Email marketing is one of the most efficient and cheapest ways to promote your business or sell your products. Given that most email services are free to use, email marketing campaigns can be a good starting point for both startup businesses and who are planning to get into digital media. Plus, it is a lot simple than you think. You just have to keep some things in mind and follow some simple rules to keep your business ahead of the rest.
What is email marketing, and where did it begin?
The first email was sent in the 1970s by Ray Tomlinson which marked the beginning of the modern communication era. Though the message was nothing special and was sent through a network of machines, it had a significant impact on how people perceived digital messages. No one had ever imagined at the time that email is going to be one of the prime mediums of marketing in the future. He also introduced the “@” symbol which is now a fundamental symbol of any email addresses.
Years later, Tomlinson Gary Thuerk, a Marketing Manager at Digital Equipment Corp, sent the first commercial message to a list of email addresses, and thus, email marketing was born. There were only a few hundred people on the list, but that was enough to spark the flame of email marketing and for Thuerk to claim the title of the “Father of Spam.”
Today, we’re engulfed with email marketing and, though some of them still end up as spam, there’s no denying the impact a well-crafted message can have on both businesses and customers.
Email marketing has helped businesses connect with their audience more efficiently. You can do a lot of things with emails, like promote brand awareness, increase sales, share updates, or tell a story.
Whether you’re welcoming new subscribers, notifying customers, or well-wishing someone, you can do all these with a good message, right template, and right approach through email marketing.
Does email marketing work?
When you want to communicate something about your brand, promote your business, or sell your products, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective and straight-forward ways to do so.
According to a study in 2015 by the Designated Market Area (DMA) found that for every Rs.70 spent, email marketing provides an average Rs.2660 return on investment (ROI). When consumers are ready to buy something, they often look for emails from their favorite stores and their recent promotions. It can be challenging for brands and businesses to stand out after all people receive hundreds of new emails every day. That is why many creating digital marketing agencies like “Digital Presence” are trying to help businesses stand out and shine through email marketing strategy.
How to get an email list?
Although building a clean email list can take time, creativity, and a lot of hard work at the start of your email marketing strategy, you can go through the list of tools below to make your work a lot easier. You will see the highest ROI when you build and maintain an engaged subscriber list, made up of people who want to receive your messages.
There are lots of ways to find people who will be interested to get your emails. Here are a few tips that work best.
How to create an email list:
- Create a signup form on your website:
When people visit your website for the first time and like what they see, they’ll want a way to stay and get some updates later. Create a signups form for a newsletter or email updates. You can add the sign-up field in the form of a pop-up and install a pop-up, header bar, slider, or at the end of every page.
- Use a good old-fashioned signup sheet:
Whether it’s at your store or an event that you’re hosting or attending, when you’re surrounded by people who are into what you do, provide a place for them to sign up and learn more.
- Drive signups through social media:
If you don’t have enough number of subscribers in your email list and you have more number of engaged followers in social media, tap into that resource and guide them to your website or share your signup form on your social channels. This will help gain the remaining subscribers from your social media.
How to add more subscribers?
- Host a contest or offer a discount:
Try to give the best deal or an incentive to first-time visitors after signing up for your email list. Try offering a prize for some lucky new subscribers, free delivery, or offers for a first purchase.
- Make your emails easy to share:
When you create creative, compelling emails, your recipients will want to share them. Add share buttons and social media icons in your emails that let your recipients known about the perks and benefits of your business.
- Build a landing page:
Landing pages are another effective to grow your email list. Using your best imagery and content, landing pages give people a clear call to action and improve email signups
Should you buy an email list?
You should never use a purchased email list as they are ineffective. If you send emails to a list of people who don’t want your email address, many of the emails will get identified as spam. Moreover, most of your recipients will not be expecting your emails and will not be interested in clicking it. Some spam filters will flag an email if anyone with the same IP address has sent spam in the past.
There are 3 primary rules you should follow before sending your emails:
- Don’t use third-party lists:
This includes purchased or rented email lists, and lists scraped from third-party sources, including public websites.
- Get permission:
Everyone on your list should have accepted your request to receive emails from you. It is always better if your subscriber has opted to receive your emails personally as you can consider the potential customers.
- Include an unsubscribe link:
Federal anti-spam laws require you to give people a way to unsubscribe from your list in every campaign you send. We require you to use the unsubscribe link as it makes your emails look more trustworthy.
Which agency is the best for Email Marketing?
Whether you are starting your first email campaign or you’re a seasoned email pro, Digital Presence has the tools and support you need. With a wide array of features and full service, you will get the best service and tools to skyrocket your business. Presentation is everything in email marketing therefore digital presence covers every single aspect of presentation and design such as content, templates, identity, color, images, layout, fonts, and call to action. Whether you are a start-up or looking for an effective digital marketing agency. We at Digital Presence have the best resources you need to grow your brand or sell your products or services. You can visit our website by clicking here, www.digitalpresence.today.