About 3 years back my online business was struggling and had a hard time figuring out what I could do to increase my sales and increase my sales.
I had read an article that Email Marketing Was Dead and nothing can be more further from the truth.
I guess it was a good clickbait title and I let myself be influenced by miss guided information.
The Title should have been Bad Email Marketing has to die.
After I started implementing email marketing in my business it increased more than 35% in the first 3 months I wished I should have used it from the start.
WHAT IS EMAIL MARKETING?
Email Marketing is the activity that is carried out by sending messages and promotions through email. This communication is established with the email user, usually with their permission, since they have shown interest in receiving more information about the products, services, or content of an individual or organization.
In case of receiving unsolicited commercial information, in the user’s mailbox, this activity is called SPAM or junk mail, it is important to mention that in many countries there has already been legislation on the proper use of email to send and receive information.
It is important to keep this in mind because if a mass mailing is done without taking into account the correct guidelines, our mailing address can be labeled as SPAM and this would bring negative consequences to our brand. Therefore, it is very important to know how to send mass emails without being SPAM, to avoid problems.
ADVANTAGES OF EMAIL MARKETING
One of the great advantages of Email Marketing is that it is known as permissive Marketing.
This refers to the fact that the user at the time of providing us with his email address, allows us to send him various information.
Through this action, the user is telling us that he is interested in receiving our information.
Today there are numerous techniques to increase our contact database, many of them deal with offering info products such as ebooks, courses, content, and exclusive promotions, among many others, the cost of obtaining this “free material” is simply to provide your email address to whom you will give the content.
Having a large database of contacts speaks of the fact that we have potential clients willing to purchase any of our services.
It is important to conclude that Email Marketing is part of a comprehensive Digital Marketing strategy, which must basically include Social Networks, Content Marketing, and SEO.
10 ADVANTAGES OF EMAIL MARKETING
1) REACH A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF USERS
Did you know that 91% of users check their email every day (based on data from Litmus)? It is one of the most universally used tools, and we also access it from all devices.
To maximize the reach of your email marketing campaigns, it is very important that you make sure to use responsive email templates that is, they adapt the design elements to different sizes and screen formats. Luckily, today most of the tools for creating bulk emails are responsive by default.
2) IT IS VERY EASY TO USE AND FOR ALL TYPES OF COMPANIES
Email marketing can be a cutting-edge and sophisticated tool, but it is also extremely accessible.
In today’s market, there are a lot of email solutions adapted to different needs and budgets. For example, SMEs can use free or low-cost mailing tools and design them with drag-and-drop tools, while multinationals have professionals specialized in design and programming to implement the latest interaction developments. Whatever your brand, surely you can implement an email strategy.
3) IT TARGETS A RELEVANT AUDIENCE
With the new RGPD rules, we need to have the explicit consent of users to send them marketing messages. Far from being an obstacle, this gives us the peace of mind of addressing a high-value audience, since the users that compose it have heard about our brand and have agreed to receive messages from it. This pre-selection makes the impacts are much better used.
4) IT HAS GREAT SEGMENTATION POSSIBILITIES
Normally, email marketing campaigns are directed to a database of users who have voluntarily left us their information, and this information serves as the basis for developing increasingly elaborate segmentation strategies. As we continue to send emails and the user interacts with them, we will get to know them better and better and we will be able to refine more and more.
The result of all this is that we will be able to send the right message, to the right person, at the right time. And this makes the effectiveness of the campaigns grow like foam.
5) IT ADAPTS TO ALL TYPES OF CAMPAIGNS
Email marketing is a channel that allows us to communicate with our database, but the specific content of that communication is infinitely customizable. In addition, new tools, such as kinetic mail, open up the range of possibilities even further.
For this reason, the email adapts to different brands, user types, and phases of the conversion funnel. The sky is the limit!
6) IT IS EASY TO MEASURE
Today’s email marketing platforms, even the simplest, allow us to see the key metrics of our campaigns practically in real-time, such as the open or click-through rate.
Thanks to this, it is very easy to see what is working and what is not, and apply these lessons both to future email campaigns and to other channels of our digital marketing.
Furthermore, this channel is one of the most appropriate for doing A / B tests. You just have to select a percentage of your database (usually between 5 and 20%) and divide it in two to send two different versions of your email. Then you can easily compare the results and send the most effective version to other users.
7) IT IS INEXPENSIVE
The cost of sending an email is measured in fractions of a cent, especially the larger your database is. If we compare it with other communication channels, we see that it is a very affordable option for companies of all sizes, especially if we take into account its great effectiveness.
8) IT IS SCALABLE
Email marketing can adapt to a database of 500 people or 50,000 without assuming an excessive investment of time and resources. What’s more, the cost per user tends to be lower the larger the database.
Furthermore, it is a means of communication that transcends physical barriers, making it ideal for launching campaigns to international markets with just a few adaptations, such as currency and language.
9) IT IS IMMEDIATE
With other online advertising means, we cannot control when the user will receive an advertising impact. On the other hand, given the frequency with which users consult their inbox, we can control with great precision the day and even the time when they will see this message.
If we combine this feature with all the customization possibilities that email marketing offers, we quickly see that it is a very interesting option to reach people when they are most likely to convert.
10) YOUR ROI IS SIMPLY PHENOMENAL
In the end, all these advantages can be summarized in one, and that is that email is super effective. According to different sources, the Return on marketing investment (ROI) for every dollar invested in email campaigns can reach 40 dollars. This data is not so surprising when we consider that it has a very low cost and great conversion possibility.
