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What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing definition comes in different ways. Here, we have two definitions that will throw more light to it with simplicity. It is the process of sending marketing message or campaign to a targeted audience, for the purpose of marketing a product or service. In other words, it is the use of email for marketing your product or service to a targeted audience. It is a very effective way to build a targeted audience that will get you the results you desire.To achieve maximum results, it will require using any of the email marketing tools online. There are hundreds of email marketing platforms you can use to reach your targeted audience e.g. Aweber, GetResponse, etc.
To be successful in your email marketing campaign, there are email marketing best practices one must follow, if you are doing this on your own. Even if you were to do your marketing with any of the email marketing companies, ensure their email marketing tools has email autoresponder and the best email marketing templates. These are very necessary for a successful marketing online. It is not only about profit making, but about building a relationship with your subscribers. This can be achieved by providing your subscribers with relevant contents that can offer solutions to their needs or problems. The truth is, your subscribers or potential customers know that you are marketing a service or product to them. But don't make it look that way to them. Rather, present your email marketing content as a solution to their problems. You should devise an email marketing strategy that will make your subscribers or customers want to hear from you again.
How To Create An Email Marketing Strategy That Works
Have this is mind that your subscriber receives at least 50 emails every day. And not all of those received emails are read. In most cases, this is due to the email headlines not attractive enough. That means, if you don't create an email marketing strategy that works, your email will be lost in the midst of those other received emails or will be received in the spam folder. So, create an attractive and eye-catching headline your email readers cannot resist.
Before you kickstart your email marketing plan, there are steps to follow:
1.) Build Email List: To advertise your product or service through email marketing content, you will need a particular or targeted audience, right? Then, email list will help you get those kind of audience.
What is email list?
It is the collection of emails from users who have granted you permission via email subscribe button, to send them relevant updates. Building email list takes time. You can start with one subscriber, but treat that one subscriber as gold. With time, your list will grow. You can grow your email list by adding an opt-in form to your blog or website, similar to what we have in https://www.hotbizplanet.blogspot.com .
You can also build your list using Lead Magnets, which involves the use of tactics (attracting leads by giving free offers) to get email signups. In the present time, building an email list has become more cumbersome, as internet users are extra security conscious of who they give their emails or details to online. Many email marketing experts have devised ways to attract signups. Some offer free ebooks for signup, others offer free online course or webinar, free marketing tools, free email marketing templates or something relevant for free. The question is, what can you offer your subscribers for free?
2.) Understand Your Audience: In general marketing, it is very imperative that you understand your audience. If you can understand your audience, click through rates will increase and conversation rates will be high. Your audience are your subscribers, and your subscribers are those who are interested in your niche. They subscribed to your updates because they are interested in what you offer. Now, seize this opportunity to earn their attention with relevant contents and not marketing contents. Don't be promotional with your contents, but offer solutions.
3.) Choose An Email Campaign That Works: In email marketing, an email marketing campaign is one of the deciding factors in a successful content marketing. First, you need to sort out which blog contents are worth sharing with your subscribers, decide whether to send out weekly or monthly updates, should you resend an old post or new product announcement, etc. If you can understand what is relevant to your audience, you will know that email marketing campaign that works.
4.) Make An Email Schedule: Don't forget that you are not the only one sending an email to your subscribers. So your subscribers do not forget about you, you will need to update them with contents from time to time. To do this, you must inform your subscribers ahead, so that they will know what to expect from you. You need to be on the same page. Try to meet up as promised. This way, you will earn trust.
5.) Monitor Your Results: This is an important practice every marketer needs to follow to understand the metrics, which will enable you know what part of your email marketing strategies are working and where needs rectification. Some of these metrics are: bounce rates, emails not opened, click-through rates, unsubscribe rate, spam complaints, etc.
Now that you know how to create an email marketing strategy that works, you can go ahead with your email marketing campaign. We can now talk about how to start email marketing. Below are steps to follow:
How To Start Email Marketing
1.) Choose An Email Marketing Service: There are hundreds of email marketing companies online. Only a few of these companies offer free email marketing tools e.g. HubSpot free email marketing tools. While other email marketing companies like Aweber, GetResponse, ConstantContact, etc. offer paid email marketing tools. You will need an email marketing platform that will allow you to efficiently build, personalize and optimise your email marketing, by making it look professional, without the need for an IT expert or a designer. This is what makes Aweber and GetResponse stand out.
2.) Add Contacts To Your Created Email Marketing Account: Some of these email marketing businesses provide you with an already existing email contacts to start with. While other email marketing companies will expect you to add or import contacts to your created email marketing account. For those who have successfully built an email list, good for you. But for those who are starting from scratch, don't be discouraged. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. Just know this, that no matter how long it takes for you to build your email list, don't you ever purchase an email list, as email marketing involves not just generating leads or sales but building a good relationship with your known audience.
3.) Set Up A Friendly Welcome Email Message: First impression counts a lot. This is where "Welcome email message " comes in. This is the first email message your new subscribers receive from you. Don't forget that this kind of message is delivered to your subscribers just when they are still interested and engaged with what you offer. That was why they subscribed in the first place. Your relationship with them at this point in time is very fragile, as your first impression will determine how they will treat the rest of the emails you send to them.
So, in your welcome email message, it is advisable that you start with a warm and friendly greeting, then follow with an overview of the value they can expect from you and instantly offer something of value for free. When this welcome email message is set up, it will be delivered to your new subscribers automatically upon a successful subscription.
4.) Choose An Email Marketing Template: This is the beauty of all your marketing efforts, choosing an eye-catching template with a clean layout. Depending on the email marketing tool you are using, there a hundreds or thousands of free email marketing templates you can choose from. By statistics, people visit their emails more often on their mobile devices than on a PC. So, have this in mind while choosing an email template. Remember to choose a mobile responsive email template that will fit any mobile device. So, optimize your campaign across all devices.
5.) Write A Heart Changing Content: In a case where you are selling a dental care product for example, and your readers or subscribers already know the kinds of products you offer. It is advisable you don't approach them with the plain intention of selling to them. No, don't do that. Instead, make them understand the importance of a healthy teeth and tell them ways on how to achieve that and how to maintain a healthy teeth. In the process of telling them how to attain a healthy teeth, your dental care product should be one of the easy ways, and not the only way. You are expected to be persuasive, yet gentle with your approach, present your product or service but don't be promotional. Don't let them see your product, but the solution. Always remember to add a call to action, which is what your subscribers or readers should do next after reading your email marketing content.
This way, your subscribers see you as a solution giver and not a marketer. So, be persuasive with your content. Therefore, only send value-driven contents to your subscribers e.g. infographics, survey research results, recent blog contents, webinars, case studies, reviews, testimonies, etc. In other words, share valuable contents over promotional contents.
6.) Create Attractive Subject Lines: Your email headlines need to be captivating so that people will not be able to resist opening need. But let your subject line not be different from what the content says. Don't trick them to click, else you lose the trust you already earned. In creating your subject line, you can even add a compelling question with deadline, that requires urgent reply. Just ensure that your subject line is simple and short with at most, 40 characters.
In email marketing for beginners, the above steps should help guide you through. Do you have any contribution to make, please use the comment box below. And don't forget, there's love in sharing. Share with your friends by using the share buttons above or below this article. Enjoy your journey to a successful email marketing!
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