Email Marketing – The What, Why and How
Email Marketing… what is it and why should you think about using it in your business?
When you want to grow your business, improve brand awareness or sell your products and / or services, email marketing is one of the most popular—and effective—tools to use. Most of us look at our emails every day, which is why email marketing can help you build a relationship with your audience while also driving traffic to your website, social media or other platform.
If you decide that email marketing is something to try within your business, the first place to start is to build up a database (which can also be known as a Customer Relationship Management – CRM). Put simply, this is a list of emails that could include your past customers, existing customers and potential customers. There are a many options, platforms and softwares out there to choose from to start building your email list and sending emails.
How to Build Your Email List
There are many ways to start building your database, such as collating all of your customer information into an excel spreadsheet (including the customer name and email address). However, in order to keep growing your email list you need to encourage people to opt into receiving messages from you by using lead magnets. You could offer a discount on your customers’ first orders when they sign up for your email newsletter, or maybe you can offer new subscribers free shipping on their next order. The aim of a lead magnet is to offer something in exchange for an email address. It’s also important to keep on top of your email list, such as adding your new customers (if they have given you permission to do so).
What to Say in Your Emails
Once someone has trusted you with their email address, it is important not to flood their inbox. Not only does this increase the likelihood of them unsubscribing from your email list, but sending too many emails could be considered spam and prevent your emails from reaching inboxes. Instead, focus on sending valuable emails at a frequency you feel would be beneficial and managable for your audience.
Valuable email ideas include:
- A welcome email
- Confirmation of order / shipping / delivery email
- A monthly newsletter
- Seasonal updates / promotions
- Surprise discounts and offers
- Important industry information and educational pieces
For example, we send out monthly email newsletters that include what we’ve been up to that month, snippets of our latest blog posts, important and relevant business news and updates that help and support business owners (our target audience).
Keep your emails concise, with strong call to actions (such as ‘Read More Here’, ‘Contact Us’ or ‘Buy Now’) and an engaging subject line. Emails that are too long in length are often left unread or automatically cut short by certain email providers. No matter which email marketing platform you choose to use to build and manage your email list and send emails from, ensure that your emails are well laid out and look good.
Also, be aware of national (and international) email regulations. Make sure you adhere to any legal requirements and applicable laws in your area when sending automated emails, like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the treatment of personal information.
No matter what type of business you operate, an email list is an important element of a successful marketing strategy. With that list, you can share your story, promote your business, and showcase your products, all while turning subscribers into paying customers.
Not sure where to start with your email marketing? We can help you to build your database, set up and manage your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and create, design and send regular emails. Get in touch with us today.
