Email is one of the oldest forms of digital communication—but it’s also one of the most effective digital marketing strategies out there.
Sure, there are newer methods of communicating with your audience and customers like social media and live chat. However, with a user base of over 4.5 billion people, email is the king of marketing channels.
Additionally, email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every dollar spent, meaning it deserves a place in every marketer’s toolbox.
Email marketing is still ranked as the most effective marketing channel, beating out social media, SEO, and affiliate marketing.
Why? With all the hype over new channels, why is this decades-old technology still one of the most effective marketing strategies?
Is Email Marketing Outdated?
Despite the rise of social, people use email more than other platforms. After all, what’s the good of marketing to someone if they’re not there?
Data shows that most people are on email—and the number increases every year.
In addition, with email marketing you own the connections—you don’t have to worry about algorithm changes tanking your reach.
Still not convinced? According to HubSpot, four out of five marketers say they’d rather give up social media than email marketing.
That’s why building a successful email marketing campaign is more important than ever.
BOOK A CALL
There’s a problem—most people don’t know how to do it right. (In fact, you’ve probably seen those people in your email box.)
This post is long, but it’s worth the read. We’ll walk through tips and strategies for building an email list, creating an email that users want to read, designing automated campaigns—and tracking your efforts.
Getting Started With Email Marketing
Email marketing is a marketing strategy where businesses send promotional messages to people in mass quantities. It is typically used to generate sales by sharing promotional offers, nurturing leads, or expanding the impact of content marketing efforts.
If you open up your email box right now, there’s a good chance at least half of your messages are email marketing, like this one from GlassesUSA:
The Fundamentals of Email Marketing
Before diving into the strategies you’ll use to build and leverage email marketing, let’s cover the fundamentals. These tips will help you maximize your email marketing campaign, which we’ll dive into next.
Stay Human: Email marketing is popular—which also means it is competitive. Use email to speak directly to your users, use their name, and let them see the human side of your brand.
Use Engaging Titles, But Don’t Bait And Switch: Using interesting subject titles is crucial to increasing email open rates, but keep them on topic and non-spammy. If users feel duped, they’re likely to unsubscribe or mark your message as spam, which impacts deliverability.
Keep Messages Short: Most email is read on a mobile device, so keep your copy concise and to the point. Direct users to a blog post or landing page if you need to share a ton of information.
Include CTAs at the Top and Bottom: On landing pages, CTAs are always included above the fold—use the same strategy with email by including strong CTAs after the first paragraph and again at the end.
Ask Permission and Deliver On Your Promises: Never buy email lists—that is illegal in most cases and won’t deliver ROI. If you offer a deal or great content, make sure to deliver high-quality content or offers.
Remember: You’re a Guest in Their Inbox
People are inundated with interruptions, pitches, and ads everywhere they look.
You might think your email is special, but to the reader, your email is one in a million—and not in a good way.
This is why it’s important to use good manners.
Getting into someone’s inbox is like being invited to their home for dinner. If they ask you to take your shoes off, you respectfully do so.
Treat their email inbox with the same respect. You’re a guest they’ve invited into their lives and they can ask you to leave at any point. So be on your best behavior and remember… you’re a guest in their inbox.
Now, let’s talk about how to build your strategy from the ground up.
How Does Email Marketing Work?
Email marketing is one of the top-performing marketing strategies, in no small part because it’s
fairly intuitive and often automated.
It can also support a number of other marketing initiatives, including lead generation, sales, and content marketing.
An effective email marketing campaign requires three essential elements:
1. An Email List
An email list is a database of subscribers that have agreed to let you send them emails.
To build successful email campaigns, you need an active, engaged email list.
There are many ways to build an email list. One of the easiest is to create a lead magnet (also called an offer) your target audience is interested in, like a coupon, in exchange for their email addresses.
2. An Email Service Provider
An email service provider (ESP), also known as an email marketing platform, is software that helps manage your email list. It also helps design and execute automated email campaigns.
Using an ESP also allows you to create automatic triggers when your audience completes specific actions, such as sending a cart reminder if a user adds an item to their cart and doesn’t checkout. These triggers enable you to personalize interactions, which improves engagement and open rates.
3. Clearly Defined Goals
Email can help you achieve a variety of business goals, including:
drive sales
boost brand awareness
generate and nurture leads
keep customers engaged
increase customer loyalty and lifetime value
To execute an effective email marketing campaign, your email list, ESP, and goals must align. Then, you can get to work.
The first step is to segment your email list according to subscriber demographics or actions.
Next, create an email or series of emails designed to get consumers to do something (your goal).
Finally, use your ESP to send emails and monitor the campaign automatically.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Email Marketing
Just like any other marketing channel, email marketing has pros and cons. Let’s briefly dive into some of the more significant ones:
Advantages of Email Marketing
There are plenty of benefits of email marketing. These are just a few of the top benefits to keep in mind.
Email Is Permission-based
When a customer trusts you with their email address, it’s the virtual equivalent of being given the keys to their house. Gaining permission to enter rather than showing up uninvited increases the chances of engagement and conversion.
Provides Direct Access to Your Audience
You can communicate directly with subscribers on their schedules. Plus, because most people check email multiple times a day, your message is more likely to be seen.
Email Provides More Control
With most other marketing platforms, you don’t own the platform. If the platform ceases to exist, all your hard work sinks with it. If Google or Facebook updates their algorithm, your reach could be drastically reduced.
However, with email, you own the relationships you forge with your subscribers.
More Personalization Capabilities
You can use demographic or psychographic data to create personalized and hyper-targeted campaigns. Research shows segmented and personalized campaigns increase revenue by as much as 760 percent.
Easy to Measure Success
Measuring the effectiveness of a marketing campaign is crucial, and automated email marketing makes measuring your campaign a breeze.
Scalable
Email marketing campaigns can easily scale as your audience grows without straining your resources or compromising quality.
Disadvantages of Email Marketing
Email isn’t all roses and butterflies. There are a few disadvantages to be aware of. The good news is a great strategy can reduce the impact of disadvantages such as:
Tough Competition
Standing out in a cluttered inbox can be a challenge. You’ll need to get creative to ensure your emails get opened.
You Need an Email List
With email marketing, you must already have an email list for your campaigns to be effective. Building an email list can be tricky and takes time.
Many Rules and Regulations to Navigate
There are several laws governing the use of email for commercial purposes. Common examples include GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CCPA. All of these ban businesses from sending unsolicited emails and outline data storage requirements.
Unfortunately, some subscribers might report your emails as being spam even if they subscribe. As a result, your sender’s reputation takes a hit.
Delivery and Deliverability Issues
Deliverability is not guaranteed. Many email providers (think Gmail or Outlook) use spam filters. To run effective email marketing campaigns, you must contend with delivery and deliverability issues.
Email Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Next Campaign
Let’s briefly look at a couple of email marketing examples for a bit of inspiration.
Teaonic
Teaonic is an e-commerce brand specializing in organic, healthy teas.