What’s email marketing?

Email marketing is simply the practice of sending promotional or commercial emails to your contacts for marketing purposes. It is essential that such contacts have agreed to receive emails from you, or you risk spamming.

Email marketing is a powerful marketing channel that ranks higher than other options like affiliate marketing and social media marketing. Emails are personal and this is why they rank so high. One-to-one communication can be used to build relationships, inform your audience about brand launches, share important developments and drive sales.

Over the last few years, Miami digital marketing has undergone dramatic changes. However, there is a common misconception about email marketing that it is less effective than in the past. Many believe that email marketing recipients are more likely to ignore messages than open them. Although spam can be annoying for most email users, email remains the most powerful form of digital marketing in Las Vegas .

Email marketing: How does it work?

Email marketing is about communicating with your audience in a way that is both beneficial for your business and their lives. Let’s take a look at how email marketing works in practice.

• Signing up for an email marketing platform is the first step. This is the most important step. You can create an email list and send emails to your audience all from one platform.

• Next is to create an email marketing strategy. You will not be able to reap the rewards of email marketing without a solid strategy. Your strategy should include how much money you will give to this channel each month, what reporting parameters you will use to analyze performance, and how email marketing can complement your existing marketing efforts.

• Next, you need to build an email marketing list. Your emails should not be sent to random subscribers.

• Finally, automating email marketing is essential. It is impossible to manually send emails to thousands of recipients. Automate the process, whether you’re sending a welcome message or reminding prospects about items that are still in their cart. Automation can be supplemented by creating relevant email templates. Regular A/B testing is a great way to find out which messaging leads to higher engagement and conversions among the target audience.

Social media is undoubtedly the most important innovation of recent years. Every day, billions log onto at least one social networking site. Businesses have been encouraged to create presences on social media sites in order to better engage customers and potential clients. Although social media marketing has proven to be extremely successful for some businesses, it’s not the best way to reach your customers.

Email Marketing – The King of Marketing Channels

Statista’s findings indicate that nearly four billion people are online. Campaign Monitor research found that 72% would rather receive marketing material from brands via email, while 17% said they prefer the same content through social networks. 39% prefer to receive email content rich in information and value over promotional material.

Social media promotes relaxed interactions. Some users love to browse photos and videos from their friends and family, while others use it for the latest news. Social media encourages exploration and participation in conversations. Most people find promotional material annoying or interruptive during social media sessions.

Social media marketing is a better metric than email in sharing. Social media relies on connecting people and spreading the content across multiple feeds to increase conversion rates. Although social media is more popular than forwarding marketing emails, an average person will still share content via social media. However, email marketing messages can provide more value than social media engagements with brands.

Email Marketing Trends

According to OptinMonster, 58% of people go first to their email every day. This includes app notifications and social media profiles. People who check their emails before they look at any other digital communication outlook tend to be more goal-oriented than those who do not. They seek out the best deals, information, and promotions. 91% of respondents said they check their email at least once per day.

To find out the potential value of an email marketing campaign, 

It is important to be familiar with the most successful email marketing trends so you can capitalize on them. Segmentation is the first. It’s important to segment your mailing list before you send the same materials to everyone. This can be done by determining interaction quality, frequency or past interactions. You could create different email marketing materials to customers who have completed transactions, abandoned shopping carts, or clicked away without converting.

A key trend is the shift away from desktop-based email and to mobile. People are using mobile devices more than ever to surf the internet, make purchases and connect with others. Mobile users are also checking their emails more often than ever. Mobile optimization is now the second most important trend in email marketing after segmentation. Your emails must display clearly on all devices. Take the time to evaluate how your material appears on mobile and desktop screens, and then adjust accordingly.

Another important trick to make the most out of your email marketing efforts is list cleansing. As the name implies, list cleansing involves removing email addresses that are not engaging with your brand, or who don’t open your emails. This should not be a regular process. A customer may find value in your next email even if they haven’t opened the last few emails. A customer may stop using the email account after receiving your last few emails. Or, your messages could have been caught in the spam filter.

Personalization is another important trend in email marketing . Customers will be more inclined to value messages that are tailored to them and their past interactions with you than messages made for mass audiences. You have many options to personalize your emails and create valuable interactions for your recipients.

