Ever tried selling something to a loved one? Sounds weird right? You don’t sell to a loved one. You give.

This is because more than caring about what you are giving them, they care about you.

When a brand wishes to become not just a part of people’s buying habits, but a part of their lives, it is important for that brand to establish connections with their audiences on a personal level. It is imperative to make your audience your best friends, who will support you through thick and thin. 

Email Marketing is one of the best ways to achieve this. On an average, people spend around 3 hours on their phones every day. Emails are one of the most important notifications which people usually check every day. Through email marketing, it becomes easy to assert your presence and offer benefits to people personally. So let’s dive into what is email marketing and how you can boost your business using it. 

WHAT IS EMAIL MARKETING?

Email marketing is the use of creatively crafted emails as a marketing strategy to target potential leads as well as continue communication with already established clients. A simple email can make the audience feel special, and drive engagement and organic traffic to your business. One can also effectively use email marketing for increasing brand awareness and visibility through the use of storytelling. 

IMPORTANCE OF EMAIL MARKETING

I. Direct and Personalized Communication:

Email marketing offers a direct line of communication between businesses and their target audience. Unlike many other marketing channels, emails land directly in a subscriber’s inbox, providing a personalized and intimate connection. Personalization, through tailored content and segmentation, enhances engagement and fosters a sense of relevance for the recipient.

II. Cost-Effective and High ROI:

One of the most compelling aspects of email marketing is its cost-effectiveness. Compared to traditional advertising channels, email marketing requires negligible or minimum investment. The return on investment (ROI) is often substantial, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to maximize their marketing budget.

III. Building and Nurturing Customer Relationships:

Email marketing serves as a powerful tool for building and nurturing long-term customer relationships. By delivering valuable content, promotions, and updates directly to subscribers, businesses can stay top-of-mind and develop a rapport with their audience. Drip campaigns and personalized communication contribute to the creation of a loyal customer base.

IV. Targeted and Segmented Campaigns:

Segmentation allows businesses to tailor their email campaigns based on specific demographics, behaviours, or preferences. This targeted approach ensures that recipients receive content that is relevant to their interests, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion. Understanding the importance of segmentation is key to the success of email marketing strategies.

V. Measurable and Analytical:

The effectiveness of email marketing can be precisely measured through analytics. Metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates provide valuable insights into the performance of campaigns. This data-driven approach enables marketers to refine their strategies, optimizing future campaigns for better results.

VI. Automation for Efficiency:

Automation streamlines marketing processes, allowing businesses to send timely and relevant messages without constant manual intervention. Autoresponders, drip campaigns, and personalized workflows enhance efficiency, ensuring that the right message reaches the right audience at the right time.

VII. Global Reach and 24/7 Availability:

Email marketing transcends geographical boundaries, providing businesses with a global reach. Furthermore, emails are accessible 24/7, allowing businesses to engage with their audience at any time, regardless of time zones. This constant availability contributes to maintaining a continuous and dynamic connection with the audience.

VIII. Adaptability to Mobile Devices:

In an era where mobile devices are a massive part of our day to day routines, email marketing seamlessly adapts to this medium of communication. Responsive design and mobile-friendly content ensure that emails are accessible and visually appealing on smartphones and tablets, expanding the reach of campaigns to a mobile-savvy audience.

IX. Regulatory Compliance and Trust:

Adherence to privacy regulations, such as GDPR, is paramount in email marketing. By respecting subscriber consent and privacy, businesses can build trust with their audience. Trust, once established, enhances brand credibility and encourages customer loyalty, reinforcing the importance of ethical and compliant email marketing practices.

TYPES OF EMAIL MARKETING

Each communication with a client requires a different approach, conversation and conclusion because there are different cases when you send an email. To make your email marketing unique, you need to know the types of emails you can send:

WELCOME EMAILS 

These can be considered as on boarding emails sent to leads who have shown interest in your website or brand. The most important aspect of welcome emails is the personalisation factor. Make every client feel special and convince them to stay with you in your journey. This email is the one in which you build a relationship with your future clients or consumers. 

NEWSLETTERS

In email newsletters, one usually finds company news, blog posts, industry insights, and curated content. These are informational emails for subscribers and clients to offer them something valuable in emails. Attention-grabbing images should accompany these emails so that the receivers are intrigued by the information you are sharing and proceed to open it. 

SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATION EMAILS

What better way to increase your reach other than syncing your social media and email activity? Social media updates, follower engagement requests, and exclusive social promotions can all be sent through email as well so that a user can be reminded to check out your social media handles. This is most beneficial when it comes to LinkedIn Announcements which directly reach a user’s inbox. 

TRANSACTIONAL EMAILS

These provide information related to a transaction or user interaction. Order confirmations, shipping notifications, password resets, and receipts all come under this category. These require a powerful and accessible call to action which makes recipients engage with your website. 

POTENTIAL LEAD EMAILS

Emails addressed to people who might potentially be interested in your brand can be made aware of your presence through the use of emails which inform them about who you are and what you do. This requires highly accurate knowledge about who your audience persona is, and what kind of content do they prefer. It should also contain a distinct call to action which can help you gain new clients. 

10 ESSENTIAL STEPS TO CREATE YOUR VERY OWN EMAIL MARKETING CAMPAIGN

STEP 1: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Before venturing forward to start a full-fledged email marketing campaign, it is very important to carefully strategise by keeping the audience in mind. You need to know who your audience is, what are their likes and dislikes, what type of content do they prefer over others, and even what time of the day is best suited to send them an email. 

STEP 2: DEFINE YOUR GOALS

Before starting a race, you need to know where the finish line is. Similarly, to start effectively emailing your audience, you need to know what you hope to achieve from doing so. Do you want them to visit your website, or engage with your content, or you want them to give you a consultation call. A clear CTA is very important in emails. 

