A Brief Introduction to Email Marketing
As a marketing channel that has been around for decades, email marketing is something that has been tried and tested over and over again. It is a cost-effective and profitable digital marketing channel and is an essential element of your online strategy. At this point, you may ask yourself – what is email marketing? Well, you’re in the right place. In this article, we will look at the definition of email marketing and some of its main features.
What is Email Marketing?
Most companies use email marketing, which is a direct marketing channel. They may share new products, sales, or discounts with customers on their mailing list. Sometimes this information is essential for readers. However, you have undoubtedly encountered a wide variety of spam emails and have had to unsubscribe from mailing lists (that you may not even remember you signed up for!).
In the past, email marketing was all about volume. It is changing today because companies focus more on personalization and consent. The rise of automation has made this much easier to focus on. In the long run, a good email marketing strategy can be invaluable, not only in attracting and retaining customers but also in turning them into a community.
The Basics of Email Marketing
Personalize Your Emails
Since email marketing is so popular, it is also very competitive. People will be more likely to remember your brand if you address them by name instead of in general. You should also use your customers’ shopping data to send them relevant promotions and information.
Use Engaging Titles
People receive hundreds of emails a day. If you want to get people to open yours, you must ensure that your subject lines are compelling and curiosity-provoking. However, make sure that your titles are not misleading. Customers will quickly unsubscribe or mark your emails as spam if they feel you are duping them.
Keep Your Emails Short
These days, many people check their email while doing other things. For example, they may open their inbox while traveling to and from work or while waiting for a friend. This means that they cannot give their full attention to your emails. To make sure you don’t lose them, you have to keep your content brief. If, for some reason, you need to share a lot of information, direct your users to a landing page or a blog post.
Include CTAs at the Start and the End
CTA stands for Call To Action. Based on where in the sales funnel your customers are, these could be anything from “Learn more” to “Try it out” to “Buy now”. Make it easy for your readers to take the action you want them to by reminding them of what they can do, both in the first paragraph of your email and at the end. It is also better to use graphics in the shape of buttons rather than plain links because your readers will be more likely to click on them.
Ask for Permission!
This is the most important thing you have to remember. Any individual’s inbox in today’s world is constantly being flooded with advertisements and interruptions. If you want to stand out and ensure that your readers stay with you, you must ensure they want to be there. Ask users for their email ids themselves instead of buying email lists. Apart from the fact that it is illegal in most cases, it is also an excellent way to get people to report your content as spam.
Different Types of Marketing Emails
Promotional Emails
As you might imagine, companies often use email marketing campaigns to promote their products and services. Welcome emails can act as promotional emails for new users. You could offer free trials, discounts, or other perks to people who sign up. You might also want to send promotional emails during the holiday season when you know people will plan to shop. In these cases, you must time your campaigns well so that your customers will be thinking about your brand while they make their purchasing decisions.
Regardless of the purpose of your promotional emails, you must include prominent CTAs. This will encourage your readers to interact with your brand rather than consume your content passively.
Informational Emails
There are two main kinds of informational emails – newsletters and announcements. If you have a newsletter, you should send it out regularly (weekly, biweekly, monthly, or whatever else works for you). This is a way for you to deliver valuable content to your readers. You can share everything from case studies to insights, to tips and tricks. You can make announcements to tell people about things like product launches, changes to the terms of service, or even special events. These kinds of emails have to be straightforward, leaving no room for ambiguity. After all, you want your readers to be able to understand what you have to offer!
Re-Engagement Emails
As the name suggests, re-engagement emails are sent out to customers or subscribers who have been inactive, in an attempt to get them to engage with your brand again. One way to do this is to give your inactive customers discount codes that apply only to them, which might encourage them to make a purchase.
Want to Try Email Marketing Yourself?
You can make use of email marketing services that will help you manage your strategy and campaigns. These services differ from internet service providers like Google and Yahoo because they allow you to send out bulk emails without flagging them as being suspicious. That being said, maintaining all your email marketing campaigns is still quite a task. Your other option is to outsource this work to an email marketing company. Businesses that engage in email marketing often offer other digital marketing services as well. This can help you ensure that all your digital campaigns are in sync, no matter which channel they use.
iTrobes is one such company that offers its services all over the world. Our data-driven strategies will help you get quantifiable results with the help of engaging content for your target audience – regardless of whether they are already your customers or prospective ones. Write to us today to get started!
