The predicted number of email users is expected to grow to 4.3 billion in 2023. With over half of the global population using email, there is a lot of opportunity to grow your customer base and revenue using this tried-and-true method of online marketing. On the other hand, with it being such a big market, email marketing can feel daunting to break into. To make sure you're equipped with what you need, here are 7 email marketing tips to set you up for success.
1. Build Out Your Segments and Lists
The first step to getting your email account set up is getting a list of customers that you can send to. One of the easiest ways to do this is by going to your already existing customer base. You can either encourage them to sign up through a website pop-up form or on an in-person form after a sale or meeting. You can also give them an incentive such as a discount on your fees/supplies or some other type of reward.
2. Curate Your Content
When you have your list together, it's important to strategize on what type of content your customers will be interested in. You most likely are always on the lookout for more business, so you might want to keep that as an evergreen form on your emails as a constant reminder you don't have to repeat.
Your customers could be on the lookout for new building materials and practices, new items in stock, construction trends, home improvement tips, or anything else important about your brand or business.
3. Personalize
Personalized content is king in online marketing right now. Whether it's just their first name or specific products and content catered to what they're looking for, customers are way more likely to interact with your content if they know it's for them. In addition to their names, you should group your customer base into segments based on products and services they have bought or are likely to. This will make it easier to curate content while also making sure you send it to the correct group.
4. Timing is Key
How many emails should you send? Emailing too often, or even too little, is a risk to your account. A lot of email service providers look to these statistics when determining whether your emails are spam or not. Finding the best times to send and sticking to a schedule is the easiest way to combat this. Tuesday-Thursday from 9 AM-5 PM is a safe time to send most of your emails, but you should look to your analytics after your first few emails to determine what your personal best time practices are.
5. Encourage Your Customers to Reply and Engage
Having a good CTA (Call-to-Action) inspires your customers to open and click on your content. The more your customers engage, the less likely you are to end up in spam. Asking them to reply with answers to a trivia question or just asking genuine conversational questions are good ways. These conversational emails are known as “nurture” emails, so avoid using any sales language and possibly include some personal info about your company's owner or the person sending the emails to add a human angle to each message.
6. SPAM is the #1 Enemy
Most of the tips you will see in email marketing are to avoid the number one killer of email accounts, spam. What are some of the things most likely to send you to the dreaded spam folder? The number of emails you send out and the time of day you send them is one consideration. However, there is certain language that can land you in spam just as fast. Using words like “FREE,” “BUY NOW,” and “SALE,” especially in all caps, are warning signs for a lot of service providers.
7. Analyze, Analyze, Analyze
Online marketing and business strategy succeed in having good data analysis. The two most common statistics that matter most to email marketing analysts are open and click rates. Open rates determine the number of people opening the email, while click rate determines the number of people who clicked the email after opening it. Rates vary from sector to sector and location to location, so it's important to do your research and determine what benchmarks to set.
Overall, email marketing has one of, if not the highest ROI compared to other online marketing strategies. With a relatively easy beginner's curve, each business should utilize email marketing in its arsenal. These tips are only the beginning when it comes to strategy, so make sure to utilize them and adapt to what works to grow you and your business.