What is email marketing?

Last updated May 29, 2022


Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses email to promote messages. Email marketing can be used to build relationships with customers, promote new products or services, or simply keep customers up-to-date on company news. It doesn’t have to be for profit, though. Non-profits can also use email marketing.

Email marketing is still one of the most effective marketing tools available, and it can be used to reach a wide audience at a relatively low cost. Especially when you compare email marketing to social media messages where it becomes harder every day to break through the noise. For example, one Facebook algorithm change can result in far fewer views on your messages.

And that’s the beauty of email marketing. The email list you build is your list and no one else. All the followers you build on social media aren’t your followers. You can’t easily take your followers with you to another platform what you can do with an email marketing list.

Why use email marketing for your company or non-profit?

In a world where social media and text messaging dominate communication, email marketing might seem like a relic of the past. However, email marketing can be an incredibly effective way to reach customers and promote your business. For one thing, email is still the preferred method of communication for many people, especially when it comes to work-related communication. In addition, email marketing platforms provide a wealth of data that can be used to track the success of your campaigns and refine your email content. And perhaps most importantly, email marketing provides a direct line of communication between you and your customers, which can be invaluable for building relationships and driving sales. So don’t write off email marketing just yet – it might just be the key to success for your business.

How to start with email marketing?

Email marketing can also be confusing and overwhelming, especially if you’re just getting started. To help you get started with email marketing, here are five essential tips:

1. Define your goals. What do you want to achieve with email marketing? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or generate leads? Once you know what you want to achieve, you can create content that aligns with your goals.

2. Build a list of subscribers. In order to send email marketing campaigns, you need a list of subscribers. You can build your list by including an opt-in form on your website, running a contest, or create a free give-away.

3. Create great content. Your email marketing campaigns will only be as successful as the content you include in them. Make sure to write compelling subject lines and amazing content. The idea of a great newsletter is that the content inside your newsletter aren’t publicily available. If you just blast out newsletters to let people know about the latest product, blog or video on your website it isn’t that valuable.

4. Send regular campaigns. The best frequency in my experience is at least one email every week. Note that if the moment you lose your momentem with your subscribers it is very hard to get it back. Last week, for example, I received an email but I didn’t remember the sender’s name nor its company name. The sender promoted his new product but I didn’t even recall why I subscribed to its newsletter and didn’t remember getting valauble emails from them, so I unsubscribed.

How much does it cost to start with email marketing?

When it comes to email marketing, the cost can vary widely. For small businesses, email marketing can be a very affordable way to reach out to potential customers. There are a number of email marketing services that offer free or low-cost plans. There are also numerours companies that offer forever free plans. Obviously, these free plans often lack features that you can get in their paid plans but still, this allows you to start without spending your hard earned money.

How much time does it cost to start with email marketing?

Email marketing requires a significant amount of time and effort. Learning the software, integrating it with your website and/or social media channels and plan out all newsletter campaigns. But once you’ve set it all up you can automate lots of things; also called marketing automation. For example, for one of my businesses, a Dutch dog training website, I’ve set up a so called Evergreen newsletter of 6 months. This means that if a new subscriber enters my newsletter he or she will receive weekly emails from me for the upcoming 6 months and I don’t have to do anything. It’s all taken care of by the automation features inside the email marketing software that I set up.

Email marketing myths

There are a few email marketing mistakes that you should avoid if you want to be successful.

  1. Emailing too frequently is a mistake. If you email your subscribers more than once a week, they may start to feel bombarded and unsubscribe from your list.

Please don’t listen to the so-called experts giving you advice like this. For my Dutch dog training website I sent out daily emails. Yes, daily. And people love it.

It all depends on your subscriber’s situation and their needs. In the earlier example of my subscribers they want fast and actionable tips because they have their puppy already at home. And believe me, if you are a new puppy owner you want as much tips as possible.

The key here is to understand your audience and their needs.

What email marketing mistakes should be avoided?

  1. Another mistake is sending generic email blasts that are not relevant to your subscribers. Make sure that your email content is targeted and tailored to the interests of your audience. Finally, avoid using spammy keywords and make sure that your email subject lines are clear and concise. By avoiding these common email marketing mistakes, you can set yourself up for success.

