How to Start an Email Marketing Campaign?
As technology advances, it revolutionises all aspects of the economy, from how businesses operate to how they communicate with their clients. Marketing, the most crucial form of customer communication, has also evolved manifold throughout history. From cold calls to chatbots and AI-powered customer service, businesses have made all possible attempts to customise and personalise all their marketing attempts to appease the younger generation of customers. However, while several forms of marketing became obsolete during this whirlwind, email marketing has stood the test of time by resilient transformation over the years. Email marketing has proven to be one of the finest ways to effectively convey information about your brand and promote the sale of your product or service.
What is an Email Marketing Campaign?
With omnichannel retail taking over the marketing world in this digital era, businesses now have a big basket full of various marketing techniques. Marketers are doing everything from paid advertising to search engine optimisation, referral programs and content marketing. But no matter which technique you cherry-pick for your business as a marketer, email marketing is not something to avoid. Email marketing is one of the most vital components of a successful marketing campaign.
Emails have always been a major part of all formal and professional communications. Recently, they have also shown significant involvement in personal and informal talks. By the end of 2022, there were around 4.26 billion active email users, and the number of users is set to reach 4.73 billion by 2026.
Neglecting to leverage it for attracting and retaining customers would be a missed opportunity.
Email marketing is a strategy where a series of carefully timed and coordinated individual email messages is used to promote products services, or nurturing customer relationships. Simply put, email marketing is leveraging email to market products. Marketers design creative emails to attract customers.
However, email marketing is much more than well-drafted emails with quirky phrases and attractive infographics. Email marketing involves strategic segmentation, personalisation, automation, and analytics beyond creative content, making it a multifaceted tool for effective customer engagement and conversion.
What are the benefits of having an Email Marketing Campaign?
A successful email marketing campaign is an undisputed gem of an organisation’s marketing endeavours. After social media, it ranked the second most preferred way of marketing by organisations, with around 57% agreeing to increase their investment in them. And here is why:
Increase brand awareness
To stay relevant, it is detrimental to have a continuous dialogue with your customer base so that they do not forget you. And that is the main goal behind ensuring continuous awareness around your brand. With a proficient email marketing campaign, marketers try to increase brand awareness in consumers’ minds persistently.
Generate website traffic
The importance of organic traffic is undisputable in today’s world. All want to rank high in Google search algorithms. While search engine optimisation with keyword-heavy content is a good approach, clever email marketing with actionable CTA will also result in more significant traffic on the business website, pushing it higher in Google algorithms.
Drive sales and revenue
Email marketing also enables you to showcase your offerings and test diverse promotional strategies, such as providing discounts, free shipping incentives, or highlighting product roundups, fostering increased sales. Implementing upselling and cross-selling methods can further enhance average order values.
Boost other marketing channels
With the upswing of omnichannel retail, having an active presence throughout the various platforms has become crucial. Interlinking and connectivity are crucial elements of sound digital marketing. Businesses need to ensure that there is no deviation in the information across various channels while maintaining fluid connectivity among all. Emails have proven to be an excellent way of securing it.
Keep customers engaged
A marketer’s work is not only to attract customers but also to retain them. However, with the upsurge in options and cutthroat competition in the economy, consumers have become very finicky. Keeping them entertained and engaged keeps marketers on their toes. A well-crafted email can be an excellent support for them. All marketers must do is alter it to the customers’ preferences.
consumers have become very finicky. Keeping them entertained and engaged keeps marketers on their toes. A well-crafted email can be an excellent support for them. All marketers must do is alter it to the customers’ preferences.
Gain valuable business data
It is no secret that today’s economy relies heavily on big data, which it refines using various automation tools. The data ensures a wide-angle view of the customers’ mindset, forming the base for major business decisions. If implemented correctly, an efficient marketing campaign will result in tons of consumer data, which the organisation can use to gain a competitive advantage.
How to Start an Email Marketing Campaign?
Unlike earlier, email marketing campaigns no longer only revolve around the organisation and the products; they are much more customer centric. Starting a successful email marketing campaign today is about customer-centric and leveraging data-driven personalisation. Here’s a detailed guide on how to initiate such a campaign:
Customer-Centric Approach:
Make customers the centre of your entire campaign. Modern email marketing focuses on the customer, not just your organisation or products. Recognise each customer has unique preferences and needs and endeavour to fulfil them.
