Email marketing guide has existed for ages, and with proper reason. It is the most direct and successful method of contacting, nurturing, and converting leads into consumers, consistently outperforming all other marketing channels.
We’ll take you through the whole process of setting up your email marketing funnel so you can collect leads and create revenue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How Is Email Marketing Defined?
Email marketing is a very successful kind of digital marketing in which emails are sent to prospects and consumers. Effective marketing emails convert prospects to consumers and one-time purchasers into passionate fans.
This article is intended for individuals who are prepared to make a commitment to email marketing. If you’re still not convinced, you may want to check out our advice on why you need to start building an email list RIGHT NOW!
As this is a lengthy and comprehensive tutorial, we’ve divided it into parts that you can access through the links in the Table of Contents below.
By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn:
- How to create a focused email list.
- How to maximize the open and click-through rates of your emails (CTR).
- How to automate the nurturing of leads and the conversion of prospects to customers.
- Email Marketing’s Importance
We’ve addressed the most fundamental question, what is email marketing, but haven’t discussed why email marketing is critical for your company. Let us discuss it immediately.
Despite the growth of social media and unwanted spam email (which, by the way, is never a smart marketing plan), email continues to be the most successful method of nurturing leads and increasing client loyalty.
There are many reasons why email marketing should be a top priority, but here are the top three:
- Email is the primary mode of communication. Did you know that over 95% of customers check their email daily? That cannot be true of any other mode of communication.
- You are the only owner of your list. Your account (together with all your followers and posts) on any social networking site may be suspended or terminated at any time, for any reason, and without warning. However, you retain ownership of your email list. Nobody can rob you of those leads.
- Email just converts more effectively. Individuals who purchase goods promoted through email spend 138% more than those who do not get email offers. Indeed, email marketing has a 4400 percent ROI (return on investment). That is enormous! And before you conclude that social media converts even better, consider this: the average order value of an email is at least three times that of social media.
Email is simply the most effective method of generating revenue online. Now that you understand the value of email marketing, let’s look at the best practices.
Email Marketing How-To
Are you unsure how to begin with email marketing? While email marketing involves a number of moving parts, this does not imply it has to be complex. This is how it works…
- Begin With Your List: The simple truth is that you cannot conduct email marketing campaigns to an audience that you do not have. Additionally, keep in mind that email marketing will fail if you do not have the appropriate individuals on your list.
Then, by using our sophisticated targeting algorithms, you can show these ads to the appropriate individuals at the right moment in their customer journey.
- Integrate an Email Service Provider (ESP): An ESP enables you to segment your audience, manage your list, and send email campaigns to your audience. Additionally, you may monitor the outcomes to help you optimize future efforts.
A decent ESP should connect with your other marketing tools, allowing you to operate on autopilot as your leads increase.
There are a plethora of email service providers available, but we remove the guesswork and make it very simple to choose the one that is best for you and your objectives. We’ll discuss our favorite ESPs later in this guide.
Following those two stages, it’s just a question of tweaking your lists and message to ensure you’re reaching and engaging with your audience. Additionally, you’ll be able to set up some automation in your email service, which will significantly simplify your life.
Are you prepared to dive in? Let us proceed!
Expanding Your Email Database
When most individuals want to create an email list, they simply place an optin form on their website and wait for people to sign up. Regrettably, this approach seldom works effectively.
To increase the size of your email list, you must first entice subscribers with a great offer. You will need a lead magnet.
Additional lead magnet ideas may be found on our list of lead magnet ideas to help you build your email list.
What Constitutes a Strong Lead Magnet?
You are well aware that a lead magnet must offer free value. However, if you want your lead magnet to be very successful, consider the following five criteria:
- Easily consumable: Lead magnets are only successful when they are used by the audience, which means that delivering a 300-page manifesto will not generate traction.
- Useful: Lead magnets should offer an applicable tool, skill set, or piece of knowledge to your audience.
- Produces visible improvement: When goods and services perform effectively, consumers continue to purchase them. If your lead magnet is as useful as your goods and services, it will be successful.
- Relevant: If you’ve done your research on your prospects, you’ll have no difficulty creating a lead magnet topic that addresses a problem.
- Immediately available: People want quick satisfaction; thus, provide it immediately.