Can I buy an email list or sell my email list?

No, it’s never a good idea to either sell or buy an email list. Not only is this is in violation of the European privacy rules (GDPR) but you most often can’t import these email addresses to an email marketing tool. The reason is that you need to have consent to send people marketing newsletters. Without consent you’re in violation of the GDPR rules which can result in a big fine.

What are the most popular email marketing software tools?

If you’re looking to start email marketing, you’ll need to choose an email marketing software tool. There are a few different options available, and the most popular ones are MailChimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, GetResponse, and ActiveCampaign. And there are many more email marketing tools that are great but aren’t in the list of ‘most popular.’ Each one has its own set of features and pricing plans, so you’ll need to decide which one is right for your business. MailChimp is probably the most well-known of the three, and it offers a free plan for up to 2,000 contacts. Constant Contact has a similar free plan, but it’s capped at 500 contacts. Once you’ve decided on a software tool, you’ll need to create an account and start building your contact list. Then you can start creating and sending emails!

Email marketing strategy examples

With the advent of the internet, businesses have had to adapt their marketing strategies to keep up with the times. These days, email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach out to potential customers. But how can you make sure your emails are being read? For one thing, it’s important to have a strong subject line that will grab attention. Make sure your message is clear and concise, and avoid using too much jargon or technical language. Finally, consider offering incentives such as discounts or coupon codes to encourage recipients to open your email. By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your email marketing campaign will be a success.

Email marketing copywriting

Email marketing is a great way to connect with potential and current customers, but it can be tough to stand out in their inboxes. That’s where copywriting comes in. By crafting compelling email content, you can grab attention, drive conversions, and boost your bottom line. But what exactly is email copywriting? And how can you master this essential skill?

Email copywriting is the process of writing email content that is designed to achieve specific objectives. These objectives could include anything from building brand awareness to generating leads or driving sales. To be successful, your email copy must be well-written and relevant to your audience. It should also include a clear call-to-action that encourages recipients to take the desired action.

There are a few key elements that all successful email copy must have. First, it needs to have a strong subject line that grabs attention and entices recipients to open the email. The opening sentence should be equally eye-catching and compel recipients to keep reading. The body of the email should be well-organized and easy to read.

Subject line examples

You know the drill. You open up your inbox, and your eyes are immediately drawn to the subject lines of the unread emails. Which ones stand out? Which ones make you want to click? And which ones make you want to hit the delete button?

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your next email marketing campaign, here are some great subject line examples to get you started:

“Time is running out!”

“Last chance!”

“You don’t want to miss this!”

“This offer expires soon!”

“Only [X] days left!”

“Hurry!”

Use double opt-in

Double opt-in is a way to confirm that someone wants to receive your emails. When someone signs up for your email list, they’ll receive an email asking them to confirm their subscription. This ensures that people don’t accidentally sign up for your emails, and it also helps to reduce spam complaints. While double opt-in can be a bit of a hassle for subscribers, it’s generally worth the effort in order to maintain a healthy list.

Segmenting your email list

Email marketing can be a great way to reach out to potential customers, but it’s important to make sure you’re targetting the right audience. One way to do this is to segment your email list. This means dividing your list into smaller groups based on factors like age, location, or interests. By segmenting your list, you can make sure that each group receives messages that are relevant to them. This can help to improve your chances of making a sale, as well as keeping your customers engaged with your brand. So if you’re looking to get the most out of your email marketing campaign, don’t forget to segment your list.

Personalize your emails

In email marketing, it’s important to personalize your emails as much as possible. This means addressing the recipient by name, and including other personal details like their purchase history or shipping preferences. By personalizing your emails, your subscribers feel more connected to you because you use, for example, their name in your emails. In addition, personalization can also help to improve your deliverability rate, as well as your open and click-through rates. So if you’re not already personalizing your emails, now is the time to start!

Follow the Email marketing laws

If you’re planning on doing any email marketing, it’s important to be aware of the laws that govern this area. The GDPR, which stands for General Data Protection Regulation, is a set of laws that were put in place to protect the personal data of individuals in the European Union. The CAN-SPAM Act, on the other hand, is a set of laws that were put in place to prevent spam emails from being sent to individuals in the United States. Finally, the CASL, or Canadian Anti-Spam Law, is a set of laws that were put in place to prevent spam emails from being sent to individuals in Canada. All three of these laws are important to be aware of if you’re planning on doing any email marketing. Especially if you have a world wide audience.

