How to Get Started With Email Marketing

*This article was last updated on 21/10/2023

Email marketing is a potent tool that can significantly bolster your business. It helps build solid relationships with your audience and boost sales. However, getting started with email marketing can be a little stressful for novices. The journey from a novice to a seasoned email marketer involves learning and mastering various aspects. 

If you’re struggling to expand your business, consider email marketing a viable option. It’s not just for online businesses, either. Email marketing can help boost the business of your brick-and-mortar store – provided it’s done right. 

Getting Started With Email Marketing

This article aims to guide beginners through the essential steps to launch a successful email marketing campaign. Don’t worry if you aren’t used to digital services. We’ll walk through each stage you need to handle.

Step 1. Research and Planning

A well-thought-out plan is the cornerstone of successful email marketing campaigns. The first step in this phase is conducting a thorough industry analysis. 

Subscribing to competitors’ newsletters can provide a wealth of knowledge on the prevailing email marketing practices. Your objective should be to analyze these emails’ frequency, design, content, and engagement levels.

Aside from that, you also must have a clear idea of your target audience. Conducting surveys or leveraging analytics tools can help gather essential data on how your audience interacts with emails.

Finally, you must set clear and measurable goals. This is fundamental for a focused and result-driven email marketing strategy. Some objectives you can consider working toward include;

• Growing your email list
• Increasing engagement
• Boosting website traffic

Step 2. Selecting an Email Marketing Platform

Email marketing is more complex than blasting out a ton of mail through your company inbox. That will likely end with your IP address getting blacklisted. Instead, you need a dedicated email marketing platform.

This platform will serve as the hub of your email marketing activities. Choosing one that aligns with your budget and requirements is essential. Several reputable platforms are available;

• Mailchimp
• Constant Contact
• SendinBlue (Now Brevo)

Each offers a unique set of features and pricing models. When choosing your platform, make sure to do a comparative analysis. Consider factors such as ease of use, scalability, integration capabilities, and customer support.

Step 3. Building Your Email List

Building a robust email list is a crucial step in your email marketing journey. This list is the backbone of your email marketing efforts. Its quality directly impacts the effectiveness of your campaigns. 

One way to build your list is by creating valuable lead magnets that entice individuals to subscribe. Lead magnets could range from ebooks, whitepapers, and webinars to exclusive discounts or early access to new products. 

The goal is to offer value that incentivizes individuals to share their email addresses.

Promoting your email sign-up form through various channels is vital to growing your email list. Utilizing social media, blog posts, and other marketing channels to promote the sign-up form can significantly increase visibility and attract a broader audience.

Step 4. Designing Your Marketing Emails

Creating compelling email designs ensures your messages resonate with your audience. The design should provide a seamless user experience, regardless of the device used to view the email. 

Many consumers now consume information on mobile devices. Adopting a responsive design that works for desktop and mobile devices is best. This can significantly affect engagement rates.

Vital areas to focus on for your emails include;

Design

The visual aspect of your emails is also crucial. Incorporating brand elements such as logos, color schemes, and fonts helps create a coherent brand image. Visuals like images or videos can make your emails more engaging and enjoyable.

Layout

The layout of your email should be clean and uncluttered. Develop a clear hierarchy that guides the reader through the content effortlessly. It’s advisable to use short paragraphs and bullet points to make the text easily scannable. 

Also, ensuring that the call to action (CTA) buttons are prominent and clearly state what action you want the reader to take can drive higher click-through rates.

Step 5. Creating Engaging Marketing Email Content

Creating engaging content requires a deep understanding of your audience, a clear value proposition, compelling CTAs, and a mix of text and visual elements. Key aspects you must consider are;

Personalization

The core of email marketing lies in the content you share with your audience. Engaging content educates, entertains, and drives action towards your desired goals. 

One critical aspect of this is personalization. Personalized emails are those tailored to meet the preferences and behaviors of different segments of your audience. These emails often see higher engagement rates. 

Value Proposition

Your emails must communicate explicitly the benefits and value your audience will receive.

Whether it’s a promotional email, a newsletter, or an informational piece, the value proposition should be evident, compelling, and aligned with your brand’s messaging. 

This helps set the right expectations and encourages your audience to take the desired action.

Prominent Calls to Action

CTAs should be highly visible, compelling, and direct. They should convey exactly what action you want the reader to take next: purchasing, reading a blog post, or signing up for a webinar.

Tone and Language

Maintaining a consistent tone that reflects your brand personality while being relatable to your audience is crucial. Moreover, keeping the language simple, clear, and concise makes your emails easier to read and understand.

Step 6. Segmentation and Targeting

Segmentation and targeting enable the delivery of more relevant and engaging content. These actions help you drive higher engagement, build stronger relationships with your audience, and achieve better results.

How to Segment Your Email Marketing List

Segmentation involves dividing your email list into smaller, more targeted groups. Criteria for segmenting can include demographic information, behavioral data, purchase history, or engagement levels. 

The first step in segmentation is to collect and analyze subscriber data. The more detailed the data, the more precise the segmentation can be. This could be achieved through sign-up forms, customer surveys, or tracking user behavior.

Once the segments are created, craft targeted emails for each segment. This involves creating content that addresses the segment’s interests, needs, or behaviors. 

Testing and Analysis of Segments

Over time, specific segments may respond better to particular types of content, offers, or sending schedules. These insights can be used to refine your segmentation and targeting strategies. 

Always ensure your email marketing remains effective and continues evolving with your audience’s needs and preferences.

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy. It involves sending emails to a list of subscribers to promote products, share information, or nurture relationships. 

The process begins with collecting email addresses from interested individuals, segmenting these addresses to target specific groups, creating and sending tailored emails, and analyzing the results to optimize future campaigns.

Advantages of Email Marketing

The advantages of email marketing are manifold. They encompass everything from cost efficiency to enhanced engagement. That’s why this strategy is an indispensable asset in your marketing toolkit. 

Some advantages of email marketing include the following;

• Cost-effectiveness: Unlike other marketing channels, email marketing is inexpensive and offers a high return on investment (ROI).
• Direct and Personalized Communication: Email marketing allows for direct communication with your audience in a personalized manner, which can significantly enhance engagement and conversion rates.
• Relationship Building: By providing valuable content and consistent communication, email marketing helps build and maintain strong relationships with your audience.
• Measurable: The success of email marketing campaigns can be accurately measured using various metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate, allowing for data-driven decisions.
• Increased Traffic and Sales: Regular emails can drive more traffic to your website and boost sales by informing your audience about new products, offers, and company news.

Common Terms and Metrics Used in Email Marketing

Understanding the language and metrics of email marketing is crucial for effectively managing campaigns and analyzing their performance. Here are some standard terms and metrics you’ll encounter in your email marketing journey:

Final Thoughts

Embarking on an email marketing journey is akin to unlocking a treasure trove of opportunities to connect, engage, and grow your audience. The multifaceted advantages of email marketing render it an invaluable component of your digital marketing strategy. 

Whether you aim to bolster customer relationships, drive sales, or enhance brand awareness, email marketing provides a viable and cost-effective avenue to achieve these objectives. 

As you harness the power of email marketing, you propel your business toward its marketing goals and foster a community of engaged and loyal customers, paving the way for sustained success.