What is email marketing?
Take a moment and think about how far the internet has come since the advent of email. It’s easy to forget it was once the prime communication method (remember all those chain emails?).
Now in this world of constant microblogging (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.) and instant messaging (Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc.), it’s easy to forget about the value email marketing continues to offer a brand, product, or service.
Which is a big mistake, why? Because many leading marketers still consider email marketing to be one of the most crucial and cost-effective communication tools available today.
Why is email marketing so powerful?
Have you ever wondered why email marketing is so powerful? It’s simple really because you need an email address to do most things these days, from setting up user accounts to applying for a job. Just about everyone has an email address, and unlike social media, people tend to use it consistently.
Which means that with the right email marketing strategy, you can cost-effectively achieve massive conversions, make more sales and grow your brand, business or service.
And that’s where we come in. With our easy to follow email marketing guide, we are confident that not only will you deliver real value to your potential customers. You will also achieve the results you need to for your online business to grow and be successful.
So where do you start?
You start by, and that includes the subject line. All your hard work to craft outstanding products, fine-tune your branding, and convert people to your email list can stand or fall on whether or not you have a compelling subject line.
Email marketing is not the place for a hard sell. People only open emails if they are interested in the information they believe the email contains. They are curious by a subject line that makes them want to know more, or the creativity of the subject line appeals to them or suggests some entertaining content.
Getting your subject line direct, and to the point, is a must. Remember for many customers; this may be the first time they have heard from you. So you need to cut through the usual ‘white’ noise and deliver a concise message that arouses their interest, and you need to do this with a maximum of 41 – 50 characters.
Remember, there are three fundamental qualities to the best subject lines – interest, curiosity and engagement.
Along with the subject line, the content and tone of your email are crucial; not only do you need to develop content that conveys the relevant messages to your customers. It needs to be delivered in such a tone that the audience immediately engages with your messages, and take the appropriate steps as you have set them out in the email.
Once you have developed and written the content, you need to proofread it to ensure there are no errors. While the truth is that mistakes do happen, to even the best of us. You need to double-check that you don’t send emails with typos among other errors – nothing turns off a customer more than a poorly written email.
Finally, close your email by ensuring that all your contact details are correct and your customer can respond to you with the absolute minimum of fuss.
Don’t forget to add any links and a call to action.
Because you want your potential customers to take immediate action, adding links is one of the most crucial steps for effective email marketing. Strategically placing useful links in your email will direct your customers to the specific areas of your website or your various social media platforms for more information.
Check your list, track and analyse the effectiveness of your email marketing campaign.
Under no circumstances can you skip this, as it plays such a significant role in the success or failure of your email marketing campaign. Any slight mistake in your list can often see all your hard work wasted.
So to ensure this doesn’t happen, you need to go through your list with a fine comb to ensure there are no duplicate, invalid or improperly formatted salutations, names and addresses.
In our opinion, getting a potential customer’s name wrong, is worse than a poorly written email as this shows a complete lack of respect for the customer on your part.
Remember the opt-out or unsubscribe link.
The opt-out or unsubscribe link is a crucial feature of any email and is non-negotiable. You must allow customers the opportunity to opt-out from receiving any further emails from you.
Opportunities to grow your email list
To help grow your list. Make sure you include an easy to complete sign-up form on both your website and your social media platforms as this help to get their attention and encourages them to sign up and give you their valuable contact information.
But all of this is only part of a successful strategy.
Following this guide is only part of achieving fantastic results for your email marketing activity, the money is in the ‘follow up’, so remember even the best email marketing strategy will fail if you don’t continue to follow up.
