Removing The Mystery Out Of Email Marketing

There seems to be a buzz around email marketing with a lot of pressure on building it into your business marketing strategy. But, what are the benefits to it? Is it really better than what you are already doing? This blog explores the pros and cons of email marketing and how to actually do it in a way that will bring you results for your business. It also explores how to get people on to your mailing list and then how to get them to actually open your email and engage with the content. So, if you regularly send emails or are just thinking of starting with email marketing then this blog is for you.

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is essentially the process of connecting with your customers, or collective customers on a mass scale through the medium of email. The emails can be used to further your brand awareness, add some value to your client through informative content, or be used for direct sales, it’s all part of email marketing. The main thing is that you are getting directly into your clients inbox so you can showcase your business to them, but because of the busy-ness of inboxes, your emails must be crafted in such a way that entices them to open the email so that they can actually view your amazing content.

What are the benefits of email marketing over social media?

If you are considering email marketing for the first time, it may feel as though it is just another thing to do on top of all the marketing you already do, particularly social media marketing. If you want to begin email marketing then you need to commit to it. You need to send regular emails that are well crafted and purposeful. However, the good news is that you can repurpose your newsletter content into social media posts so it cuts down the amount of time you have to spend creating content. Think about your social media as your shop window, where people can get a glimpse of what you do. But your emails are like people going into the shop, they are already interested and can really begin to get a feel for what you offer in an up close and personal way with a view to buying. That is why email marketing can be so powerful.

How to get started with email marketing

When you have decided to take the plunge, the next step is to decide how you are going to do it. There are many platforms that you can use to manage your marketing campaigns: MailerLite, Mailchimp, Active Campaign, Convert Kit. Essentially, all of these platforms will do fundamentally the same things but some provide better integrations, segmentations or functionality as well as price, so do your research and find which will suit you best. Once you have the platform set up, you can’t just add people to your list. In order to be GDPR compliant, they must have signed up in some way.

Ways to get people to sign up to your mailing list

You need to get people to sign up to your mailing list so that you actually have people to send content to. You will need to create an opt-in form that people can use to input their email address to register their confirmation that they want to receive emails from you. Many platforms will allow you to do this directly through them. You could also embed this form on your website, or even have a pop up on your website. Create social posts that advertise that you send emails and what people might receive when they sign up. There are also some clever integrations that you could use, for instance if anyone buys from you there could be an opt in to emails, or if they book a call if you they could be added. The main thing is that you start building that list.

Lead magnet

Another way of encouraging people to sign up to your list is by creating a lead magnet. This is a piece of downloadable content that you give away for free in exchange for someone’s email address. The content should be valuable and enough of a hook that people want to receive it. When they sign up to get the content, their email address will be added to your list and then they can receive all of the other emails you send.

Nurture sequence

It might be worth considering a nurture sequence for your subscribers. This is a series of emails that someone might receive when they either first sign up for your list, or when they get your lead magnet. This sequence of emails can slowly introduce you, your brand and what you have to offer. This can help to build know, like and trust with your prospective customers before they get put on to your regular email list.

What to send

When you are thinking about what sort of emails to send, there should be a strategy, as there is with any other marketing effort. Think about what you are trying to achieve with the email. Perhaps you are trying to grow your brand credibility, so an email jam packed with tips, information and ideas for your reader is what’s important. Or you might want to drive traffic to your website so highlightlight content that can be found there with links to find out more is useful. Whatever your goal, make sure you keep it in mind when producing your content.

Email marketing is a powerful tool that can really help to engage with an already warm audience and turn them into customers. It is more personable than social media, and allows you to produce a much more targeted approach. Therefore, email marketing is probably worth the effort, and worth building into your overall marketing strategy.