Data Collection:
Gather valuable customer data through tools like sign-up forms, surveys, and interactions on your website and social media platforms to accumulate data on likes, dislikes, needs, and demands. Around a quarter of organisations are already relying on big data, with over 97% of companies ready to switch to it.
Segmentation:
Segment your email list based on the collected data. Divide your subscribers into smaller groups with similar characteristics and interests. It allows you to send highly targeted and relevant content.
Personalisation:
Customise your emails for each segment. Use the collected data to craft personalised subject lines, content, and product recommendations. Tailor your messages to resonate with each group’s specific needs and preferences.
Automation:
Implement email marketing automation tools to streamline your campaign. Schedule emails to be sent at the right time, trigger messages based on customer behaviour and set up drip campaigns to nurture leads.
Testing and Optimization:
Continuously test different elements of your emails, such as subject lines, content, and visuals. Analyze the results and make data-driven adjustments to improve performance.
Engagement and Value:
Ensure that you always provide value to your subscribers. Offer informative content, exclusive offers, and solutions to their problems. Engaged customers are more likely to convert and become permanent ones.
Monitoring and Analytics:
Use analytics tools to monitor the performance of your email campaigns: track open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and ROI. Adjust your strategy based on these insights once you have all the required information.
Compliance and Consent:
Ensure your email marketing complies with data protection regulations. Also, always obtain proper consent from subscribers and provide easy opt-out options.
Feedback Loop:
Encourage feedback from your subscribers. Listen to what they say, list their suggestions and concerns, and incorporate their input into your campaign improvements.
The Recipe for a Successful Email Campaign
The recipe for a successful email campaign is simple, follow the 5-step plan:
1. Create an Email Marketing Plan
To launch a successful email marketing strategy, start with a comprehensive plan. Define your audience, segment it for personalised messaging, and consider the sign-up sources to tailor your communication effectively. Craft content that resonates with your subscribers’ interests and objectives. Maintain consistency using a content calendar tailored to your industry and content strategy.
2. Design Your Emails
When creating email campaigns, prioritise your message and maintain a simple design. Arrange campaign elements hierarchically, placing critical information at the top for quick scanning. Consider coding your HTML template for greater design control.
3. Test Your Emails
Ensure your email campaign’s compatibility by testing it across various email clients and ISPs, as their rendering can vary. Don’t forget to review the mobile display for responsiveness. Seek input to spot typos and assess the layout by sending them test emails. Optimise your campaign’s performance with A/B testing, exploring different subject lines and timing to determine the most effective approach.
4. Marketing Automation
Automation emails, unlike standard campaigns, are predefined and require minimal intervention. They range from welcoming new subscribers to post-purchase follow-ups and customer rewards. By automating these interactions, you can efficiently engage customers, freeing up time for content creation and enhancing ROI. Additionally, you can use automation to design, send, and monitor order notifications, keeping customers informed about their store purchases.
5. Measure Your Performance
Evaluating metrics like open and click rates gauges campaign engagement, but it’s crucial to benchmark these against industry standards. E-commerce data integration offers insights into subscriber purchases, and tracking website traffic post-campaign can help identify trends.
Conclusion
Email marketing is an enduring cornerstone for businesses in the dynamic realm of digital marketing. As technology evolves, so does email marketing, offering a more personalised and customer-centric approach. From recognising the significance of data collection and segmentation to harnessing automation and personalisation, email marketing offers limitless potential. It boosts brand awareness, drives sales, and fosters customer relationships, making it an invaluable tool in your marketing arsenal.
As you embark on your email marketing journey, remember that success thrives on continual refinement. Regularly monitor and analyse your campaigns, adapting to shifting trends and customer preferences. With a customer-centric approach, creativity, and the right tools, your email marketing endeavours can forge enduring connections with your audience and deliver a substantial return on investment. Seize the opportunities email marketing offers and witness your brand soar in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
FAQs
Q. How do I handle unsubscribers and maintain a positive sender reputation?
A. Promptly honour unsubscribe requests and avoid spammy tactics to maintain a positive sender reputation.
Q. What role does storytelling play in email marketing?
A. Storytelling captivates your audience, creates emotional connections, and boosts engagement for better conversion.
Q. How can I integrate social media into my email marketing efforts?
A. Enhance your email marketing by adding social sharing buttons, running cross-promotions, and leveraging user-generated content from social platforms.