What is the Definition of a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet (alternatively referred to as an optin bribe) is something fantastic that you give away for free in return for someone’s email address. It does not have to be expensive to produce; the majority of lead magnets are digital assets such as PDFs, MP3 audio files, or movies that you may generate for little or no money.
How to Create a Converting Optin Form
The goal of your optin form is to communicate the significant advantage of your lead magnet in return for your website visitors subscribing to your email newsletters.
To build a conversion-optimized optin form, the following components must be included:
- Captivating title: Ensure that your headline properly explains the lead magnet’s primary advantage.
- Concise, clear, and succinct explanation: Is your description concise, clear, and succinct? Utilize bullet points to assist the reader’s eye in scanning what they will get.
- Attractive visuals: If possible, provide a picture of the lead magnet (like a mockup of your eBook). A photograph of a person facing the optin form is also an excellent method to increase conversions. We’ve compiled an excellent collection of visual content production tools to assist you in creating stunning graphics.
- Keep the form simple: Do not request more than a first name and email address. Requesting much information too quickly may sabotage your conversions.
- Captivating subscribe button: Make your subscribe button stand out on the website by using a contrasting color.
One of these is definitely necessary if you want to increase your subscription count. That is an example of an exit-intent popup.
Exit-intent® popups appear precisely at the time a user is about to depart your website. This popup does not interfere with the reading experience and is only shown when the user is about to exit. This is the ideal moment to invite them to subscribe, since they have most likely read your material and found your site useful.
Utilizing an exit popup is very effective, and our clients regularly experience substantial benefits when utilizing exit-intent. For instance, Neil Strauss increased conversions by 125 percent using exit intent!
To understand more about exit-intent® popups, check out our article on 40 Exit Popup Hacks to Increase Your Subscribers and Revenue.
Segmented Email Marketing
The majority of marketing professionals will advise you to create an email list. What they do not tell you is that without appropriate segmentation, your email list will be ineffective.
What Is Segmentation of Email Lists?
Segmenting your email list is the act of grouping your subscribers according to certain criteria in order to send them more customized and relevant emails.
Rather of broadcasting each email to your whole list, segmentation enables you to send specific emails exclusively to subscribers who you believe would be most interested in the content, resulting in better conversions.
Why Should Your Email Marketing List Be Segmented?
Segmenting your list has been shown to improve email open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. That is why astute marketers use segmentation to significantly boost the efficacy of their email marketing efforts.
After segmenting your subscribers, you’ll be able to send very effective autoresponders, a series of emails that are sent automatically in response to specific circumstances, that you can use to nurture your leads and close sales. We’ll discuss auto responders in more detail in the section on automation.
Segments significantly simplify the process of determining which subject lines and messages to write in order to persuade people to open and interact with your email marketing.
Segmentation should be used to ascertain how the person ended up on your email list in the first place.
Did they make a purchase? Have you visited a particular page? Are you looking to download a particular lead magnet?
There are many methods to separate your list. To get you started, here are a few suggestions:
- Send a welcome email or a welcome series to new subscribers.
- Subscribers who want to hear about new blog articles vs. those who just want to know about sales.
- Subscribers with a preference for classical music vs those with a preference for pop music.
- Subscribers who reside in the region will be notified about your local event.
- Increase your open rate by rewarding your most engaged subscribers with a unique offer.
- Inactivity: Remind inactive subscribers of the next action you want them to take.
- Send tailored emails depending on the subject of the lead magnet for which they opted-in.
- Shopping Basket Abandonment: notify subscribers who have added goods to their cart but have not yet checked out.
- Increasing the Open Rates of Your Emails
This part is critical because regardless of how hard you work to build and segment your email list, you will get no value from it unless and until your emails are opened.
Numerous variables influence whether or not your emails are opened. Let us take a closer look at each of them.
Attempt to Avoid Spam Filters
The most apparent issue is when your email is sent to the subscriber’s spam folder. You’re off to a fantastic start if you’ve previously obtained authorization to send emails and have selected one of our suggested email marketing providers.
The following are some email marketing best practices that can help keep your emails out of spam folders:
- Ascertain that all recipients have opted-in to receive your emails. Seriously. This cannot be emphasized strongly enough.
- Send your email marketing campaign using a reputable IP address. That is an IP address that has not before been used to send spam.
- Emails should be sent from recognized domains.
- Maintain a tidy email template codebase.
- Personalize your email campaign’s “To:” box using merge tags.
