Email marketing is an important aspect of any business. The following blog will help guide you through the process of setting up an email campaign and engaging your customers in a productive manner.
Setting up an Email Marketing Campaign
The first step is to set up an email marketing campaign, which can be done in just a few minutes. Email marketing is the act of sending emails using marketing automation tools, aimed at making interest in your product/service. Businesses commonly use it to promote their products/services, but it could be just as useful for personal use.
Many people first start out by collecting email addresses through the checkout process on their website. This works well for websites that sell physical products. Businesses that offer digital goods (eBooks, music and videos) should send out an email asking their customers to opt-in to receive emails from them in the future.
The key to creating an impressive campaign is including the right information. Don’t overwhelm your customers with information that they don’t need or want; instead, focus on providing helpful content that will encourage them to engage with you.
Tips for setting up an email marketing campaign:
Create a plan for what you want your customers to get out of the campaign. This will help you determine how frequently you should send emails, what content should be included in the emails and how frequently each type of content should be sent.
Determine how often you should send emails. Sending emails too often means you can turn off your customers. But sending them too infrequently means you may not have enough time to get everything done before sending another message. Try sending emails once a week at first, then adjust accordingly based on customer feedback.
Make your emails personal. Personalized emails are always better than impersonal ones. If you notice one customer hasn’t bought anything from you for two months, send him or her a personalized email asking if he or she would like to do so now. This will make your business feel more human and foster stronger relationships with your customers.
Keep it short and sweet. Customers are busy people who probably don’t want to read a novel in their inbox. Make sure that your emails are concise and relevant. If you send an email with only one or two sentences, you’re less likely to lose your customer’s attention.
Use images. Emails with images generally get higher click-through rates than those without them. Images make your emails look more appealing and can help sell a product or service.
Email service providers (ESPs)
ESPs are the backbone of any respectable email marketing campaign. One of their main functions is to send and receive emails on behalf of your customers using the Internet. ESPs also provide a variety of other features, including analytics, templates, tracking, deliverability, security and more.
Both small-time email marketers and large corporations use ESPs because they offer an impressive number of benefits. ESPs allow you to send regular newsletters to your subscribed customers and individual messages depending on their interests and demographics. This helps you target specific groups that will be most receptive to your brand or product.
The best ESPs are affordable enough for start-ups, but enterprise-grade enough for even the biggest organisations. Here are some tips to help you choose one that’s right for you:
Connectivity. An important consideration is how the ESP connects with other services you are using. If you need to connect it with proprietary technology to other systems or devices, there may be additional costs involved for setting up this connection.
Analytics. Email service providers offer a range of analytics capabilities so you can see who is engaging with your emails and how effective each campaign has been in terms of clicks, opens, unsubscribes and more.
Different types of email marketing
Email marketing is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of different strategies and tactics. Let’s break down each of them below.
Email Automation Campaign:
An email automation campaign is a sequence of emails that are triggered by a user’s behaviour. For example, you might send an email the first time a user visits your site and then follow up with them later with a series of emails that advertise your products.
The goal of an email automation campaign is to:
1. Persuade the users to act (e.g., buy your products, register for your website).
2. Create an emotional connection between the user and the company (e.g., make the user feel like they’re part of something special).
3. Capture as much information as possible about the users (e.g., their names, email addresses) so you can market to them in the future.
Email Newsletters:
An Email Newsletter is a regularly scheduled email that includes updates about your business, special deals and any new products you have available. They are a great way to keep in touch with your target audience and create a sense of loyalty with your customers.
The easiest way to set up a newsletter is to use one of the many “free” services available online. For example: Constant Contact, Mail Chimp and Weber.
The key to setting up an email newsletter is to make sure that your readers know they are signing up for it. Once they sign up, send them a quick message thanking them for signing up and asking if they wanted to receive additional information in the future. Don’t forget to include a link or a brief description of what you will be sending them in the future.
Newsletters can be sent out weekly or monthly depending on how often you feel is necessary. You can send them more frequently than this, but I suggest not doing so unless it’s critical information for your customers.
Although you can include links to your website where people can learn more about what you offer or specific products, newsletters should not be used as an advertisement for products or services.
Triggered Emails:
The triggered email is a very effective marketing tool. When a customer purchases a product from your site, an automated email gets sent to the customer 5 minutes after the purchase.
The benefit of this method is that it helps to eliminate those abandoned carts and increase your sales as well as loyalty among potential customers.
Abandoned carts occur when a visitor adds something to his cart and then leaves without buying. Triggered emails will help you reduce this number because it will remind them about their purchase and what they might have left behind.
It’s much easier to convert a customer than to find a new one. And it’s much easier to convert someone who has already expressed interest in what you’re selling than someone who has never heard of you before.
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