Wondering what Email Marketing is?
Email marketing is a form of marketing in which companies use email to promote their products or services. It is a type of direct marketing, which means that the company communicates with the consumer without the help of an intermediary.
Email can be used to build relationships with potential clients, convert leads and ensure an excellent experience for existing clients.
Ways of marketing via email
Welcome email series
When a customer first interacts with a company, the business usually sends an automated series of emails explaining more about the organization and its product. For example, a technology company that offers a free trial version of software will send informational links to help the user get maximum value from the tool. Towards the end of the trial period, I can send emails aimed at converting a person into a paying customer. These emails are highly targeted based on the offer the user interacted with.
Email newsletters – Newsletters
Newsletters are general emails that are sent regularly. It will usually contain company updates and links to blog content or other material that may be of interest to the recipient. Newsletters are an inexpensive way to stay in touch with many people. When a customer interacts with something in one of these emails; for example, if they download an e-book, the business can put them on a more targeted email series.
Email reminders
Businesses send email reminders to users who have not completed a task they started. If someone viewed a product in an e-commerce store but didn’t buy, the store can send an email reminding them to complete the transaction.
Transactional email, like post-purchase email
When a customer makes a purchase, businesses often send a series of emails telling them more about the product. Post-purchase emails are essential for increasing customer loyalty, for example, if your product is subscription-based, as they increase the likelihood that the customer will find value in the service and continue to pay. Post-purchase emails can also be used to sell other or new products or to launch recommended campaigns.
”Nurture email”
Nurture emails provide prospects with targeted content based on the problem they are trying to solve. These can be links to blog posts, white papers or video tutorials. The goal of these emails is to provide the prospect with useful information that keeps your company top of mind and ultimately converts the prospect into a new customer.
”Cold” email
Companies sometimes send cold emails to people they haven’t had contact with before. These messages are usually the least effective form of email marketing. However, they can work in some types of B2B sales if they are highly targeted and sent from a personal account.
Promotional email
Email marketers can use promotional emails to inform existing or potential customers about special offers, seasonal offers or other sales promotions.
Why email marketing?
Now that we have answered the question: What is email marketing? Below we will explain the second most common question: Why email marketing?
Email marketing is valuable because it doesn’t cost much, but it’s very effective. Here are some benefits of email marketing:
- Email marketing does not cost much. Email marketing is free except for software costs because you own your contact list. This means it’s easy to get an excellent return on investment. In fact, in their 2019 Email Marketing Tracker Report, the Direct Marketing Association put the ROI of email marketing at $42 for every dollar spent.
- Email marketing is effective. Email marketing targets people who have already expressed an interest in your business or product, meaning they need less nurturing than those who are unfamiliar with your company. You can also segment potential customers and clients based on their needs and interests by tracking their interactions with your marketing materials and through lead generation forms. This allows you to send them content and offers that are most likely to interest them.
- Email marketing is flexible. Email marketing is a flexible tool that you can use throughout your sales funnel. Prospects early in the buying process will benefit from useful information about their problem. Once they start interacting with your emails, you can focus the content on your product. As a prospect gets closer to making a purchase decision, you can send them offers or discounts to convince them to buy.
- When not to use email marketing? If your primary marketing goal is to increase the size of your audience, email marketing probably won’t help. This is because you need to have a customer or potential customer’s email address in order to communicate with them. If you want to increase brand awareness, you may be better off using other marketing channels, for example, paid ads, SEO, content marketing (eg webinars) or social media.
Best ways of email marketing
So how does email marketing work? When working on an email marketing strategy, there are some best practices you should follow. Here’s a look at some of them.
Segment your audience and send relevant content
Segmenting your audience allows you to create targeted email marketing campaigns that use content that each group will connect with. You can segment your audience by where they are in the buyer’s journey, as well as by their interests.
Automate processes
Automating your email marketing process ensures you’re sending at the optimal time for conversion, while also reducing the amount of manual work your team needs to do. Just set effective triggers and let the software do the rest. We talk about email automation in more detail at the end of this article.
Track and change what doesn’t work
Email marketing is not an exact science. Some things you do will work as expected, while others will not. Most email marketing solutions provide insights and analytics that you can use to optimize your campaign. Does one of your emails have a lower than average open rate? Then change the email subject or time. Is one of your messages having a poor click-through rate? Then consider moving the offer further down the email or changing the call to action. A/B testing is a useful way to improve the efficiency and conversion rate of your emails. To do this, just compose two different versions of the same email and then send them to a small sample of customers to see which one performs better. One common thing that A/B testing is used for is improving the open rate. Just write two subject lines for the same email, send both versions to the same number of customers, and see which other person reads it. Use better performing email in your campaign. You can also test calls to action, the timing of sending emails or different offers.
Don’t spam your list
It can be tempting to frequently refer to your entire product information list. However, this can backfire and make people unsubscribe. Stick to emailing your contacts valuable material that is related to their needs and where they are in the buying cycle.
Now that you know what email marketing is, with tons of tips, tactics, and examples at hand, you can supercharge your marketing strategy.
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