- Demonstrate how to whitelist your emails and encourage subscribers to add you to their contact book.
- Avoid excessive use of “salesy” terminology (such as “purchase”, “clearance”, “discount”, or “cash”).
- Avoid “baiting and switching” with misleading subject lines.
- Include your geographic location.
- Include a simple method for subscribers to unsubscribe from your emails.
- Remove Inactive Subscribers to Maintain a Fresh List
It’s critical to contact your subscribers on a regular basis to avoid your list becoming stale. Even then, email subscribers get stale with time.
Some individuals may have changed their email addresses, or they may have just lost interest in your brand.
Therefore, in order to maintain your list current and full of engaged subscribers, it’s a good idea to delete inactive members on a regular basis. Anyone who has not opened an email in the last six months or more is considered an inactive subscriber.
However, before you delete them, send one more email campaign in an attempt to re-engage your dormant subscribers. For instance, Carol Tice writes an email to her dormant subscribers asking, “Do I bore you?” ” and asks whether they want to continue being subscribed. Certain individuals react, but the others are deleted.
Another method to keep your list current is to periodically contact your subscribers and ask if they would like to change their contact information or preferences. This manner, people are reminded that they have the ability to direct their interactions with you.
Optimize Your Timing
Timing may have a significant impact on whether or not your subscribers read your emails and on your conversion rate, so choose your email send time and day wisely.
While you won’t be able to pinpoint the ideal time instantly, do some A/B testing to see which periods appear to work the best and include them into future ads.
However, you may be wondering whether anybody else has conducted tests that you might benefit from. Yes!
The bottom line about email send time is as follows: envision a typical day in the lives of your target audience. How do they spend their mornings, afternoons, and evenings? How does their workday unfold? How late do they sleep? What time do they get up in the morning?
All of these inquiries will assist you in determining the optimal time to send your emails.
Enhance the Visibility of Your Subject Line
Subject lines are critical when it comes to email open and click rates. It is your responsibility to ensure that your subject lines stand out.
Here are some pointers on how to write the finest email marketing subject lines possible:
- Inspire interest, but avoid being too cunning. You want to pique their interest enough to open and click, but not so much that they have no idea what you’re talking about.
- Include numerical values. Something about numbers attracts the attention.
- Maintain a pleasant and conversational tone of voice.
- Speak in the same language and tone as your subscribers, particularly when conversing with their friends.
- Write to Only One Individual
- When you’re writing your subject line and message content, it’s natural to consider the thousands of recipients.
However, writing as though chatting to an individual is much more successful, with a customized subject line and message.
To write in this manner, you must have a thorough understanding of your customer persona. You must first comprehend their issues, desires, values, likes, and dislikes.
If you’re experiencing difficulty with this, write an email requesting a five-minute conversation. You may ask questions throughout the conversation to get a better understanding of your subscribers’ requirements and thought processes.
Spending a day or two conversing with your subscribers will be time well spent since it will benefit you in so many ways: not only with your message but also with developing and enhancing your goods and services.
Write as though you were a friend
Put your business cap aside and write as if you were speaking to a friend while composing your emails. This is the only method to really engage your subscribers and get them to open and click on your emails.
For instance, a corporate term such as “We’re giving our consumers discounts!” ” comes across as remote and stuffy.
A more approachable option could say, “you’ve got to check out this offer…”
This gives the email a much more personal feel and reduces the likelihood that your receivers would just delete it and go on.
Bear in mind that, in this information era, everyone is searching for an excuse to disregard your communications. They are not seeking an excuse to read them. However, if you appeal to them on a personal level, you will increase the likelihood of your email being opened.
Every Time, Create Amazing Content
You may believe that when a subscriber opens your email, the fight is effectively won. However, the content of your email plays a significant influence in determining your open rate.
Why? Because if your subscribers are satisfied with your material, they are more likely to open your next emails. They may even develop an eagerness to receive your communications. On the other hand, if a subscriber is dissatisfied with the content of your email, they are unlikely to open it again and may even unsubscribe.
So how can you ensure that your subscribers are satisfied with the content of your emails? It’s straightforward: make it great.
Provide a link to very useful materials, such as a free eBook, a lengthy blog post, or a webinar. Even writing an Email marketing Guide as this would do.
The trick is to avoid sending emails just for the sake of sending emails. Each time you email your list, you must provide something of genuine value. The more valuable each email you send, the more devoted your subscribers will become, and the better your open rates will be.
