Let us take you back to 1991, the birth of Hotmail. The world’s first free web-based email service that opened a whole new world for marketers to reach their customers. Some say that “email is dead”, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In 2023 alone, around 4.5 billion customers are active email users, which is expected to reach 4.8 billion by 2027. (Radicati). Given such overwhelming outreach, email is the OG and most powerful means of communication for brands and remains a necessity for any business looking to be known and grow.
What is Email Marketing and Why is it Important?
Email marketing is a form of digital marketing, a channel that builds real relationships and promotes products and services. But why is it important? People check their inboxes all the time, we’re talking up to 20 times a day! That’s 20 chances to get your message in front of them. It is really an unmatched tool for sales and loyalty building and the best bit? Not only is it affordable but It’s also one of the best investments you can make: for every $1 spent, you’re looking at an average return of $36. (Thanks Litmis)
From picking the right email platform to decoding the crazy jargon you might have never heard of before and building that first campaign. Let’s get into it.
Email Marketing Jargon
We all know how to send an email, but the email marketing jargon? That’s a whole new level. No, you aren’t decoding a secret language, but it is important to try to master some of the lingo and give yourself a boost and believe us, your campaigns will thank you!
Getting Started with Email Marketing
Getting started with email marketing and making sure you are good at it is easier than you might think! To set yourself up for success before you start sending those emails just to anyone and everyone, let’s break it down into four detailed steps:
1. Choose an Email Service Provider (ESP)
The first step in your email marketing journey is picking the right platform, after all, you can’t send marketing emails without one! With so many options out there, ranging from simple solutions to more advanced ones in those martech stacks, it can be a lot. It is the backbone of your email marketing efforts so when looking for a platform make sure it has these three things: a nice user-friendly design, robust analytics, and segmentation capabilities! Here are a few popular email service providers (ESPs) to consider:
MailChimp: A long-time favourite, and very popular with SMEs’, MailChimp is well loved by businesses of all shapes and sizes. It’s user-friendly and even offers a free plan for beginners to get started which always helps!
SendinBlue: This platform stands out by combining email marketing with SMS capabilities, making it a versatile choice for reaching your audience through multiple channels.
Constant Contact: Renowned for its robust features and outstanding customer support, Constant Contact is a solid option for those who value assistance as they navigate their email marketing journey.
WeDoCRM Recommends: HubSpot.
HubSpot is a great choice for B2B businesses with a whole toolbox of marketing tools to help grow audiences and boost conversions. It is super easy to manage campaigns and with everything in one place, nurturing leads and turning them into loyal customers is like a breeze. (A popular choice for most of our SME clients.)
2. Build your Email List – And Here’s How!
If you are looking for genuine connections with your customers (and honestly, who isn’t?) your email list is where it all happens. Don’t think of it just as a collection of names and addresses, this is essential for effective marketing. Start by collecting emails through various channels, this can be from your website, social media or if you have a shop, promotions in the shop. You can do this by using sign-up forms and incentives like discounts or exclusive content to encourage subscriptions. It is your best friend in the digital marketing world, you’ll be reaping the benefits before you know it, with higher engagement and potential for big returns so start building your list now!
WeDoCRM recommends: Always remember to get permission from subscribers to ensure compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR. Make it easy for subscribers to opt-out if they choose. It’s not uncommon for businesses to be unaware that their data processes are breaking GDPR law, so it’s well worth having a chat with a specialist CRM agency and data experts (hello!) to see where improvements can be made, and how quickly. You can read more about how to handle your data correctly in our article here.
3. Know Your Audience
Gone are the days of blasting out emails to everyone and hoping for the best, if you aren’t segmenting your audience, you could end up spamming your customers (which is definitely not the way to build good relationships or keep your sender reputation intact!) To make an impact you need to know your audience inside and out, who they are, what they like and how they behave so your emails are more resonating and encourage clicks.
The good news is that your ESP should do the heavy lifting for you with analytics. What products do they buy? What are their behaviour and engagement patterns? Look into their purchase history and really dive deep into it. Use what you learn to segment your audience into targeted groups.
WeDoCRM Recommends: Personalisation.
Good data and insights make personalisation easier. If you need segmentation support, we utilise data and insights to target email communications on a granular scale, helping to increase attribution and preserve database health.
4. Craft Your First Campaign
Now comes the fun part. After following the points above and now you have your audience segmented you should be ready to craft your first campaign, exciting! So where do you start? Think about all the emails you receive a day and the ones that grab your attention the most. Start with an eye-catching subject line that speaks directly to each group. For example, if you are targeting fitness fanatics, they will love to hear about the latest workout gear, while casual shoppers might want to be treated to more of a seasonal promotion.
Start with an eye-catching subject line, and use engaging content with appealing visuals, your ESP should help you in terms of the layout and formatting of the email design. If you are announcing a new product, sharing a special offer or sending a newsletter, make sure it goes out to the right audience and has a clear call to action and you will be on your way to creating effective email marketing campaigns. Woohoo, happy emailing!
Email Marketing is More Relevant than Ever
Despite officially existing since the mid-60s, Email has been one of the most widely used communication channels since the 90s. At its core, it is a digital communication strategy designed to build genuine relationships while promoting products and services. It’s not just about sending promotional messages – it’s about initiating conversations with your audience and given that people check their inboxes multiple times a day, email marketing presents so many opportunities to connect and convert!
Do you need support with your Email Marketing and Designs?
We support brands and organisations all over the world with their day-to-day email marketing operations. If you need support with your design, we will design, build and deliver fully responsive, optimised emails that reflect your brand identity and deliver campaign messages that drive engagement and ROI.
Our email templates utilise the latest HTML, CSS and Javascript code to ensure the email remains agile in data size and clean in regards to backend code structure in order to pass spam filters and deliver successfully to the recipient’s inbox.
Contact us today if you’re interested in learning more. We hope to hear from you soon.
