How Your Business Can Benefit From Email Marketing

Everyone uses email regardless of industry or profession. It’s hard to imagine anybody not having an existing email account today. Emailing has become a standard mode of communication, and it only continues to grow in relevance. It should be no surprise then, how email marketing is becoming more and more crucial for any business or brand entering the digital space.

What exactly is email marketing?

Email marketing is essentially the marketing strategy of sending emails to your target audience be it through weekly newsletters, promos, or special events and deals. It’s one of the most reliable tools you can use to build a relationship with your audience and turn prospects into buyer.

This is an example from an email campaign we did.

When you have a direct method of communicating with your target audience, you’re more easily able to demonstrate your value to them and build further trust. When someone agrees to be part of your email list, you have the opportunity to send them relevant content that they might find useful.

What can you put in your emails?

Aside from just selling to your target audience your products or services, your emails must also provide value. When you’re able to demonstrate your expertise, they’ll look forward to hearing from you each week.

For instance, you could send an email that links to a recent blog post that you wrote, or a short message containing information that your reader might not know. You may also link your readers to your social media accounts, where they’ll be able to better connect with you and your brand.

The importance of email marketing:

1. Secure - One of the downsides of social media marketing is you don’t own your following. If (god forbid) your Facebook Business Page unexpectedly shuts down, you’ll have your email list handy for contacting your customer base. Moreover, you’ll never lose your list even if you switch email apps, as it is extremely easy to import to another provider.
2. Cost-effective - Email marketing is relatively inexpensive. When you compare it to other marketing efforts like paid ads, the value you get out of it is leagues better. You can get your emails to thousands of people for very little money spent.
3. Customizable - The more people you have on your email list, the easier it is to segment your audience by demographic. That way, you can personalize your ads based on who you're targeting. The more personal your emails feel, the more effective they are. As an added touch, you can add your reader’s first name at the beginning of your email.
4. Effective - A well-timed offer, a sense of urgency, and generous sales or free shipping are reliable techniques you can use to convert potential customers. A single well-written and well-designed email might be all it takes to get that one sale.
5. Time-efficient - Once you’ve set up your email list and your email campaign, you can pretty much be hands-off with your email marketing efforts. Your offers and announcements will automatically be sent out to your lists and you’ll only need to tweak your campaigns and track your analytics from time to time. This saves you plenty of time and allows you to focus on other aspects of your business.

How to get started with email marketing:

So you’re finally ready to do email marketing. Here are the first few steps you should take:

1. Choose your email provider - There are various criteria which you must be on the lookout for when choosing your email provider. But at the very least, your provider must: be reliable at delivering on your goals, have templates that you can customize for campaigns, advanced features like analytics and split testing, and good customer support.
2. Create a compelling opt-in - Of course, before you can send out emails, you’ll first need people to send them to. You can start building your list by creating a good opt-in for your potential customers. Give them a good reason to join your email list either by offering something after they sign up, or providing valuable insights.
3. Send out weekly newsletters - Your audience must hear from you consistently. When you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind. An effective way to stay relevant is to send out a weekly newsletter. You don’t just establish your presence once. You must maintain it by being consistent with your email content.
4. Track your results - Once your email marketing campaigns have taken off and you’re getting results, you must start tracking your progress. Measure your growth and find places where you can improve your marketing efforts. You can achieve a lot just by knowing what works and what doesn’t. Always adjust according to your needs.

Conclusion

Although email has been around since the internet’s early days, it still remains the most important means of communication in the business world. It’s no secret that even the biggest companies take advantage of email marketing.

There will be a bit of a learning curve when you get started with your own email marketing endeavors, but this article should have the most important steps to help you out. So there you have it. Remember to partner with a trusted provider and be creative but professional with your campaigns.

If you wish to learn about email marketing providers/apps, our next article is the best place to go. You may also contact us and talk to an expert directly.