Learn Email Marketing in 10 Easy Steps

Over the years, many have forgotten the importance as well as the effectiveness of emails. Not only are they a great way to get your word across to countless people, but the fact that over 34% of people worldwide use email makes it a remarkable concept for marketing. It is also a great tool because emails are highly versatile and can be customized according to the demographic they’ll be catering to or according to the demands of the business.

What is Email Marketing?

This is an intrinsic part of digital marketing. Email marketing is the strategic sending of emails to prospective clients or even existing ones to spread the word in a way that best helps one’s business. The emails are composed keeping in mind the preferences of their customers as well as the products/services that they have in store for them. Moreover, they have to be convincing enough to convert potential clients into clients and keep the existing ones loyal.

10 Easy Steps For Email Marketing

1. Understand the compliance

Before attempting email marketing, one has to do their due diligence. There are laws involved which email marketers need to follow to avoid getting fined for going against the set guidelines. However, if you already are a legitimate business with a functioning set of email marketing tools, chances are you’re probably not doing anything illegal. But to be on the safe side, always look up the laws regarding email marketing of your region or country.

2. Build Email Lists

This is one of the most important parts of email marketing. It is pivotal because it helps in building a foundation with your prospective clients and strengthening ties with existing ones. While the existing ones are a different list, the ones you create to bring in new clients should be curated smartly as it can make all the difference. The right people’s list and the right composition of an email together can lead to a sharp rise in sales and an increase in reach as well.

3. Verify emails

After building the list and writing the required email, the next step is to verify the email. This is because you need to make sure that the addresses that you have on your list are active and functioning and you are not wasting your time by sending them to dead ends. This is just a measure to ensure that effective email marketing is taking place. Another reason is that then you know for certain the addresses belong to the person you want to contact and not someone else.

4. Choose the Right Software

When we say broaden your reach using email marketing, it doesn’t mean just shooting your shot and sending mail after mail to people whose addresses you have. It has to be done in a manner that gets you the most out of the communication. This is where choosing the right software comes into play. There are many options which even though have many common points but essentially, are different. Before choosing one, make sure it works with the tone of your marketing strategy. There are a variety of factors to consider, such as:

• Features:
  Many out there have only the basics but then others that have incredible automated campaigns that can do wonders for your business. 
• Automation:
  This is a good tactic and effective when coupled with personalization. You could program emails to be sent on birthdays, anniversaries, a few days after purchase, and others. Further, a series could also be sent out at regular or irregular intervals to keep the customers in the loop. 
• Email designers:
  Aesthetics are important which is why this feature should always be among the top priorities when making a choice. This is because if everybody is doing the same thing, it is features like these that help you in standing out.

These are just a few factors that need to be assessed before choosing a platform. Some examples of good email marketing platforms are Constant Contact, SendinBlue, and Drip, among others.

5. Segment the Email Lists

This helps in making sure that the emails you are sending are getting delivered to people who are interested in buying. Segmented lists are vital as they segregate all your customers into different categories since your approach and strategy for each will be different. Some people browse but never shop, first time buyers, sporadic buyers, frequent buyers, and then comes the various demographics. These lists, therefore, help you in serving them better.

6. Plan For the Campaign

Planning always helps as it makes you more prepared to handle the different issues or situations that could arise. Also, with the help of metrics and other such programs that help you gain behavioral insights of your consumers, you make changes accordingly to get the best results.

7. Build the Email Template

An email template gives your customers a sense of consistency whenever they receive your company’s email as those define it and keep it relevant in their minds. Marketing has always been about the customer and these templates are just another means by which you keep them hooked. They are also vital in maintaining brand awareness since it contains the logo, channels, and the links to the website where the content is.

8. Test the Email Template

Since every email program will display your HTML email differently, you must preview and test it before sending it across the various lists. What might seem ideal on your screen, might not have the same effect on the desktops and phone screens of your customers. Various issues could come up when you test it out, such as spelling or grammar errors, incorrect links, broken designs, etc. Therefore, make sure to test it.

9. Schedule the Campaign

Gone are the days where you manually had to send each email. You can schedule different times when different emails need to be sent across, keeping in mind the availability of customers and when is the ideal time which will increase the chances of the email getting opened. It also eliminates the chances of human error.

10. Analyze the Results

Whenever any strategy is planned, it is done so keeping a specific goal in mind. After the implementation of said strategy, make sure to analyze the results. This step is as important as the whole campaign itself. It will help you in identifying where you went wrong when you don’t get the desired results or what clicked with your customers when you do. This majorly helps in boosting customer engagement as there is always room for improvement.

Conclusion

Email marketing is something that is not going away anytime soon because it not only helps you in maintaining your customer base but also has a personal angle to it. This is because the emails that you send become a part of their inbox where emails from all over are being received – from family to friends to even the company one’s working at. You are directly taking a room in a space that already has so much of their life in it. So make sure to plan smartly and not let this space go in vain.

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