Email Marketing Made Simple

Here’s how to use email marketing to build better connections with customers … the easy way.

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to engage with your potential and current customers. After all, the average person checks their email inbox about fifteen times a day. And if you don’t email clients, trust us, your competition will. So we decided to make things easy and walk you through email marketing one step at a time.

What is email marketing?

Email marketing pushes your brand’s message to customer email inboxes. There are a few ways brands do this:

• Email newsletters
• Special promotions
• Product announcements
• Abandoned cart messages
• And more

In short, when your business sends an email to a customer or group of customers, that’s email marketing.

Why email marketing works

Brands invest in email marketing campaigns because they offer tons of benefits like:

• Lead generation
• Lead nurturing
• Content promotion
• Sales generation
• Brand awareness

The reason why email marketing efforts have so many benefits is that it’s incredibly effective at reaching potential and current customers. In fact, for many brands, every dollar invested in email marketing yields 4200% ROI (return on investment) on average. That’s an impressive figure that feels impossible to achieve … unless you have the right strategy in place.

Build an effective email marketing strategy (step by step)

Ready to start raking in the ROI? Here’s how to craft an effective marketing strategy to generate more sales in three steps.

#1: Build an email list

The first step is the hardest, but it’s also the simplest. All you need to do is get a list of email addresses so you have someone to market to. But this is way easier said than done because today’s customers want something in exchange for their email like:

• Exclusive content
• New customer discounts
• Free trials

So in order to build out a list of email addresses with customers who want your product, offer a little sneak preview for free using the resources above. For example, you get an email address, your customer gets a free eBook delivered to their inbox. This provides value and establishes trust between your brand and your customers.

Email marketing pro tip:
DO NOT buy email lists! It’s tempting to skip this first step and just buy a list of email addresses but in the long run, it’s not worth it.

The reason is that when you build an organic list, you know that every address is a qualified lead — they know who you are and they’re familiar with your product. When you buy email addresses, there’s high risk of getting marked as spam and little to no engagement.

#2: Create an email marketing calendar

Next up, plan out your emails in advance and we suggest using a shared calendar to collaborate with team members. Your calendar can include spots for different information like:

• Images
• Text
• Products
• Coupon codes
• Send date

This way you can plan emails around special events, national holidays, product shipments, and financial quarters.

Remember to keep emails short, sweet, and to the point. You also HAVE to have a compelling email subject line and punchy preview for every message you send.

Great marketing emails also tend to have these components:

• Bright, clear images
• CTA buttons (call to action)
• Links to landing pages
• Links to blog posts
• Links to social media

For example, the email above aims to encourage readers to click through to a website and make a purchase. The email has links to landing pages, promotes different categories, and product photos — these components take time to map out.

This is why it’s important to plan ahead, build out a calendar at least one week in advance, and invest in quality email design. The better your emails are, the more conversions you earn.

Email marketing pro tip:
Think about your target audience and what they specifically find valuable. Any business can send out coupon codes — what can yours do to set yourself apart from the competition?

For example, if your target audience is on the younger side (think Gen Z), try incorporating user-generated content in your emails. Or if your product is highly niche, consider how-to infographics or links to demo videos to enhance customer loyalty.

#3: Test, track, and try something new

You’ve got your email list, you’ve got your messages planned out, now it’s time for the third and final step: launch ????

But launching your email marketing campaign isn’t as simple as pushing the big green button that says “go.”

First, you need a way to compare emails and we suggest A/B testing:

• Subject lines
• Previews
• Send days
• Send times
• CTA button placement

This means you segment your email list into groups and send different versions of the same email to each one. For example, you can send the same email to two different groups, but each email has a different subject line.

Then track open rates, traffic, and conversions for each version to find out which combination performed the best with your audience.

The key here is tracking results and learning from them so you can create inspired, innovative emails moving forward. For example, you may uncover that emails sent on Wednesdays out-perform emails sent on Thursdays. Or you may learn that your audience prefers subject lines with emojis over ones without.

Email marketing pro tip:
Today’s customer wants more from the brands they shop with so don’t be afraid to offer it. This means paying attention to what resonates with your audience and delivering it in authentic ways. If your customers like gifs in their emails, give them gifs!

You can also use a marketing tool like Mailchimp to create stunning email templates, assist with marketing automation, and send emails that are friendly for mobile devices.

Final thoughts on email marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate sales and build long-lasting relationships with your customers. But without the right strategy, you risk ending up in the spam folder. So here’s a rundown of everything you need to build an email marketing strategy for your business:

1. Build an organic email list by offering value in return
2. Plan out your emails in advance
3. A/B test different versions of the same email

Ready to explore even more business and marketing resources? Check out our blog here that’s packed with tips, guides, and other valuable information.

Bookmark it and check back frequently because we’re always updating the blog with new material.

Questions about email marketing, web design, or anything else? Reach out to us, we’d love to help take your business to the next level.