By: Kevin Frasure
Did you know that 99% of consumers check their email every day? Market Sherpa states that 91 percent of US adults enjoy receiving promotional emails from the companies they regularly do business with.
Email marketing is far from dead. When done right, it is a cost-effective way for your business to market to its customers.
According to the 2020 State of Email Report, the importance of email continues to go up. In 2020, 78% of respondents said email is important to overall company success. Additionally, 94% of respondents say email is their top 3 most effective marketing channels, while 74% of marketing execs feel email marketing is vital to the success of their company.
Campaign Monitor states that for every $1 spent, email marketing provides a $44 return.
Email marketing can help your business
Let’s look at a few ways that email marketing can help your business:
Email marketing is cost-effective. Print marketing can be expensive. It is costly to produce, and then there is the mailing cost.
Those costs are eliminated with email marketing as all you need is a copywriter and a graphic designer.
Email marketing is an intimate way to connect with your audience. Trust can be built through emails because your audience feels like they know you and your companies’ values. People buy from brands they trust.
You own your email list. Social media platforms on the other hand, can change its policy or ban your company at any time. All the hard work you put into marketing can be gone overnight. This doesn’t happen with your owned email list.
People have to opt-in to your email list. That means that they want to hear from you. They are interested in what you have to say. You can narrow your email list down even more by targeting certain people on your list to receive emails that other people don’t. Personalization is key with emails so that you speak to individuals instead of a broad group of people.
Email marketing sets you up as an expert of your business. You can use your emails to share thought leadership, tips and further establish your expertise.
Another advantage of email marketing is that it is easy to measure. Email marketing software provides you with the ability to track your open and conversion rates so you can understand what works and what doesn’t, and use that data to inform what you do next as you work to drive better results. Additionally, email marketing allows you to target and reach a global audience fast. Businesses can sometimes see results within minutes of sending the right email, to the right group, at the right time.
You may be thinking that all sounds great, but how can I get started?
Three actions you can take right away
1. Find a Marketing Service Provider
The first thing you need to do is find an email marketing service provider. An email marketing service provider will help you manage and grow your email list. You can find free service providers when you are just starting out Sendinblue and Mailchimp are two good service providers that have both free and paid service plans.
2. Grow an organic email list
I suggest that you grow an email list instead of buying one. If you buy one, you have no idea who is on the list, or even if they care about your brand. A small email list that you put together yourself is better than a large list that you buy.
You probably have emails from people with who you already do business with. Invite them to sign up for your list. Add an online sign-up form to your website. Ask friends and family to join your list. Make a list of everyone who has given you money or bought something from you in the past. Ask them to sign up for your list. You can ask people in social media groups to join. Send out a tweet informing people about what your list offers. There are plenty of creative ways to ask people to join your list.
Building a list takes time, but after it is made, it is gold.
3. Set up a welcome email
The welcome email is one of the most important emails you send. It is the first email your subscribers see and lets them know what to expect. Introduce yourself and set expectations of what type of content your subscribers can expect from you in the future.
I have shared with you some of the benefits of email marketing. I have given you action steps to get started. I encourage you to give it a try. Email marketing has many benefits and is a cost-effective way to make your business a success.
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About the Author:
Kevin Frasure is a copywriter for nonprofits. He has served with ministries and nonprofits for over 20 years. He enjoys good movies and pizza. He lives in Readyville, Tenneessee. You can find and explore Kevin’s work: www.nonprofitcopywriter.net