Email marketing has become an essential tool for organizations across the spectrum in order to interact with their target audience, create connections, and consequently drive conversions.
Email marketing continues to be one of the most efficient digital marketing techniques given its high return on investment and direct reach approach.
However, for newcomers, entering the expansive realm of email marketing could seem intimidating and overwhelming. This thorough book seeks to lay a firm foundation for newcomers by discussing the fundamental principles, best practices, and tools required to build a successful email marketing campaign.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is a type of direct marketing that uses email to advertise your company’s products and services. It is an approach to marketing in which organizations send out promotional communications to a large number of consumers in one go.
It allows businesses to communicate directly with their audience, delivering personalized content, promotional offers, news updates, and more.
Email is one of the most traditional kinds of digital communication, especially in comparison to newer techniques of communication such as social media and live chat.
However, with a user base of over 4.5 billion, email is one of the most powerful digital marketing methods available today and remains the king of marketing channels.
Did you know? Email marketing offers a return on investment of $36 for every dollar spent! This is just one more reason why it should be a part of your marketing strategy.
Is Email Marketing Still Relevant?
Despite the rise of social media, many continue to prefer email to other channels. According to most data, the majority of people use email, and the number continues to grow each year.
With email marketing, you also own the connections—you don’t have to be concerned about algorithm updates destroying your reach. You can be completely in control of it.
It has even outperformed social media, SEO trends, and affiliate marketing as the most effective marketing channel! According to HubSpot, four out of five marketers would choose to forego social media over email marketing in today’s day and age.
What are the benefits of email marketing?
1) Wide Reach
With billions of email users worldwide, you can reach a large audience at any point in time. You can filter your reach according to your preferences as well.
2) Direct Communication
With email marketing, you can communicate with subscribers directly based on their schedules. Furthermore, because the majority of people check their email numerous times per day, the changes in your email being viewed are quite likely.
Since email marketing is permission-based, there also comes a sense of trust that your audience is giving you. When a customer gives you their email address, it’s the equivalent of giving you the keys to their house. This act further raises the chances of boosting engagement and conversion.
3) Control and Personalization
With other marketing platforms, you do not have any control or ownership over the platform. If the platform goes away, all of your efforts will go with it as well. This can significantly limit your reach, especially when Google or Facebook undergo different algorithm updates. With email, one of its biggest pluses is that you own the relationships you build with your subscribers – through and through.
4) Cost-effective and Measurable
Compared to traditional marketing methods, email marketing is relatively inexpensive and does not require a chunk of monetary investment. Which is why the ROI is drastically more when it comes to email marketing.
You can also easily measure the performance of your marketing campaign using automated email marketing. Email marketing allows you to track open rates, click-through rates, and other metrics to measure campaign performance.
5) Personalized
Email marketing allows you to construct personalized and hyper-targeted campaigns using demographic or psychographic data. According to research, segmented and personalized campaigns can improve revenue by up to 760 %! Personalization also gives a sense of appreciation and importance to your audience, making it easier for them to connect with you.
Are there any disadvantages to email marketing?
Like any marketing strategy, email marketing comes with its fair share of pros and cons. Having discussed a majority of its benefits, let us see where email marketing can fall short.
1) Competition
With an expansive user base and an equally expansive competition pool, it can be difficult to stand out in a crowded inbox. It’s important to keep your email content crisp and innovative in order to ensure that your emails are opened and have a lasting impression.
2) Email List
The only way to conduct email marketing is to have an existing email list with your target audience. If you do not have an email list, all your efforts will be ineffective. Unlike platforms like social media, you cannot expect your content to land upon an audience since it relies on direct communication. As difficult and time-consuming as building an email list can be, it is the very first step in developing an effective email marketing strategy.
3) Rules and Regulations
With email marketing, there are a number of laws that govern the use of email for commercial purposes that you need to be aware of. GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CCPA are common examples to keep an eye on. These laws exist to prohibit companies from sending any unsolicited emails and focus on data preservation obligations.
How does email marketing work?
There are 3 important steps to a successful and result-driven email marketing campaign.
1) Building an email list
As discussed, building a good email list is the very first step in developing a successful email marketing strategy.
One of the simplest ways to create an email list is to develop a lead magnet (also known as an offer) that your target audience will appreciate, such as a coupon, in exchange for their email addresses. Create dedicated landing pages with compelling offers to encourage email sign-ups.
Additionally, you can also place sign-up forms across your website to get your visitor’s email address or promote it on your social media platform.
2) Email Service Provider
An email service provider (ESP), often referred to as an email marketing platform, is a software that assists in managing your email list. It also helps in the creation and execution of automated email campaigns.
You can also use an ESP to build automatic triggers when your audience undertakes specific activities, such as sending a cart reminder if a user adds an item to their cart but does not checkout. Personalizing interactions with these triggers increases engagement and open rates.
When choosing an ESP, consider factors such as deliverability rates, ease of use, list management capabilities, automation features, analytics and reporting options, and customer support.
3) Define Your Goals
With email marketing you can undertake a variety of business goals such as driving sales, boosting brand awareness, engaging with your audience, and building a loyal consumer base. In order for your email marketing to work, your goals must be aligned.
The very first step is to segregate your email list based on subscriber demographics and actions. Next, write an email or series of creative emails to persuade customers to complete an action (your aim). And finally, use your ESP to automatically send emails and monitor the campaign.
What are Lead Magnets?
Lead magnets are freebies given to prospective subscribers in return for their email addresses. E-books, checklists, templates, and free trials are examples of such resources. Make sure your lead magnet is useful and relevant to your target demographic. This can help measurably in building a good email list.
Email Marketing vs. Other Marketing Channels
While social media and other marketing platforms have their perks, email marketing stands out. In comparison to social media algorithms and the congested cacophony of other platforms, it provides a more personal and direct approach to addressing your audience.
Ways of Crafting Effective Emails
1) Define Your Goals
It is extremely important to clearly define your email marketing goals, such as promoting products, driving traffic, nurturing leads, or building brand awareness. This will help shape your email content and strategies. If your goals are not clear to you, you will not be able to narrow down a strategy that will make you see results.
2) Understand Your Target Audience
Segment your email list based on demographics, interests, or purchase history. This enables you to send personalized and relevant content that resonates with each segment. Doing so will help your audience connect with you more effectively and associate you with a user-friendly experience.
3) Write Compelling Subject Lines
With users getting multiple emails daily, it is important to ensure that your email will stand apart. Subject lines play a crucial role in email open rates. Craft concise and compelling subject lines that pique curiosity, create urgency, and offer value to entice recipients to open your emails.
4) Design Engaging Email Content
Create visually appealing emails with a clear hierarchy, using images, videos, and infographics when relevant. Keep the content concise, scannable, and focused on delivering value to the recipient. This makes the experience more appealing to the user, leaving a positive lasting impression.
5) Optimize for Mobile Devices
With the increasing use of smartphones, ensure your emails are mobile application-friendly. Use responsive design, avoid small fonts, and optimize images and buttons for mobile viewing.
By following the guidelines outlined in this guide, you can lay a strong foundation for your email marketing campaigns. You can also connect with the expert team at North Rose Technologies that help you develop result-driven marketing strategies. Taking over the task for you, the years of experience and adaptability that comes with our team can be a game-changer for your business.
