Email Marketing: Step-by-Step Guide

Imagine email marketing as a friendly chat with a potential customer. It's been around for ages, but that doesn't mean it's out of style! It's one of the easiest ways to connect with people who might be interested in what you have to offer. A study by Campaign Monitor even found that for every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can get back an average of $44! That's a pretty sweet return, right? But like any good conversation, you need to know how to keep things interesting. This guide will walk you through the steps of creating an email marketing campaign that gets results, so you can start chatting with your way to success.

WHAT IS EMAIL MARKETING?

Imagine you have a list of friends you chat with online. Email marketing is like sending them a series of messages to keep them in the loop about your cool new project (your product, service, or business). The goal is to remind them you exist, become their friend (build a connection), and maybe even get them to try something fun (take action!). This action could be anything from buying your latest creation to joining your club (signing up) or checking out your awesome website.

The best part is, that these conversations can be tailored to each friend (personalized and targeted emails). Did a friend show interest in your project earlier? You can send them a special message with more details! This way, everyone feels like they're getting the inside scoop. Email marketing lets you have these personalized chats with a bunch of people at once (mass message), and even adjust the conversation based on what your friends liked before (drip campaigns). It's a super cost-effective way to turn those interested friends into fans (conversions) and keep them coming back for more (repeat business).

TYPES OF EMAIL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

How you structure your email campaign comes down to your objectives. There are several types of campaigns that businesses can use, but below are some of the more common types.

NEWSLETTER CAMPAIGN

Imagine you have a newsletter for your awesome online community (prospects and current customers). It's like a friendly way to stay in touch and remind them you're there. You can share helpful tips and tricks (like those blog articles and quick videos) or keep them updated on exciting news or events (upcoming stuff!). The best part? You can tailor the newsletter to each person's interests. So, people who love your gadgets get updates on new tech, while those who dig your fashion line get the scoop on the latest styles. Newsletters are a flexible way to keep everyone engaged and informed, and maybe even introduce them to other cool things you offer (push other products or services). It's a win-win for everyone!

PROMOTIONAL EMAIL CAMPAIGN

Imagine you're having a conversation with a friend who loves your online shop. A promotional email is like a special whisper in their ear about a secret sale or discount you're having! These emails are perfect for letting people know about limited-time offers and can help you make some serious sales quickly (generate revenue). Just like you might recommend something special to a friend based on what they like, these emails can be personalized to each person. So, someone who bought your sneakers last month might get a special offer on matching socks in their inbox!

WELCOME EMAIL CAMPAIGN

Imagine you just made a new friend online who's interested in your stuff! A welcome email is like a high-five saying "Welcome aboard!" It's a one-time message or a series of friendly chats to help your new friend get started with what you offer. Since people are usually excited about something new, these emails get opened a lot (high open rate). The goal is to make them feel comfortable and show them the next steps, like where to find the coolest things (your products or services). You can even ask them to share their thoughts later, like how you might ask your friend for their opinion on your latest project.

ABANDONED CART EMAIL CAMPAIGN

Imagine you're browsing a store and fill your arms with awesome stuff, but then get distracted and leave it all behind! A cart abandonment email is like a friendly reminder from the store saying, "Hey, you forgot some cool things in your cart!" These emails are sent to people who added items to your online store but didn't check out. The goal is to gently nudge them back to complete their purchase. Sometimes, the email might even offer a little extra incentive, like free shipping or a discount, to sweeten the deal!

RE-ENGAGEMENT EMAILS

Imagine you have an old friend you haven't chatted with in a while (disengaged subscribers). A re-engagement email is like reaching out and saying, "Hey, how are you?" It's sent to past customers who haven't interacted with you recently. These emails can be a fun way to remind them of all the cool stuff you have to offer (new features or products). You can also ask them why they haven't been around much (feedback) and see how you can make things even better for them. Sometimes, these emails might even include a special offer (incentives) to entice them to come back and chat again!

HOW TO CREATE AN EMAIL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

All right! Now that we've covered the basics of email marketing and different types of campaigns, it's like setting up your online chat room! We'll go over everything you need to do, from building your guest list (creating lists) to dividing your friends into groups (segmenting groups) to figuring out what fun things to talk about (content creation). With these steps, you'll be a pro at crafting awesome email campaigns in no time!

1. CHOOSE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING PLATFORM

Absolutely! Ready to take your online chat room to the next level? Here's where you'll need a cool walkie-talkie app (email marketing service) to create and automate your messages (email campaigns). This app will handle all the behind-the-scenes stuff (logistics) so your chats run smoothly. There are many options out there, but a great one to check out is ActiveCampaign.

Think of ActiveCampaign as a super-powered chat app. It lets you automate fancy message chains (marketing campaigns) that include emails, texts (SMS/text messages), and even lets you reach out directly to potential customers (sales outreach) and track their interest (lead scoring). It has a built-in address book (CRM system) to keep track of everyone you chat with. It's a powerful tool with plans for businesses of all sizes, so you can find the perfect fit for your online community!