Test your emails on mobile devices

Email is one of the most popular ways to communicate, with over 3.8 billion active users worldwide. However, as more people access email on their mobile devices, it’s important to make sure that your messages are optimized for small screens. Otherwise, your readers may have difficulty reading your email or may even choose to unsubscribe from your list because of this reason.

Luckily, there are a few simple strategies you can use to make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. First, keep your subject lines short and to the point. Second, use clear and concise language throughout the body of your message. Third, use large font sizes and plenty of white space to improve readability. Fourth, include a call to action that is easy to tap on a small screen. Lastly, make sure to send a test email and open it on your mobile.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your email marketing campaigns are successful on both desktop and mobile devices.

Strive for high deliverability

Anyone who’s ever tried to send an email knows that there’s a lot that can go wrong. Delivery failures, bounced messages, spam filters, or just the promotion folder can all prevent your message from reaching its intended recipient. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to improve your email deliverability. First, make sure you have a valid email address and domain name. For example, don’t use a free @gmail.com email address to send newsletters.

Next, use a reputable email service provider that offers delivery monitoring and feedback loops. How do you know if the company has a high delivery rate? Search in Google on email delivery rate X. Change the X for name of the company you consider using for your email marketing. Finally, avoid using common spam trigger words in your subject line and content.

By following these simple tips, you can help ensure that your emails always reach their intended destination.

Unsubscribe or delete unengaged newsletter subscribers

Over time, it’s inevitable that some of your subscribers will become unengaged. Maybe they no longer use your products or services, or maybe they never open your emails. Whatever the reason, these unengaged subscribers can actually hurt your business. They lower your open and click-through rates, which can damage your sender reputation and make it harder for your emails to reach the inbox. Additionally, unengaged subscribers can cost you money by taking up space in your mailing list. For these reasons, it’s important to periodically delete unengaged newsletter subscribers. By doing so, you can improve your deliverability, save money on your email marketing costs, and make sure that your newsletter is only going to people who are actually interested in it.

How do you do this? Well, its different in every email marketing software tool. In general, the most common way, is to create a segment of the people that didn’t open any of your emails in the last X days. You can then send that group an email saying you’re planning to unsubscribe them from your email list in the upcoming two weeks. The way for them to stay on your list is to click a link in your email.

Email marketing Return on Investment (ROI)

Email marketing is often lauded as one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies. And it’s true – with an return on investment (ROI) of 4400%, it beats out most other marketing channels. But what exactly is an ROI? And how can you maximize your email marketing ROI?

Simply put, ROI is the ratio of money gained or lost on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. To calculate it, you take the total revenue from your email campaign and divide it by the total cost of the campaign. For example, if you spent $100 on your email campaign and made $5000 in sales, your ROI would be 5000%.

There are a few key things you can do to boost your email marketing ROI. First, make sure you’re segmenting your list and sending targeted messages to specific groups of subscribers. Second, personalize your emails as much as possible – use subscriber data to add a personalized touch. Finally, focus on building relationships with your subscribers rather than just selling to them. By following these tips, you can maximize your email marketing ROI and make the most of this powerful marketing channel.

Examples of different types of emails in marketing

When it comes to email marketing, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The best way to craft your messages will vary depending on your audience, your goals, and the type of product or service you’re promoting. However, there are a few different types of emails that are commonly used in marketing. Here are a few examples:

Announcement emails: These can be used to announce a new product, a sale, or an upcoming event. They should be clear and concise, and they should include a call-to-action (CTA) so that recipients know what to do next.

Educational emails: These types of emails provide valuable information that can help recipients learn more about your product or service. They can be helpful for building brand awareness or fostering engagement.

Newsletter emails: Newsletters typically contain a mix of informational articles and promotional content. They’re a great way to keep your subscribers up-to-date on what’s happening with your business.

Coupon emails: Coupon emails are a great way to drive sales and increase customer loyalty. They can be used to promote special deals, discounts, or limited-time offers.

Testimonial emails: Testimon.


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Sincerely,

Robbin 👋