Email Marketing

It is estimated that by 2022, the number of email users will grow to 4.3 billion people – that’s half of the world population. *Cough, cough* that’s a lot of potential customers. If you aren’t using email marketing to reach your customers, then you are missing out on a multitude of benefits for your business.

What is it? Why is it important?

What is email marketing, anyway? It’s the use of email to digitally market products and services, but it doesn’t stop there. Email marketing can also be used to establish and maintain relationships between your business and your customers. You can even use email to reach out to potential customers.

Not only is the use of email one of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies (seriously, it can even be free), but it has a massive return on investment rate. In today’s case, that means for every $1 you spend on your email marketing efforts, you can make up to $52 in return – a significant increase from previous years.

Your Campaign

So, now you understand the importance of email marketing, but that doesn’t mean you should jump into it right away. An effective campaign requires careful thought and consideration from start to finish. Take some time to reflect on your business and your brand, as well as who your customers are and what they need from you.

We’ve got a great guide on How to Maintain Strong Brand Personality in Your Email Designs which includes valuable questions every brand should ask themselves when starting an email marketing campaign. We also include tips for a cohesive design layout and how to maintain your tone of voice.

Once you’ve figured out your brand identity and taken time to determine who your customers are, you’ll have to educate yourself on the different types of email marketing strategies, from the initial “hello” to seasonal promos to newsletters and everything in between.

We stumbled upong this great resource on The 9 Types of Email Marketing Campaigns You Should Already be Using, which is essentially a step-by-step guide for launching an email marketing campaign. But remember, every brand’s campaign is different. It has to be.

More Things to Consider

• Use the data to your benefit

If you’ve previously collected data from current or potential customers, whether through a survey, sign-up form, or contest, this information can be extremely beneficial to your campaign. Even if it’s simply knowing the customer’s name so you can include a personalized touch in an email, you’re already going one step further to show your customer that you care. If you haven’t collected any data, now’s the time to start! You can use surveys or subscriptions, but keep them short and don’t ask for too much. Contests, giveaways, and special offers can also be used as incentives for data collection.

• Include a call-to-action

Email campaigns are transactional. Just as the customer is looking for a product or service you can provide, you are looking for something from them. That can be a purchase, a click, a view, a follow, or even an RSVP to an event. There are so many types of CTAs you can use depending on the goals of your marketing campaign and ultimately for your business. For example, if you’re selling a product, you might include a button that reads, “Shop Now” or “Order Now.” If you need some inspiration, check out these 75 Calls to Actions to Use in Your Email Marketing Campaigns.

• Always, always, always incorporate a responsive design

Nearly 50% of emails are opened on a smartphone. So always consider the customer who is on her commute to work or waiting to board a flight or sitting in a doctor’s office. The point is, you should be concise and engaging enough to get someone’s attention through a tiny screen. Most importantly, make sure that your campaign is responsive to various devices and screen sizes by incorporating a media query in your CSS.

In the time that you’ve read this blog, millions of emails have been sent across the world. It’s true – over 250 billion emails are sent on a daily basis. Now it’s time you get in on the fun! We’re confident that if you’ve made it this far, you are ready to begin your campaign. Good luck!