STEP 3: EMAIL LIST MANAGEMENT 

Segment your email list based on demographics, behaviour, or preferences. This segmentation allows you to send targeted messages to specific groups within your audience. Maintain list hygiene by regularly cleaning and updating your list and removing inactive or unsubscribed contacts.

STEP 4: CHOOSE THE RIGHT EMAIL TYPE

It would be highly embarrassing if you proceeded to send an email sounding like a full-fledged advertisement to a client who has shown tentative interest in your company. Conversely, it is also not strategic to send a detailed email with all the technicalities involved to a potential lead. Thus, you need to carefully determine which audience you are catering to and select the type of email on that basis. 

STEP 5: CRAFT AN ENGAGING SUBJECT LINE 

Instead of writing subjects which just state the purpose of your email, write subject lines which instantly arouse the curiosity of readers. Just by reading the subject, people should want to click on the email. A lot of creators also write misleading or subjects not directly related to the content. This needs to be done with a lot of tact in order to amuse the readers instead of annoying them. 

STEP 6: DEVELOP HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT

Make your emails value-based. Write something that people do not know of. Add PDFs and other informative content which can help them learn more about their fields of interest. Add visuals that capture their attention and tell a story in themselves. 

STEP 7: CREATE A STRONG CALL TO ACTION (CTA)

What matters most in email marketing is the fact that the receivers engage with your content. For this, there need to be a strong CTA present in the email which convinces the reader to learn further or avail of your services and products. Craft a clear and actionable CTA that directs recipients on the specific action you want them to take. Design visually striking buttons that stand out and are easy to click.

STEP 8: TEST YOUR CAMPAIGN

Conduct A/B testing on different elements, such as subject lines, content variations, and CTAs. This iterative process allows you to optimize campaign performance based on real-time data and feedback.

STEP 9: SET UP AUTOMATION 

Implement automation to streamline tasks such as welcome emails, follow-ups, and abandoned cart reminders. Automation ensures timely and relevant communication with your audience throughout their customer journey.

STEP 10: FOLLOW UP AND NURTURE

Plan follow-up emails to nurture leads and maintain engagement with your audience. Encourage recipients to provide feedback, creating a feedback loop that informs refinements to your future campaigns. Regularly analyze results and make adjustments to continuously improve your email marketing strategy.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE BEST EMAIL MARKETING EXAMPLES FROM DIFFERNET INDUSTRIES!

NETFLIX

Netflix emails its users with a list of shows and new releases that one might be interested in. The clear CTAs present in this email often lead to higher user engagement. Striking visuals and maintenance of the Netflix background makes it look extremely interesting.  

Netflix sends targeted emails based on user behaviour. For example, they may send emails to remind users of incomplete series or suggest new releases based on genres they frequently watch. Behavioural targeting ensures that emails are relevant and timely.

It also crafts compelling subject lines that grab attention and encourage users to open the emails. Subject lines often include personalized recommendations, new releases, or special promotions to entice subscribers.

LEVI’S

Levi’s has a loyalty or membership program, and email campaigns communicate exclusive perks, early access to sales, or personalized rewards. Levi’s likely uses segmentation to target different customer segments based on factors such as purchase history, browsing behaviour, and geographic location.

Personalized product recommendations and content tailored to the recipient’s preferences may be incorporated. Levi’s frequently sends emails to announce new collections, product launches, or collaborations. These emails include visually appealing images and descriptions of the latest fashion items.

UBER

The simple framework of Uber emails are often a breath of freah air amidst the info-bombing that takes place in most other emails. A clear CTA accompanies a simplistic image which explains the email’s content effectively. They use brand consistency to build brand loyalty. People instantly associate their brand to the emails which are consistently sent, designed and analysed. Uber sends emails related to events, holidays, or special occasions, promoting the use of their services for specific events or celebrations.

Seasonal promotions or discounts are highlighted. Uber personalizes emails based on the user’s location, providing information about local promotions, events, or changes in service.

SPOTIFY

When it comes to personalisation, there is no beating Spotify. From its Wrapped right to its emails, Spotify makes each user feel special for using the app. The visuals are aesthetic and suited to the listeners taste. Their emails often feel like they come straight from the artist and not from Spotify itself. This is a great strategy to make people feel like they belong with the brand. They also place clear CTAs which people are convinced to press because of the minimal content in the email itself. Thus, Spotify offers a great example on how email marketing ought to be done. 

Email marketing is a fine craft. You need to strike the right balance between forming connections and overstepping boundaries. Effective email marketing converts customers into friends of the brand, making them loyal to you. Thus, it is important to invest in a carefully crafted email campaign. 

Contact Abstract MediaVerse for additional assistance in crafting the best email strategy to boost your reach. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

1. What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves sending targeted messages to a group of people via email. It’s used to nurture leads, engage with customers, and promote products or services.

2. Why is Email Marketing Important?

Email marketing is crucial for building and maintaining customer relationships, driving sales, and increasing brand awareness. It’s a cost-effective way to reach a large audience and can be highly personalized for better engagement.

3. How Can I Build an Email List?

Building an email list involves using opt-in forms on your website, creating lead magnets or content upgrades, utilizing social media, hosting events, and leveraging contests or giveaways.

4. What Types of Emails Should I Send?

Depending on your goals, you can send newsletters, promotional emails, transactional emails, welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, and more. The type of email should align with your campaign objectives.

5. How Do I Write Effective Email Copy?

Write clear, concise, and compelling copy. Focus on the recipient’s benefits, use personalized language, include a strong call-to-action, and optimize for mobile devices.