Did you know that for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect $42 back? That’s one amazing ROI. Email marketing is the most direct way to speak to your audience and the most cost-effective form of direct marketing. It also allows you to test ideas, products, and target audience analytics while building a relationship with the reader. Since you’re invited into their inbox, they’re much more likely to reply to your quest for feedback or ideas instead of sending it out into the wild sea of social media comments.
Your Phase One Checklist
- Pick an email provider
Your first thing to do is pick an email provider that will help you grow, maintain, and target the right audience. There are plenty of email providers out there, so ask yourself these questions to narrow down your list:
- How many contacts do you have already, and what’s your goal? Many services offer free or low costs depending on the number of contacts. If you think your list would grow exponentially, you may want to invest in something that can handle the growth and campaign capacities.
- What CRM are you using? Check to see which email platforms integrate with, or integrate easily with other email services. Some even have their own email platforms built into their system already.
- What aspects are important to you? If you’re the one creating your emails and you’re not technologically savvy, look for platforms that have good reviews or are known for their user-friendliness. If you’re looking for something a little more design oriented, research platforms that thrive on the user building and designing their own templates.
- Make it easy (and fun!) to sign up
In the age of next-day shipping and on-demand viewing, people are always looking for the fastest and easiest way to get to their destination. Make it as easy as possible or make alternate options for signing up. Since they’re on your email list, there’s time to get more information from them as they progress through the email life cycle.
- Ask for permission
Before you start reaching out to your current contacts, be sure you get their permission to be in the mailing list. This could look different depending on the ways you go about obtaining and segmenting these email addresses. You could have an option in your email platform settings to include a small paragraph at the footer of each email saying they’ve been included in this email list because they signed up at a trade show you attended, attended an event you hosted, ect.
4 Tactics to implement right NOW
Looking to grow your email list and segment contacts as soon as possible? These are the things you could spend one hour on RIGHT away and knock this off your to-do list:
- Reach out to your current partners and supporters
Sit down with your current list of contacts. From business contacts to personal supporters and cheerleaders, take the first step and reach out to them. If you don’t have their emails already, utilize social media! Reach out to business contacts via LinkedIn, or message your friends and family through Facebook. Send a brief, genuine email about how you’d love to keep them up to date on your business, add the frequency (ex: once a month, once a quarter), and how you want to serve them. This includes mentioning helpful topics you’d be including that they might be interested in, or what they can expect from being included in your email list.
- Add a link in your own email signature
It’s as easy as that- add the link to your landing page or sign-up form in your email signature for anybody to look into and check out.
- Add Content Upgrades to your blog posts
Have any content that can be downloaded in your blogs, like an infographic, image, or template? Ask for their email address in exchange for your helpful tips & tricks. Boom.
- Post about it
Leverage social media and create a quick post asking people to join your mailing list. Similar to #1, let them know what they’re signing up for and what they’ll get in return.
Pro Tip
Remember, your business is there to aid other people. If you’re uncomfortable asking for help just think,“ An act of service, not a sales pitch.” Growing your email list means you get the chance to help those people solve their problems.
Strategies to implement into your email marketing plans
Already achieved the above? Here are some more ideas how to grow your email list. Let’s get the ball rolling!
Leverage social media
Wait, didn’t I say that already? Yes, but this goes deeper than publishing a post. Dive into the channels your target audience frequent, and implement the call-to-action to sign up for your email list regularly. Here are some examples:
- Pinterest: Create a graphic that links to your landing page or email sign-up form, and pin to relevant group boards. Group boards are like community pages in Facebook, anybody can post, but just make sure you know who you’re talking to and enlighten instead of sell.
- Twitter: Tweet a teaser about some news, but only people subscribed to your newsletter will find out or get the chance to purchase something before everyone else
- Instagram: Highlight your new blog posts or sales by incentivizing people to join your newsletter, and add the link in your profile.
Create Excitement
It’s okay to start advertising for your product or event before all the details are put together. Just too excited for the launch date? Get everybody excited too! Create a “coming soon” landing page specifically for that one event or product and ask for an email to be notified when it’s ready or live.
Host a Giveaway
People love free stuff, and they love exclusivity. However, you have to be smart about what you’re giving away, and why you’re giving away that particular product or service. Giveaways create a great sense of urgency: the fear of missing out on an opportunity or savings, and giving a deadline. Take it even further by partnering with another business or influencers to double your reach. Once you have their email address, remember to segment your audience with the automated life cycle to weed out the people who aren’t your ideal consumers, and target that list (or dare we say, ‘giveaway persona’) with content relating to whatever you were giving away or sampling.
What is a marketing persona? Hubspot says that a buyer persona is ‘a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers’. Digital Marketing Institute defines it as ‘a personality that embodies a key segment of your audience’.
Tips for what to include in your entry form:
- Use Targeted Opt-In forms: Make them behavioral by looking at the scroll depth, how much time they’re willing to spend on your page before asking for their information.
- Play with embedded forms: This is when you include the link or entry form into your website content in order to make it seem more natural, rather than salesy pop-ups.
- Countdown timers: Create a larger sense of urgency by adding a countdown timer throughout your website until people fill out the giveaway form.
- Scarcity: If applicable, use keywords like “Limited Edition,” or include the limited amount of product or time available for the viewer so they understand they might miss out if they don’t act now.
Go Rogue
Want to take it to a whole new level? Join our wave and reach out to create an exceptional email campaign, inquire about creating a landing page for your upcoming event or product, or just drop us a line for any marketing questions you might have! Otherwise, make sure to sign up for our newsletter to get alerts for more tips & tricks here.
