How E-mail Marketing Campaigns Can Be Effective
While social media is very important for creating a presence online and building your customer base, email marketing should not be forgotten. Building leads and compiling an e-mail list is one of the best ways to then effectively evaluate your audience.
Email marketing is also useful due to the high percentage of people who check their emails in the morning and throughout the day. As long as your company develops a solid e-mail marketing strategy that consumer can rely on, you will continue to grow your audience in no time.
In order to develop a successful campaign we recommend following our comprehensive e-mail marketing checklist.
9 Step e-mail checklist
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Narrow in on a topic or purpose
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Compile an email list
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Develop a plan and timetable
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Write a compelling message
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Use a captivating image
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Input a call to action
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Include a unsubscribe option
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Brainstorm and select an attention-grabbing headline
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Evaluate
1.Purpose
To being, ideate your purpose. What kind of message do you want to send to your audience? What should they know and what do you want to market to them each week? Are you looking to promote services, highlight a new blog post, etc.? Once this is decided you can move on to the next step.
2.Email list
An email list is essential and should be considered early on. The only way to have an effective email campaign is if you have people to send to. You can add a sign up form on your website or offer freebies that require a user to input their name and email for access. Email lists not only provide a basis of customers, but also are of great use when it comes to analyzing the demographics of your market. Ideally, this should align with your target market.
3.Plan
Once you have a solid email list formed, you should develop a plan and timetable. How often will you send a newsletter? Will each email have the same format? Will certain audiences get a different email than others? All of these questions should be answered and completely planned out before content is written down.
4. Message
The next step is to write the email, or format it if using MailChimp or another tool. Make sure the message is interesting and engages the audience. Also, don’t make it too long. Give them the info they need to know and link to more information on your website.
5. Visuals
When it comes to developing a message, visuals are key. Humans are visual creatures; we love images and pictures. This being said a bad photo can hurt your email campaign. There are plenty of free stock photo websites such as Pixabay.com. Look here if you are in need for captivating images.
6.CTA
Email marketing should always utilize a call to action. Whether it’s simply a ‘read more’ button or something more doesn’t matter. Just make sure the user is redirected to your website to ensure effectiveness.
7. Subject Line
The last thing to work on is the subject line. This is usually the most important and hardest item to decide on. Create a subject line that would intrigue you. Ask people around you and yourself, “Would you open this email?”
8. Unsubscribe
Always include an unsubscribe button. This is mandatory by law.
9.Evaluate
Lastly, once the email is sent out and data is received, evaluate the campaign. What was your open rate? Did you see any boost in sales? Could something have been done better? Evaluation is absolutely necessary to continue improving on your business.