Want to grow your email marketing list.

You might wonder if it is better to first build your brand than start building an email marketing list. Building an email list is a part of your bigger goal to build the brand. You will get a better chance of getting a high ROI if you invest in it sooner than later. Contrary to popular belief, you can create an email marketing list completely from scratch.

You can offer loyalty programs, referral programs, or solid discounts and deals during the holidays. Another way to build a loyal subscriber list is to lure new visitors to your website to sign up.

Email Marketing vs. Social Media

77% of consumers prefer to receive permission-based marketing materials via email over social media marketing. This is understandable considering that most consumers opt in to receive marketing emails whenever they shop with brands or visit their websites. The brand that offers something valuable or interesting to the consumer is more likely to be a part of the future interactions.

Although it might seem that most people prefer to keep business-related digital interactions via email, 45% of respondents reported preferring to keep personal interactions and conversations in email over social media.

Ultimately, 

Your email marketing strategy should be integrated with social media. You can use social media to promote live streams or Q&A sessions, and you can also use your social media profile for more email subscribers. Segmented content can be created for subscribers to your newsletter and mailing list via social media, as an alternative to using direct links from search engine results. Predictive marketing is one of the most exciting advances in email marketing.

The Future of Email Marketing

Predictive analytics uses user data to create data streams that marketers can use to determine which products, services and promotions will be most popular with the users. Predictive marketing allows you to segment your email lists more precisely so that your content is delivered to those most likely to be interested. Targeted content is more successful than generic messages that reach a large audience.

Profit from predictive marketing with 

First, you need to identify your most valuable customers. For example, your top 5% may make up 90% of your sales. The remaining 95% could be repeat customers or one-off purchases. These segments can be tapped if you are able to predict their preferences and future needs.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), will play an important role in email marketing in near future. It does in some ways. Machine-learning systems can analyze consumer behavior and draw lessons from previous interactions in order to create more effective marketing campaigns. AI can help you identify the most effective content types, subject lines and calls to actions that result in the highest number of conversions. AI can also be used to segment your email marketing lists in order to deliver more targeted content to your recipients.

What are some of the drawbacks to email marketing?

Email marketing is a vital marketing strategy but it has its flaws.

• You could be tagged as spam if you don’t pay attention to the emails that you send to your subscribers. This can seriously damage your brand and reputation. Email spam is a problem in certain countries. You could be fined if you don’t comply with the laws.

• Your email might not display properly if it isn’t optimized correctly. This could cause the email to not appear to everyone as people use different devices to view emails. This is not a design problem, but it can still alienate your audience.

• Email marketing isn’t a one-and done process. To get high engagement, you need to continue to work. To find out what resonates with your audience, you need to do frequent A/B testing. It is also important to learn new skills and update the tools regularly, as this can lead to higher marketing budget costs.

Email Marketing Automation

Another area of innovation in the modern email market is automation. This refers to the delegating of mundane tasks such as sorting your email list segments to machines instead of humans. However, it is important to balance how much automation you use when crafting your email marketing materials.

Automation is too dependent on personalization and your emails will look impersonal. Automation is too limited and it can be difficult to segment your email list correctly and provide the most valuable content for different recipients. It is an easy way to automate your emails by allowing your subscribers to control their preferences. Instead of trying to sort your recipients into different segments by yourself, let your recipients do it for you.

Your blog may be valuable to some of your recipients 

They won’t be interested in promotional offers and will not pay attention to your blog. However, others will appreciate the deals offered and will read your blog more. While the first group would appreciate updates on new blog posts, the second group would prefer coupons and other promotional offers.

The Best Email Marketing Tips

To take advantage of the future of email marketing there are some ideas that you can use now to prepare yourself for the anticipated changes in digital marketing.

• Optimizing post purchase emailing. Many e-commerce platforms automatically send out post-purchase emails with tracking and receipt information. However, you have the option to go one step further and make your customers’ experience even better. You can create post-purchase emails to generate more engagement and increase customer loyalty. You could, for example, thank them for purchasing and recommend products or services that they might be interested in. A review can be requested for the purchased product or service. Customer reviews are an essential part of any digital marketing in Phoenix campaign. Increasing the number of reviews will make your brand more popular and encourage others to look into it.