In short, email marketing is a tool available to all marketers and with simply spectacular results. If you haven’t yet incorporated it into your online marketing strategy, now is the time!
THE 4 BEST PLATFORMS TO DO EMAIL MARKETING
We already talked about the importance of choosing the platform from which we are going to operate our Email Marketing strategy, I want to mention at least 4 of the most important platform’s so that you can choose the one you consider most appropriate.
1: MAILPOET
Speaking in simple terms, MailPoet is a specially designed plugin for the WordPress blogging platform. The main objective of this plugin is to facilitate bloggers, organize, manage and automate tasks in the blog in which they write. In this way, MailPoet facilitates many of the actions that the editor can perform, making their task much easier.
Main attractions of MailPoet
Among the main attractions of MailPoet, without a doubt, it is extremely easy to install and use. Although it is in the English language, its use is spontaneous and simple, so that any user can master its use in a short time and without extensive knowledge of English. In addition, MailPoet allows you to quickly cut and paste content to our blog, which greatly facilitates your work.
One of the star features of MailPoet is that the editor can schedule and send his posts automatically from his computer or laptop, so he will not have to access the WordPress panel every time to publish something. This complement also has a tool to facilitate the sending of information in Zine or Newsletter mode, to its followers, which saves a lot of work time, we only have to create a list of followers of our blog.
MailPoet integrates quickly with Gmail and various mobile platforms, to improve communication between the writer and his blog. Another highly remarkable feature is that this plugin has a really simple and intuitive configuration system, which allows the editor to focus 100% on what he writes, leaving the heavy lifting to MailPoet.
We can say that MailPoet is a complete WordPress assistant that can greatly facilitate the daily tasks of the blogger or writer and that it has a great attraction: It can be used by advanced users or newbies to WordPress.
2: AWEBER
Aweber is perhaps the simplest of email marketing. It is mainly focused on digital publications and blogs. It is an ideal instrument in the daily work of organizations, in which the generation of content plays a prominent role. It allows you to configure a large number of forms and has many customization options. For some, it is the best auto-responder on the market and is equipped with a mechanism that allows knowing the degree of spam in the messages.
- Aweber is a platform that will allow us to use their Email Marketing tools for free for a month, after that trial period we will have to contract some of the payment plans offered by the service.
- The trial version offers us to manage up to 500 contacts and to send unlimited emails.
- Aweber offers us the basic features of Email Marketing such as campaign management, contact and segmentation manager, email templates, among others.
3: GETRESPONSE
This is one of the best email marketing platforms with the highest number of functionalities on the market. In addition to offering email marketing and marketing automation functionalities, it offers the option of creating your own landing pages and also hosting webinars. I would highlight its excellent functionality to generate automation, and also to create landing pages that are really simple. Plus, it offers free access to over 1,000 iStock images.
GetResponse is email marketing software recommended for all those entrepreneurs looking for a versatile mailing tool, with the latest features and who do not mind handling the tool in English.
4: CONVERKIT
Converkit platform gives us the possibility of importing a database or mailing list and storing them through the registration forms. Then we can send these subscribers emails with the publications that interest them, Newsletters, offers, and information periodically.
Converkit offers us the possibility of having a detailed follow-up of the success of our emails with statistics and clicks made on each page sent. Converkit is an excellent option to integrate data obtained through the corporate blog. Its functions include:
- A metric graph that allows you to see which publications are achieving the highest number of subscribers, at any time.
- It allows segmenting different types of audience each time a specific action is concluded, for example, at the end of a course, subscribing to one of them, completing a form, or clicking on a specific link.
BENEFITS OF THESE DIGITAL MARKETING TOOLS
There is no doubt that both email marketing and mass mailing are two powerful communication tools for any digital marketing campaign, although they are also two effective techniques to generate sales.
Unlike social networks, where content can get lost in the maelstrom of daily messages, email is a perfect communication channel for the exchange of information between the company and the client. Customer loyalty is one of the most outstanding benefits in the use of both techniques, especially due to their communication skills. In addition, the users who receive these emails are people who have previously been interested in the products and services offered by the company, so they show a greater interest in the information offered to them. Communication of products and services is the most popular feature of email marketing and mass mailing. The ultimate goal of this digital marketing tool is to increase customer conversion to achieve the strategic purposes set by the company. In addition, this communication channel also allows customers to be informed about special offers and discounts throughout the year.
WHAT CHARACTERISTICS SHOULD A GOOD EMAIL MARKETING TOOL HAVE?
We have already seen the large number of benefits that email marketing can bring to your business, but what should an email marketing program have that allows the different campaigns to be implemented correctly.
The mailing campaigns usually have the following structure:
- An image, a visual element that enters through the eyes of customers and puts them in a position to receive our communication.
- The name of the client
- A clear, concise, and entertaining body of text, as well as informative.
A link button for the email reader to execute the action that the company intends.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD EMAIL MARKETING TOOL
Personalization: Being able to give emails a more human touch will improve the relationship with the recipients. We deal with human beings, not robots.
Statistics analysis: to measure the impact and performance of our campaigns we will have to be able to analyze a series of statistics such as the number of clicks, the number of emails opened, which are the links that work best, and much more data that will help in the campaign in which we are immersed and they will provide us with information about our customers and subscribers.
Automation: that the tool can generate emails by itself when customers meet certain requirements, which is known as workflow and that emails can be scheduled.
CONCLUSION:
Email Marketing is not dead, You have to integrate email marketing into all of your online projects. this type of marketing tool is essential to keep your audience up to date and also to promote your most recent content to them.
Just because is one of the oldest marketing tools does not mean that is obsolete.
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