Email marketing has long been a popular technique for businesses of all sizes. Nowadays, new techniques like social media are getting more attention, but email still has a large role to play. So why is it so effective, and how can you make the most of your email marketing strategy?
Why Is Email Still So Effective?
Email is still one of the most popular activities online, with people accessing their inboxes on a regular basis. People also access their emails on their mobile devices on the go, and this means it is a great way to contact your targets with your latest offers and information. Other reasons email still works as a marketing technique include:
- Email is an excellent way to start a personal conversation with your targets, making it an ideal way to build trust.
- You are in complete control. Your list is your marketing property, and you can contact your targets whenever you want.
- List segmentation provides a way to target your emails more accurately.
- It’s affordable. Emails are free to send and you only pay for the platform you use.
- It is highly measurable, and you can use what you learn from analytics to constantly improve your marketing.
Get the Basics Set Up
Setting up an email campaign is relatively simple. Just choose one of the main providers like Constant Contact, Aweber, MailChimp or GetResponse, and sign up to their service. Create a form asking your website visitors for their emails, and provide something in return to make it worth their while.
Once you’ve got that in place, simply start to collect email addresses and begin sending out regular emails to your subscribers.
That is the basic process, and here is a guide that goes into more details. However, anyone can do the basics. So what do you need to do in order to make your email marketing a real success?
Top Strategies for Email Success
If you want to take your email marketing to the next level, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Don’t waste the moment when you sign up a new subscriber to your list. Divert them to a thank you page and take advantage of the fact that they are currently highly engaged with your brand by recommending a free trial of your product or simply asking them to read your latest blog post. Use it to start a conversation and don’t waste the opportunity.
Make sure you provide something of true value in return for email addresses. Don’t assume that people will sign up to your list simply because it is free, and make sure they genuinely want what you are offering. This creates the expectation that you will consistently deliver value, building trust with your brand.
Create a dedicated landing page for your email list that only has one purpose: to encourage people to sign up. Once you’ve set it up, test it. Test all the elements including the headline, the form, the testimonials, the social proof and more to boost your number of sign-ups.
Your email needs to stay out of the junk mail folder, so always ask your subscribers to add you to their safe list. If they are using Gmail, ask them to add you to the primary inbox and provide instructions. Also make sure your unsubscribe button is clear so that subscribers can unsubscribe with ease rather than hitting the spam button.
Use a personal tone in your emails and talk to your subscribers directly. Use a real name in the ‘From’ section, and do everything you can to make it a one-to-one conversation. Do your best to avoid corporate language and jargon.
Experiment with segmenting your lists. Create separate segmentation for those subscribers who have not opened emails in the last three months, or for those who have recently made a purchase. You can get really clever with segmentation, and it can help to make your emails hyper-targeted.
Most importantly, make sure you consistently send emails that your subscribers want to read. This creates value, improving the likelihood that subscribers will look for your emails and will actually want to read them.
Enjoy More Success with Your Email Strategy
Emails have long been a popular marketing technique, and they will continue to be effective for a long time to come. Use the ideas above to supercharge your email strategy and reap the benefits of this highly effective – and affordable – marketing technique.
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