Have you been looking for a way to spread the word about your business without spending so much? Are you in search of the best method to reach out to your clients and prospects right now? We present to you one of the best tools in an entrepreneur’s arsenal, Email Marketing.

Who would have thought 48 years ago when email was invented that it would be so useful for business? Today, there are over 5.59 billion active email accounts in the world owned by 3.9 billion users. The number of email users, going by the 3% rise per year, should reach 4.3 billion users in 2023.

What do these statistics imply? Simply put, email marketing is a very potent way to market your brand. It’s not rocket science and you can do this from your laptop or smartphone in your home. Let’s show you how to start email marketing easily to drive the engagements and conversions your business needs.

What is email marketing?

Many people mistake email marketing for internet marketing, whereas, it is only a subset of internet marketing. Email marketing is a strategy of marketing a brand via email messages to prospects and existing customers with the aim of turning prospects to customers and one-time customers to loyalists.

In simpler terms, email marketing is sending a letter introducing your products or services via emails. Email marketing aims to create engagements and making conversions.

Why email marketing?

Even though many people ask this question, we believe the question should be, “Why not email marketing?” There’s no doubt that spam mails are very annoying, yet, email marketing is still regarded as the best way to nurture leads and convert them to customers.

Why should you invest in email marketing as a business owner? Here are a few benefits to help you decide.

1.      Top communication channel – Not less than 99% of email subscribers will check their emails every day. No other communication channel can boast of this turnover rate.

2.      Your list is yours. If you use social media a lot then your account must have been hacked or you have heard of hacked accounts. Asides the risk of being hacked, the platform may suspend your account for no just cause. With email lists, this isn’t possible since your list is yours.

3.      Email converts better. Statistics show that the returns on investment (ROI) for emails is about 4400%. If you thought social media converts better, you should think again. Emails have thrice the order value of social media.

Key Factors to Help You Build a Successful Email Strategy

Before diving into sending random emails, it is important to understand that this process is built on strategies. Every successful marketing campaign is driven by strategies. While each business may have its own strategy, four factors make up a successful email strategy.

1.      Build your list – You can’t send emails if you don’t have addresses to send them to. To collect email addresses, you should create a subscription form. Place the link on your website or social media handles. Explain what a person stands to gain from subscribing to your list in clear terms and make it as juicy as possible.

2.      Plan the emails you need to send – As your list grows, you need to decide on the types of emails you need to send. Your choice depends on the kind of business you run. Some of the types of emails you can send include:

 Newsletters

Promo emails for specials sales or offers

Seasonal emails for special events or holidays

Transactional emails which include receipts and notifications.

3.      Create your design and content – Creating the content of your emails is an essential part of email marketing. The key to this is having the customer at heart always as well as what you intend to achieve. Your mails shouldn’t be too long and there should be a clear “call to action.”

4.      Send your email and analyze performance – Sending the mails is only the first phase of your assignment. The real work begins after sending the mails. You need to analyze performance. This will determine if your strategy is successful or you need a different strategy.

Email Marketing Tips

One of your greatest enemies in email marketing is “routine.” It is important to always be on the lookout for the latest techniques to ensure better results. The marketing environment is constantly evolving which means that you must follow the trends to get better results.

After combing through the successful tips for the past decade, here are some evergreen email marketing tips to help you get better results.

1.      Quality is key – This is something you should never forget when it comes to email deliverability. The number of emails you send is not as important as the quality of the content. Write emails based on what you are sure your customers and prospects want to read. Fill your content with value and desist from promotional messages.

2.      Embed a signup form in your website – Most websites you visit place a link driving traffic to another address to sign up. Rather than do this, you can simply embed the form on your website. This simple action will increase your subscription rate drastically.

3.      Make sure your emails are mobile-responsive – About 77% of emails are opened via mobile phones. This means that your email design must respond to different screen types (smartphones, tablets, and desktops). People don’t have all day to read emails so one bad experience can make you lose a conversion.

4.      Use automated emails – Automated emails will save you a lot of stress in 2020 and beyond. They are very potent in building customer relationships and achieving the goals of marketing campaigns. You can set up automated emails for new subscribers, purchases, customer behavior, and a lot more.

5.      Stay true to your word – It is simple, if you don’t, people don’t waste time in hitting the “unsubscribe” button. Stay true to your word in terms of timing and content. Spamming is not even an option anymore. Whatever you promised your subscribers before they signed up, stick to it.

Run a successful email campaign

By now, you must know how to successfully set up your email marketing strategy and become successful. Email marketing can grow your business in amazing leaps and bounds if you use it rightly. There are tons of software to help you handle your email marketing processes. Do this properly and you are positioned for success.