Email Marketing in Ten Steps

Email Marketing in Ten Steps

 April 8, 2015      Michael Bickerton

Everyone wants to grow his or her existing contact database, while retaining current customers. If you aren’t using email marketing for your business, why not? It can help create new business leads, expand your current email list, and help guide prospective clients towards purchasing.

Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing tools you can use for your business today. Take advantage of the convenience and speed that email provides to communicate those who have decided to opt-in. Provide them with meaningful reasons to stay on your list, such as offers, promotions, important messages and updates.

Today, email marketing is synonymous with spam. People have taken advantage of email marketing in a bad way. Providing your email list with quality information will encourage those following you to keep listening.

Here is a compellation of the most helpful tips that will help you reach success when putting together an email marketing campaign:

    1. Select an Email Provider.

Before you select a provider, the best thing you can do is do your homework. Talk to and test out different providers. Choose the one your feel is a right fit for you and your business. Here are some that we’d recommend:

    2. Clean-up Your Database. 

If you already have a website, you’re probably ahead of the game, and have an existing email list. This will give you a chance to update your subscribers. Get rid of any old information, while updating current information, relevant to you and your business. Here are some providers that can help you verify your email subscriber list:

    3. Get Those Opt-Ins.

The more people you try to contact without their permission, the more trouble you will have actually getting an email provider to accept your list, This can lead to not being able to get your email through. The best people to send information to are to those who are opted-in to receiving communications from you.

There are many ways to get interested consumers to sign up and opt-in. You should already have a sign-up form on every relevant page on your website. Consider adding in an opt-in option for inquiry forms, and add opt-in links to confirmation emails and even customer surveys. You should even add a link to your email signature to ensure that everyone you contact is aware of opting in.

    4. Keep Contacts Organized.

Funny enough, companies often overlook list segmentation. However, if you do not properly segment your email list, you will experience lower click through and response rates when you do send your emails.

Segmenting your list can be done in a variety of ways. Common fields usually include location, industry, or lead source. Consider different ways to organize leads, such as online versus in-store or even those who are strong “sharers”.

    5. Have a Purpose.

Make sure each email you send has a purpose. Do not send updates, tips and promotions all in one message; it not only looks disorganized, but unprofessional.

Instead of doing this, spend a little time with your teams going over each email so you can determine if your message is clear enough for your list. Here some common campaign objectives that you may want to consider:

  • Qualify a lead
  • Promote a specific product / service to generate repeat business
  • Drive traffic to new content on your website

    6. Minimalize Design.

Simplify the design of your email. You want to make sure your message is being effectively delivered. You don’t want anything distracting the recipient of the main message! Here are some helpful tips that will help you make your emails more effective:

  • Consider using more text than images – Less is more however.
  • Always include a call to action – Repeat it in links and images.
  • Use design elements to focus on the most important parts of the email

    7. Good Copy is Important.

Make sure you have a great copywriter that can help you deliver your brand message appropriately to your audience. This is probably one of the best things you can invest in. Make sure you hire someone who is reputable, and who can craft a voice that can speak for your business.

    8. Focused Subject Lines.

The most important part of the email is the subject line. This is what intrigues people, and makes them want to read further into what you are trying to offer them. If you have a weak subject line, then your email might never be opened, or even worse, or get filtered as junk mail. Here are some helpful tips on dos and don’t for subject lines:

  • Words like “Guarantee”, “Free”, “Call now”, “Urgent” and “Order now” are to be avoided
  • Keep it under 50 characters (including spaces)
  • Include your brand name if possible
  • Make it funny, make it memorable, make it intriguing

    9. Track, Track, Track.

It is important that before you send out any campaigns, you should set up proper email tracking.  Evaluating the effectiveness of each campaign will prove essential to maximizing your ROI. Major email marketing metrics to consider:

  • Deliverability (Was the email received?)
  • Open rate (Was the email opened?)
  • Click through rate (Was the link opened?)
  • Conversion rate (Did they sign-up or purchase?)

    10. Test and Refine.

Finally, find what works best for you and your business. The best way to do this, is by testing and refining what you have been already doing, while integrating new ideas into the mix. Track current campaigns, test new ideas and refine concepts that work. When testing emails, consider:

  • Subject Lines
  • Tone and Style of Email
  • Colours, Fonts and Formatting
  • Calls to action

Every business, large or small, should be using email marketing as a major part of their marketing mix. No other format gives you the ability to reach your client, with your message, on your time. An informative, well thought-out email marketing campaign can interest prospective buyers and keep your current customers up to date with your brand. It’s essential for any business owner.

Still thinking email’s not for you? Here are a few reasons why Email Keeps Marching On.

Michael Bickerton, Raven5 Ltd. April 2015

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