2. ESTABLISH YOUR GOALS

Absolutely! Before you fire off messages in your online chat room, it's important to figure out your goal. Imagine you're planning a fun activity with your friends! Here are some ideas:

• Spread the word! Maybe you want to invite more people to join your awesome online community and have some fun together (boost engagement and awareness).
• Welcome aboard! You might have new friends joining the chat room all the time (new subscribers). A message can be a great way to say hi and show them the cool stuff you have (welcome new subscribers).
• Keep the party going! You've got a great group of friends chatting already, but you want to make sure they keep coming back for more (nurture existing subscribers).
• Reunite the crew! Maybe some old friends haven't been chatting much lately (re-engage subscribers). A message can be a fun way to remind them of the good times they're missing!
• Turn friends into VIPs! Sometimes you might offer special treats (incentives) to encourage your friends to support your online shop (generate more revenue).

3. BUILD YOUR EMAIL LISTS

Absolutely! The secret sauce to a rocking online chat room is having the right people in the conversation (targeted lists). This guest list can be built from your existing friends (current contact list) and then grouped based on things they have in common or the actions you want them to take. Imagine sorting your friends into smaller groups based on interests! This could be by location (regions), age and background (demographics), what kind of work they do (industries), the things they like (products or services), and so on.

Wichtig! (Important in German) Don't be tempted to buy a pre-made guest list. Not only will these folks be unlikely to join the conversation (bad engagement rates), but it can also get you in trouble with the chat room monitors (email service providers) who might flag you as spam. Build your list organically and keep it fun!

4. DESIGN YOUR EMAIL

Absolutely! Thankfully, most online chat room apps (email marketing providers) have a treasure trove of pre-made invitations (email templates) you can use to get started. These invitations are already designed for different kinds of hangouts (campaigns) you want to have. But remember, you still want to add your own personal touch to make the conversation fun and engaging. Here are some tips:

• Make it your own! Add your logo, signature colors, and anything else that makes your online shop unique (apply to brand).
• Spice things up! Plain text messages are okay, but adding some cool pictures or short videos can really grab everyone's attention (use images and video). Just make sure they work well on all devices (responsive).
• Personalize the party! Use the app's features to greet your friends by name (personalize it). You can even mention local events or sales happening near them, and recommend products or services they might be interested in based on what they've liked before.
• Craft a catchy headline! Keep it short and sweet, around 41-50 characters (most subject lines range from 41-50 characters). Tell your friends exactly what they can expect when they open your message (tell people exactly what they will get). Avoid words that might get your message flagged as spam (spam trigger words).
• Keep it short and sweet! Long messages are a thing of the past. When writing your invitation (copy), make it personal and to the point. Offer your friends something valuable, like helpful resources, interesting info, or a reason why doing business with you is awesome.
• Give them a clear next step! This is your call to action (CTA). It's the one thing you want your friends to do after reading your message. The CTA can appear a few times throughout the message, but usually towards the end (likely to be positioned in the middle to end of the email). If you've crafted a great invitation, the CTA should be a natural next step for your friends.

5. AUTOMATE AND TRACK

Imagine you have a super assistant for your online chat room (email automation). This assistant can automatically send out messages (emails) to your friends (subscribers), either one at a time or a whole series in a row. It can be something simple, like sending a welcome coupon right after someone signs up (like automatically emailing a coupon after someone submits their email on your site), or it can be more complex, like keeping track of your friends' actions across different platforms for months to send them personalized messages (as complex as incorporating behavior tracking across channels for a months-long email nurture campaign).

Here's how it works: The assistant follows a set of instructions (triggers) based on "if-then" scenarios to decide when to send a message. For instance, if a friend buys something from your shop, the assistant sends them a confirmation email right away (for example, if a customer makes a purchase, the email automation platform sends them an order confirmation). This way, your chat room runs smoothly in the background, and you can stay connected with your friends (maintain touchpoints) to encourage them to take action (drive conversions).

Once your online chat room is up and running, you can keep an eye on how it's doing (track its performance). Most chat room apps (email marketing services) have special tools (in-depth analytics) to help you see what's working well and what's not. Here are some key things to watch:

• How many people open your messages (open rate)
• How many people click on the links you send (click-through rate)
• How many people take the action you want them to take (conversion rate)
• How many messages bounce back because of delivery issues (bounce rate)
• How many people unsubscribe from your chat room (unsubscribes)

Remember, the goal is to align your online chat room with what you want to achieve. If something isn't working well, make changes to improve it (adjustments). You can also try out different things with your friends (A/B testing) to see what works best!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Absolutely! Email marketing is a super power for businesses. It lets you stay in touch with your awesome customers (connected), bring in more sales (generate revenue), and introduce yourself to cool new people who might be interested in what you offer (reach new prospects) - all through their message boxes (inboxes).

We know it can feel a bit tricky at first, but this guide is here to give you a superhero landing (confident start). If you're looking to level up your digital marketing skills or want some help crafting your email strategy, we've got your back! Just contact us today and we'll build a custom marketing plan that's perfect for your business. Let's make your email marketing a super success!