Introduce Some levity
Humor has an uncanny ability to establish an immediate connection with individuals. It’s personable, entertaining, and makes an impression on others.
However, what if you are not a very amusing person? It’s not always easy to be witty or amusing, and attempting to do so within the confines of an email subject line? That may be very perplexing.
Fortunately, you do not have to be a comic to send a funny email. It is more critical to really understand your recipients and how they will react. Knowing their preferences and dislikes will make it much simpler to crack a joke or make a tongue-in-cheek remark.
Mobile-Friendly Design – Email marketing Guide
Depending on your target demographic, product, and email type, mobile email accounts for 67 percent of all email opens. You cannot afford to ignore mobile consumers; you must reach out to them.
Ascertain that your email is responsive and has easily-loading material. Additionally, keep in mind that mobile displays are smaller, which means that lengthy subject lines may be chopped off on mobile devices.
Here are some more email marketing best practices for reaching mobile users:
- Maintain a basic (single-column) layout that is less than 600px wide.
- Increase the text size. On mobile, small letters are difficult to read.
- Make no assumption that pictures are being shown (Android turns images off by default). Ascertain that it appears excellent in the absence of them.
- Reduce load time by using smaller pictures.
- Utilize a prominent call-to-action button. Larger buttons are more comfortable to tap with your thumb.
- Place no more than two connections next to or on top of one another. Thus, the user will avoid accidentally tapping the incorrect one.
All of these marketing tactics may assist improve any campaign’s open rates, but don’t be disheartened if you don’t see immediate results.
Email marketing is both an art and a science, so allow for some experimentation to see which techniques perform best for your company and your subscribers.
A regular newsletter is a simple and efficient method to provide information about your business, forthcoming events, and special offers to your customers and prospects. Aside from that, email software makes it simple to arrange automatic promotional emails for consumers who haven’t bought from you in a while.
Email marketing enables you to target specific groups of clients, or even specific people, with your marketing messages. Providing special birthday promotions on products or services to particular consumers is one method of doing this.
An email has a significant advantage over social media in that clients are far more likely to notice an email than they are to see a social media post. Simply publishing anything on social media does not guarantee that it will be seen by everyone who is interested in hearing your message. An email, on the other hand, will remain in an inbox until it is read (or deleted).
In an ideal world, email marketing would be used in conjunction with social media. Including social network “Like” or “Share” buttons in your marketing emails provides consumers with an extra method to engage with your company and its products. You may include snippets of favorable reviews from social media followers in your emails, and social media postings can direct buyers to your email newsletter.
Strategies for Email Marketing
Effective email marketing requires time and effort. A few methods for getting the most out of your email marketing efforts are provided here.
Create Your Own Mailing List
Sending an unwanted email will accomplish nothing more than turning off the vast majority of the individuals you were intending to convert into clients. Make it plain to consumers when they are opting in to receive your emails, whether it’s on your website, at your shop, or at an event you’re hosting.
Observe the Rules of the Road
The CAN-SPAM Act requires that email marketers follow the restrictions set out in the legislation. There are other guidelines that must be followed, including using a non-deceptive subject line, offering an easy means to unsubscribe, and including your full name and mailing address at the conclusion of each email. 4
Make Your Messages More Diverse
Don’t simply send out purchase advertising all of the time; make a habit of it. Make use of your emails to establish relationships with consumers by sharing your experience or that of others, as well as providing them with useful advice and insights. Provide them with information that will allow them to learn more about you and your firm.
Show Consideration for Your Subscribers
Take good care of your list. Keep in mind that the individuals with whom you’re speaking have placed their faith in you, and they deserve to be treated with courtesy. Create a sense of exclusivity for your consumers in order to increase their chances of becoming fans and even advocates for your product or service.
Stick to a schedule
If you’re putting out a newsletter, stick to a timetable. Sending out an email on the same day (or days) every week can enable your subscribers to know what to anticipate from you and when they can expect to hear from you.
Mobile-Friendly Design
According to studies conducted by marketing experts at the business Litmus, slightly under half of all emails are opened on mobile devices on an almost regular basis.
That implies that if your email does not appear correctly on mobile devices, half of your audience will conclude that you are incompetent in the art of email creation.
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. Which helps me support the channel to make quality content and recommend products for you.
