Email marketing is one of the most effective and popular ways of attracting potential customers to a business, but it can be a tricky subject to master. It’s important to remember that not all email campaigns will perform the same way, so it’s essential to test each tactic and analyse the results to determine what’s working and what isn’t. In this article, we’ll discuss some tried and tested email marketing methods that will help you to stand out from the crowd and increase the chances of that elusive email sale.
Email List Building
The first step to effective email marketing is creating a solid email list. You can do this either manually or using a tool like HubSpot which can greatly automate the process. Even if you already have a fairly large audience, it’s worth spending some time building a quality email list as it will make a massive difference to the success of your campaign. Remember, the more you use your email list, the more valuable it becomes.
Content Is Crucial
When it comes to marketing with email, content is everything. People have short attention spans so it’s important to keep your emails short and focused on engaging with your audience. Avoid using long-winded stories or rambling on about your product. Keep it simple, direct and easy to understand. People love stories but they hate being bored.
If you’re writing an eBook for your business then including tons of helpful mini-tutorials or short tips can be very effective. Alternatively, you can use infographics, case studies or any other type of visually-striking content.
Whatever you use, make sure that it’s engaging. Find out what works best for your audience and stick with it. If you’re wondering what the best content to include in your next campaign is, ask yourself questions about what your customers want and need.
Personalization Is Key
When you’ve built your email list, it’s time to start personalizing your emails. Depending on your email marketing software, you may be able to pull individual email addresses into a special section where you can more closely target your messages. You can also set a personal email address as the return address so that your recipients can feel like you’re just sending them information personally. This will help boost your credibility as an expert in your field and establish a greater connection with your audience.
A/B testing is the process of varying the components of an email marketing campaign (e.g., subject line, offer, etc.) to determine which one performs the best. You can use software like Optimizely or Mad Mimi to help you quickly and easily A/B test various campaign elements.
You can use split testing to compare two versions of an email campaign (e.g., an email with a subject line A and a subject line B) to see which one is more effective. While you might assume that both versions would perform equally well, this isn’t always the case. One version of an email can have a subject line of “Hello,” while the other has a subject line of “How to get $100 off your next order of shoes.” The second version with the less generic subject line will more effectively grab the attention of the recipient.
Regular Email Communication
Once you’ve built your email list and delivered your initial content, it’s time to step up the frequency of your communications with your audience. You don’t need to inundate your customers with constant emails but you should be sending out a concise and targeted message at least once a week. If you can, send out a quick email to introduce a new service or tip, highlight a new article or podcast episode, or announce an upcoming event or sale.
It’s also important to follow up any correspondence you have with your customers. People appreciate receiving a quick reply in the form of a short email thanking them for their business and reminding them that you’re still looking for ways to serve them better. You can also encourage them to visit your website or take advantage of any other offers you have to improve their experience as a customer.
The Importance Of Tracking
The importance of tracking cannot be emphasized enough. Without it, it’s difficult to know what is and isn’t working. When you’re testing various components of an email marketing campaign, it’s important to know the results of your efforts. With a bit of tracking knowledge, you’ll be able to easily determine which parts worked and which ones didn’t. Moreover, you can update your campaign to better suit your audience’s needs and demands. For example, if you noticed that a particular email caused a massive increase in sales, then you might decide to include this in your next campaign.
Measurements Matter
In order to know what is and isn’t working with your campaign, you’ll need to measure the results. There are many tools available to measure various aspects of an email marketing campaign, but it’s important to remember that not all platforms will provide the same information. When comparing platforms, make sure that you’re looking at the same metrics and using the same measurement units. This will make a massive difference in the results that you see. For example, if you’re using MailChimp and your target audience is located in France, then it’s probably a good idea to switch to a marketing platform specifically designed for international use.
Curate A Top-Notch Email List
When someone reaches out to your email list and expresses interest in your product or service, the first thing that comes to mind is probably something along the lines of, “But how did they get on my list?” This is a natural reaction since you’ve never met these people and have no reason to believe that they’re interested in what you have to offer. In order to make sure that you’re not sabotaging your own campaign by having an invalid email list, you’ll need to take the time to confirm that each address is valid. There are many email verification tools available that can help you do this quickly and easily. If you don’t have the time, there are also several services that can help you out. For example, if you use MailChimp, they’ll be able to help you verify all of your emails.
Pricing
Pricing is also an important consideration when dealing with email marketing. While this is a completely personal decision depending on your niche, target audience and product, you’ll typically want to charge more for access to your list. Remember, the more you use your list, the more valuable it becomes. Just be sure that you maintain a high personal standard and don’t sell your list to any advertisers or third-parties. The last thing you want to do is end up on the receiving end of spam emails sent out on your behalf. For best results, ensure that your pricing is based on at least a few solid, repeatable sales before you decide on a price.
Pro-Marketing
One of the simplest yet most effective methods of increasing sales is through pro-marketing. Simply put, this is the practice of gaining additional exposure for your product by appearing to be an expert in your field. There are numerous ways that you can utilize pro-marketing to attract potential customers to your website or email list. For example, if you’re an expert in digital marketing, you can write articles for top-tier publications like the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Or, if you’re an expert car mechanic, you can start a blog devoted to fixing other people’s bikes or write tips for gearheads who want to keep their vehicle in good condition.
The important thing to keep in mind about pro-marketing is that the more you put in it, the more you’ll get out of it. So don’t be afraid to spend a decent amount of money on pro-marketing efforts if this is what your customer base is demanding. Just make sure that you don’t get so wrapped up in it that you forget about the basic principles of building a business.