your skill level. There are many to choose from and sometimes, you just got to take a leap of faith!
MailChimp is probably one of the better-known platforms for email marketing. The platform offers up a free service for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. From there, you can choose between a $10/month option and a $199/month option.
The platform is super easy to use with many templates to help guide your emailing process. You can set up automated emails as well as customize your subscriber list based on their needs.
CampaignMonitor is well known for their drag-and-drop email builder. This feature allows for a quick and effective design. They offer a free demo where you can test the product out. If you are looking to get serious, the pricing starts from $9 to $149 per month.
So, there you have it. You are all set to take on the email marketing world! And, as always, if you ever get stuck or need advice on content, give us a shout. We are always here to help!