Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach people and grow your audience and social media marketing is an effective way to do so, too. But, if you’re looking for ways to grow your audience and engagement, then you might wonder whether or not to invest in email marketing. After all, plenty of free email marketing platforms exist and though they might lack features, at least you won’t have to pay for them.
If you’re curious about how to get started with free email marketing for non-profit organizations, then continue reading.
Find A Cause
Chances are, you’ll already know what your organization does and who its main audience is. But, finding the right cause will help you tailor your programs and grow your organization’s impact. When you can connect your mission or goals to a worthy cause, you can leverage your resources to help others while simultaneously promoting your organization.
That’s why it’s critical to find a cause that you believe in and that your audience will care about as well. When you can align your efforts with a cause that resonates with your audience and makes the world a better place, you’ll find that they’re more likely to be engaged with your content and remember your brand. Plus, you’ll feel good about yourself because you’re helping others while also contributing to a greater good.
If your organization doesn’t have a strong social media presence, then consider using platforms like TikTok or Instagram to host videos about your cause or the work that your organization does. The more you can engage your audience through video, the better. People love to watch videos and, if you can combine several videos with a compelling call to action, you’ll gain instant credibility.
Get To Know Your Target Audience
Before you start blasting out emails, you should know who you’re aiming them at. Consider surveying your audience and learning more about their needs, wants, and expectations. Through this research, you’ll be able to craft more effective email campaigns and avoid wasting time and money by targeting the right audience.
Surveys don’t have to be hard. There are plenty of tools that can help you quickly and easily get the data you need. For example, you can use Survey Monkey to easily send out your survey to your audience. You can then follow up with more detailed research using analytical tools like Google Analytics.
Make Your Audience A Part Of Your Team
Your audience is a key asset to your organization and you should make every effort to involve them more closely in your mission. This will not only make them more engaged but will strengthen your bond as well.
To make your audience feel like part of your team, you can send out regular updates on important projects, invite them to participate in relevant discussions, and connect with them on social media.
Find Ways To Measure The Success Of Your Campaign
It’s important to set up systems and procedures to track the success of your email marketing campaign. This way, you’ll know whether or not your efforts are paying off and if you should alter your approach or continue pursuing this avenue.
There are several ways to track the success of your email campaigns. For instance, you can examine your KPIs (key performance indicators) such as:
- open and click-through rates
- conversion rates
- subject line tests
- site traffic
- social media engagement
- referral traffic
- growth of your email list
- and more
Each of these metrics will give you valuable information about the effectiveness of your campaigns and help you determine their merit.
Use The Right Tools
With so much competition for your email marketing dollars, you need to make sure that you’re doing everything possible to ensure that your campaigns are as effective as possible.
To do this, it is important to find a tool that can help you design better emails, track the success of your campaigns and allow you to connect with your audience. With all of the tools available, it’s important to do your research and find the one that can best suit your needs.
Luckily for you, we’ve curated a list of the best email marketing tools that can help you get started with no cost. These are the tools that we recommend and use ourselves. Make sure to check them out if you’re looking for an email marketing platform.
Choose A Subscription-Based Email Marketing Platform
A key difference between traditional email marketing platforms and subscription-based email marketing platforms is that the former require you to purchase a license in order to use their products. Subscription-based email marketing platforms are, however, completely free. This means that you can use their tools and platforms without having to pay a single penny.
Though you won’t need to spend money to start using a subscription-based email marketing platform, you will need to pay for the services that you use. Unlike the former, these platforms offer unlimited email campaigns, spam checking, and other critical features. If you decide that you want to upgrade your account after the free trial, then you can do so for a discounted rate.
Avoid The Biggest Email Marketing Platform
Though it might be tempting to use a biggest email marketing platform to help you grow your business, it’s important to keep your organization’s overhead lower and the amount of spam that you receive to a minimum. This way, your email marketing will be more effective because you’ll be able to track the results of your campaigns and make changes if necessary. Using a biggest email marketing platform will also increase your organization’s chances of being flagged as a spammer and having your account suspended. We recommend using a tool like MailChimp or Constant Contact to get started.
Use Email Marketing To It’s Full Potential
As we mentioned above, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your audience and engage with your audience. Though it might be tempting to use social media to grab some quick wins in your quest to grow your organization, focusing too much on social media can easily overshadow the success of your email marketing campaigns. Always keep in mind that your social media accounts are for interacting with your audience, email marketing is for pushing important information to your audience. If you decide to integrate your social media accounts with your email marketing, then be sure to add value and engage with your audience on several platforms.
If possible, we recommend using several email marketing platforms in order to fully harness the power of this tactic. This is because most businesses get frustrated with one tool and decide to go with a different one. Having several tools allows you to experiment and see which one works best for your organization.
Don’t Forget About Mobile Email Marketing
Though most people use desktop computers and mobile phones to connect with the Internet, not everyone does. Those who use alternative methods or older versions of the popular operating systems might find that their emails don’t show up on their phones. Though this doesn’t happen often, it’s worth checking.
If you decide to use email marketing to connect with potential supporters, then be sure to take into account the email clients that your audience uses.
Most desktop email clients work just fine on mobile phones, but, if you notice, websites sometimes have button prompts and links that don’t work on smaller devices. To ensure that your emails reach all of your audience regardless of which device they use, make sure to design your emails to appear as intended on mobile phones.
Conclusion
In conclusion, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your audience and engage with your audience. Though it might be tempting to get started with free email marketing platforms, these are minimal in terms of the features that they offer. Though it might be appealing to use a biggest email marketing platform to help you grow your business, using a smaller tool will make your email marketing more effective and allow you to keep your overhead low. Designing email templates and using tools to track the success of your campaigns will all allow you to measure the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and determine whether or not they’re worth pursuing.