No matter how many new methods for engaging your audience emerge, nothing can beat email marketing. It endures as the most direct, personal, and effective method for reaching your customers. Data and metrics back this up.
If you’re new to the idea and want to get started, here’s your email marketing cheat sheet.
Email Marketing Starts with a Clear Goal
Every campaign starts with a goal. Ask yourself what you hope to achieve through investing in email marketing. It can be something as simple as “increase sales”, “build relationships with customers”, or “grow my subscriber list”.
You just need something to get you started and work towards. It’s important to have a goal, because this will help you make every other decision in your strategy.
The Benefits of Email Marketing
There are several reasons why email marketing continues to be the leader in audience engagement:
- It provides a captive audience for your message.
- Email is still more personal than social media, videos, blogs, or any other marketing channel.
- Email autoresponder programs automate the process so you can get great results with little effort.
- These programs also give you robust feedback about your target market.
- Email marketing gives you a valuable touchpoint with your audience, facilitating two-way communication that builds relationships.
What Should You Write?
The best email content is non-promotional. It should contain tips that help subscribers tackle problems they’re facing. Audit your knowledge about the subject matter and find things that would help. You can also look at your ideal customer profile and see what issues, questions, and problems they have.
Within the helpful content, include soft promotions, such as advertisements for new products or services, reminders about your loyalty programs, and special offers. Give them exclusive deals that are only available for list subscribers to reward them for staying with you.
Emails should be short and concisely written. Chop up text into small paragraphs or single sentences so it’s easy to read.
Growing Your List
People won’t give you their name and email address for no reason. You need to motivate them. The best way to grow your list is to offer a free information product in exchange for their contact information. Think about your target market and create something that will provide excellent value and give them a quick win. Then, blast this product out wherever your audience is found.
Whatever you do, don’t buy a list! The best-case scenario? You’ll acquire a list of random people who have no interest in your products. Worst case, you could get into legal trouble for spamming.
Test, Test, and Test Again
The key to email marketing success is to test every element repeatedly until you find out what works. The subject line is the most important element, as it determines whether subscribers even read your message. But content, layout, call to action, timing, “from” line, and images all need to be tested too.
How to Get Started
Start by investing in an autoresponder program. This software program allows you to send broadcast messages and manage your list. Next, choose a goal and start creating your email marketing strategy. The sooner you can get started, the better. Then, you’ll be on the road to improving your campaign through trial and error.
Want to learn more about how you can achieve your business goals through email marketing? Head over here:
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