The basics of email marketing

Email marketing can be a powerful tool for reaching current and potential customers. However, because this form of online promotion directly involves personal information, there are a few things to consider. Let’s see how you can make the most of email marketing without breaking any rules.

In general, email marketing consists of two forms of communication:

• Promotional emails
• Newsletters

Of course, newsletters also are promotional, but selling products/services is not their primary purpose. Newsletters are all about sharing news and knowledge. They have to educate recipients and give them something valuable. On the other hand, promotional emails are all about selling – they are sent to encourage as many people as possible to buy or ask about a product or a service.

Email marketing is a direct form of communication – your messages land directly in your recipients’ mailboxes. And that’s why you have to stick to some rules. First off, you have to know how to build a base of email addresses.

Where can I get emails? 

Generally speaking, you have two options:

• You can purchase a ready-made email base
• You can build one on your own

However, we strongly advise you to concentrate solely on the second option. Buying a ready-made list entails a lot of threats and risks you don’t want to deal with. 

Not only you can’t assess the quality of the database you purchased (most likely, it won’t be great), but in most cases, such an action is illegal (we will talk about that in a moment), as, usually, people on such lists have never willingly signed for them! And finally, no one wants to be labeled as a spammer, which will inevitably happen if you send emails to total strangers.

So, what should you do instead? You need to build a list yourself. There are indisputable advantages of doing so:

• You are certain that people who have signed to your list are interested in your products/services.
• You are free to send these people emails almost without limitations. Make sure you have a double opt-in confirmation and appropriate information about what you are going to send (double opt-in means that every person has to confirm twice that they want to receive your emails. The first time usually happens on the webpage when your potential customer types in their email address. The second time occurs when they receive an email asking them to click a confirmation link).

HOW TO BUILD AN EMAIL BASE

You can use your website and social media profiles to promote your services and encourage people to sign to your mailing list. Of course, you’ll get a much better response if you offer them something in return. For instance, a free ebook that consists of valuable information and data originating from your industry. Such a gift is frequently called a lead magnet. Your customers are exchanging their personal data (email address) for something valuable you can give them.

You should also add a checkbox with acceptance to receive marketing emails to your contact form and in the order summary. This way, people who send an inquiry or place an order can also become a part of your email base.

Lawful mailings

In the modern world, personal information is a highly protected asset. That’s why you have to get acquainted with laws in your country regarding mailings. To find out what these regulations are, just type in Google “spam law [your country]”, and you will find everything you need to know. For instance, there is one holistic regulation called GDPR that applies across the entire European Union. In almost every instance, you need a receiver’s consent to send them marketing emails. That’s why it is your best bet to build a mailing database on your own!

Other things you have to consider are as follows:

• Always clearly identify yourself and your company and be brief. No one wants to waste time.
• Let your recipient know right away if any action is required from them.
• Inform how to opt out from your emailing list.

And lastly, don’t send emails too often. One time a week is sufficient in most cases.

Effective mailings and newsletters – stand out from your competition 

This part is tricky but immensely important. People receive tons of emails from various companies daily. And you know what? The vast majority of them land in the bin, unopened. In 2022, the average open rate doesn’t exceed 22%, which means that three out of four people don’t even open the message they get. CTRs are even lower:

You have to stand out from your competition if you want to win your target audience and their attention. You can do so by applying these rules:

• Write something creative; think about how your business can be presented in an engaging, maybe even humorous way.
• Always think about the reader and their needs – each email has to be valuable and attractive to THEM, not to you.
• Be brief. The subject line should be no longer than 7-9 words. Don’t write a wall of text. 
• Remember about the top engagement hours, and these are usually 8 am–10 am and 3 pm–4 pm.
• Add CTA (call to action) to your emails.
• Plan your mailing campaigns to consist of three or four emails, not just one. One or two main emails and one or two reminders. This way, you make sure that no one will skip your message. 
• Always place at least one question in your email. Not only do such emails have a higher response rate, but it also gives you a reason to write again. 

With that covered, we can switch to the last vital issue – email marketing automation.

Automate your mailings

Do you imagine sending 1,000 emails by hand? We hope you don’t! It would take a lot of time and your nerves. Furthermore, not only is it irritating, it could also cause you some serious problems with your hosting company. 

That’s why you have to choose an email marketing automation tool. And that’s where our role begins! One of many iPresso features is email marketing automation. 

With our help, you can:

• Create attractive and engaging mailings using intuitive drag and drop creator
• Preview your emails on different devices and screen sizes
• Browse and use tens of email templates for different sectors and occasions
• Personalize your emails
• Test their effectiveness (e.g., through A/B tests)
• Make sure the deliverability is impeccable 

Thanks to our emailing tool, you can send your emails via our servers, so your hosting account is not overloaded. And our platform offers something Microsoft Outlook never will – precise data about open rates and response rates. Therefore, you can easily track and assess the efficiency of your campaigns.

Do you want to know more? Start a free trial today and give our email automation tool a try!