• Investing into responsive web design services in Miami. A responsive web design is a page that adapts to the screen on which the recipient views it. Your home page layout may look great on a desktop screen but be difficult to read on a smartphone. Your page will adapt to the device that a visitor uses to access it.

• Trying to personalize each email you send. Personalizing emails to recipients on your email list will increase their appreciation for you beyond what they buy. This encourages customer advocacy which is the next tip to email marketing success over the next few years.

• Get ready for the new conversion funnel. Most marketers relied on the old conversion funnel to base their strategies. It was simple: narrow down leads so that they are most likely to convert, and then focusing more attention on those people. The new conversion funnel, instead, is more like a gateway to your customers, encouraging them to explore your brand, then encouraging them to share their experiences, providing valuable content.

6 Brands bring their A-game in email marketing

Email marketing is an art form, and some brands are masters at it. Below are some examples of email marketing that can help your brand get a boost.

Uber 

Uber’s email marketing is unique because they place a lot of emphasis on the design of each email. Uber regularly sends email alerts to customers to inform them of promotional offers. The CTA is clear and concise so the reader understands what to do even if they only glance at the email. Here’s an example.   

Birchbox 

This monthly subscription service, which offers skincare and makeup products, mainly targets millennial women. Their email marketing campaigns reflect the tastes of their target audience. Each email sent by the brand is authentic and connects with millennials. Consider this email the brand sent to its subscribers on their birthday. It is clear and focused on driving sales. It doesn’t seem too salesy or pushy. It reminds readers that they can have some fun on their birthdays and get discounts on their favorite products.

PayPal This email from PayPal hits all of the right points. It emphasizes the benefits of using PayPal and addresses the main issues that a reader may be experiencing. The CTA is clearly visible so you can access the facility. The introductory paragraph is very relatable and makes it easy for the audience to understand the purpose of the service.

Airbnb 

The Airbnb welcome email is a great example of this. It has all the things you would expect from a welcome mail. This welcome email from Airbnb not only acknowledges your newness to Airbnb but also makes you feel welcomed and encourages you to explore what’s next. The CTAs are used to encourage the reader to create an account before they can view the properties.

Mom and Dad Money 

This email from Mom and Dad Money shows how email marketing can be used to build buyer personas. It is direct and straight-forward. The email asks the reader to tell it what they are interested in. It even includes a link for a questionnaire to help make it easier. This email is not a marketing trick. It feels real and authentic.

Net-a-Porter 

This is the Net-a-Porter welcome email. It’s a marketplace for luxury fashion and beauty ecommerce. It offers you a sign up discount and highlights the many benefits a shopper can enjoy.

Top 5 Email Marketing Service Providers

Email has a remarkable rate of return-on-investment. Some marketers report as high as $40 return per dollar on every dollar spent on email. To make the most out of your email marketing campaigns, however, you need to consider all aspects. Modern companies are so busy that creating an effective email marketing strategy can be pushed to the sidelines. There are managed services providers who can help you to simplify the task of segmenting your emails and make more meaningful connections with your readers.

1. ConstantContact: ConstantContact.com can be used by small businesses for as low as $20 per month, for up to 500 subscribers. You can personalize the service that you offer for larger email lists. This can be a great option to help grow businesses with limited budgets.

2. MailChimp: MailChimp.com is still the best email marketing service provider for bloggers. The company was founded in 2001 and claims to manage over one billion emails every day. Prices range from $10 to $199 per Month depending on what level of service you need.

3. AWeber.com: AWeber.com has more than 100,000 small businesses using their services. AWeber provides A/B testing, various integrations, pre-designed messages templates, intuitive message-building software, and many other services.

4. Get Response: GetResponse.com, which is available in 21 languages, is a great choice for beginners or new marketers. GetResponse has more than 35,000 subscribers in over 182 countries. The pricing starts at $15 per month. Perfect Timing allows you to determine the best time of day to send marketing materials. You can also customize times to suit different segments.

5. Active Campaign: ActiveCampaign.com, the best marketing platform for enterprise initiatives. The service allows you to create custom sign-up forms and social media posts. You can also conduct A/B testing to help you develop a Los angeles digital marketing agency strategy that works.

Ultimately, 

Depending on your company’s unique needs and your goals for digital marketing agency in New York, each service provider can provide tremendous value. Explore the various services and get free trials to help you choose the right one for you.

