With all the talk of videos and instant messaging, it appears that email is long past its peak. However, if you think email is dead, you are missing out on good metrics. Believe it or not, email marketing is still going strong today. Evidence shows that email marketing remains to be one of the best marketing channels you can use, along with social media and SEO.
But why? With all the hype over new channels, how does this decades-old technology remain so effective? Aside from the fact that many still use email every day, especially adult web users, it also offers numerous benefits:
It Is Affordable
One of the most obvious perks of email marketing is its lower cost compared to other mainstream marketing channels. You are not required to pay fees in exchange for exposure or advertisements. While email marketers may consider investing in email marketing templates or professional services, these are just small overheads and are still far lower than what you would expect to pay using other popular channels.
It Engages Interested Clients
Email marketing is one of the few channels that clients ask to receive. While unsolicited email marketing messages are possible, most businesses using this platform only send messages to people who have signed up to get them. This allows for better conversion rates, as you are only targeting those who are already interested in your brand.
It Is Easy to Use
A good email marketing strategy does not require a big team or technical genius in order to be successful. As mentioned earlier, it is possible to start an email campaign using fancy email marketing templates. Some of the most successful campaigns just use simple, plain-text emails.
It Is Shareable to a Global Audience
It is easy to forward brilliant deals and offers to people at the click of a button. Not all marketing strategies can do this. While you can use social media, a huge influence on online marketing in the past few years, to reach a global audience, there is no telling who is actually reading your posts and advertisements. It is believed that more people are reading emails, especially if your subject line is interesting.
It Has an Instant Impact
Due to the immediacy of email, you can start seeing the results within minutes after it is sent. An overnight sale is an excellent marketing strategy that you can use on emails because it influences people to act fast. With prints and broadcast campaigns, it takes approximately weeks to see sales coming, and even then, it is more difficult to know which were responsible for the revenues.
A successful email marketing strategy is truly more important than ever for business. Unfortunately, many miss out on its great benefits because they do not know how to do it right.
How Do You Start an Email Marketing Campaign?
1. Get Permission
Starting an email campaign has to begin with permission. You have to focus on building a sizable list.
A good call to action must come into play, and copy writing is also very important. You have to establish your credibility by explaining what your emails are for and make people interested in them.
To entice more clients, you have to share specifics. You can give discounts and freebies or new releases and product updates. Whatever that incentive is, make it clear and appealing, and never be afraid to promote it.
2. Follow Through with Excellent Content
Expectations are part of email marketing, and it is up to you to set them. If you have a strong call-to-action phrase and you follow up consistently, then you can expect a positive campaign. If there are critical product updates, you can send follow-ups daily.
You are not sending emails just for fun; you are there to do business. However, transitioning from an email list that offers freebies into phrases that promote products for sale can be a tricky switch to make. You have to be careful.
If you will be selling often, you have to be consistent with the expectations you send. Try to understand why the consumer has shown interest before, and apply that similar offers down the line. If you do blind offers, you’ll likely lose permission to keep doing so.
Also, it is important to write a good email newsletter. One bad sign that you have received a bad newsletter is that you do not remember ever asking for one. This happens when a business fails to send regular emails or manually adds people to their lists after getting their contact information.
Be sure that everyone remembers you. Never let your emails lapse too long. Send at least once monthly, while one per week is close to ideal.
If you have just started, it is quite easy to personally respond to every new subscriber. However, once you start getting a handful of subscribers daily, it is impossible to keep up with this practice. The secret of most top marketers is the use of autoresponders. By scheduling emails to send in advance, you can avoid lapses for any length of time.
These are just some of the basics of email marketing. Take things to the next level by working with SEO professionals. See our reasonably priced services and chat with our experts anytime by completing the form below.