The Top 6 Email Marketing Tools Every Marketer Must Use

Now that you understand the importance of email marketing, let’s take a look at some tools that can help make it easier and more efficient.

1. Sender: This free email marketing tool is a great one. This tool’s primary function is to ensure that your emails reach the intended recipient. The tool can be used to create stunning newsletters even if you don’t know much about HTML. You have a wide selection of templates that you can customize with images or text to create stunning emails that your audience will love.

2. Omnisend: Imagine being able to automate email and integrate it with Google Ads or Facebook Ads. Omnisend allows you to do all of this and more. You will be able to create stunning email templates that will attract more customers. These templates were created keeping in mind the needs of e-commerce customers.

3. MailerLite perLite: This is another free tool you can use to boost your email marketing efforts. To create stunning emails, you can use the drag-and-drop text editor or photo editor.

4. Mailchimp: It is impossible to discuss email marketing tools without mentioning MailChimp. It is worth it, even if you don’t upgrade to the paid plans. The templates can be used to create stunning emails. You can also use drag and drop to add more elements to your emails. If you want an all-in-one marketing tool, the emails can be integrated with Facebook and Instagram advertising, as well as launched retarget ads on Twitter and Instagram.

5. Litmus: Litmus is your test ground before you hit that send button. There is nothing more embarrassing than an email with broken links. Litmus allows you to test your email on your desktop, mobile, and laptop. These tools provide insight into how your email performs.

6. Drip: This tool automates eCommerce marketing. It is a reliable tool that can be relied on for everything, from customizing emails to obtaining data analysis. To determine which method is most effective, you can create emails with both text-based and visual inputs. You can also create events in the dashboard that are based on specific actions of users, such as when they visit a page on your website following reading your email. Drip is also popular with marketers because it supports integrations with Shopify, Facebook custom audience, and others.

How to create emails that convert and deliver the results you want

Email marketing does not mean sending out a lot of emails to your contacts list. Every email should be specific and written with the goal of converting. This is how to master your email marketing game.

• A subject line can make a big difference. The subject line is the first thing recipients see when an email arrives in their inbox. Make it count, and avoid boring subject lines. Let’s say you use email marketing to grow your travel and tour business. An email subject line ‘Plan your next trip with us’ will not grab attention because it lacks punch. Contrast that with “Wake up at Your Dream Destination Next Week”, which packs just enough suspense to get the recipient to open the email to read what you have to share.

• Include a call to action. These emails are intended for a specific purpose. You must inform your audience about the next steps. You should not use generic CTAs that are too vague and can be disorienting to prospects, but instead create something that really grabs their attention. You should make the CTA urgent so the recipient feels like they have no choice but to act. Let’s say you are in the manufacturing of hand-stitched bags and are sending out promotional emails to announce the year-end sales. You should get rid of boring CTAs like ‘buy now. Instead, make it a time-bound deal and say something like “shop the sale”. Take 50% off your order today

• Always use the second person when writing. You will have a stronger emotional connection with your audience if you don’t use words like ‘you’ and ‘yours’ as much as possible. Avoid using words such as ‘we’ and ‘ours in your emails.

• It is easier to convince your audience to open your email and read the benefits. Do not dwell on the features. Your goal is to show how your product can help them and their pain points. It is important that you don’t leave your audience wondering why they should do what you ask.

• Email marketing is all about conciseness. We all know that it is difficult to find the time in our busy lives to read lengthy paragraphs. Keep your message short and to the point.

FAQs regarding email marketing

Why is email marketing important? 

You can interact directly with prospects, customers, and past and present customers. Email marketing can be used to increase brand awareness, drive sales and build long-term relationships.

Do I need to purchase a list if I’m just getting started with my email marketing? 

This is tempting as it sounds, but you should not fall for this trap. It is best to grow your list organically. Many of the lists that are available for purchase don’t offer subscribers with high quality. This could seriously hamper your efforts. Some email marketing platforms don’t allow purchased lists.

Email marketing isn’t dead.

In reality, 

It’s more valuable than ever thanks to the volume of digital business. You can improve your email marketing campaign by thinking of ways to do so. This is the proven marketing channel that will give you the best return on investment.