Email campaigns continue to be one of the best ways to increase conversions and improve customer retention. But how do you create a long-term strategy that produces results? Keep reading to learn more about how to build an effective email marketing strategy!
How can email marketing fuel your overall inbound strategy?
You may not realize it, but email marketing can help SEO: each strategy helping the other build authority and credibility both online and offline. Here are a few ways email marketing specifically improves your overall inbound strategy:
Nurtures Leads & Engagement
Emails keep potential customers interested and moving down the funnel; for current customers, it keeps them engaged and interacting with your brand for future purchases, referrals, and loyalty.
Drives Traffic to the Website
Email marketing leads people back to blog posts or important pages on your website that help guide conversions.
Automates Follow-Up & Relationship Building
Triggered workflows are ideal for post-form submissions, abandoned carts, post-purchases, etc.
Follows the Entire Customer Journey
Beyond converting leads, emails are important for education, onboarding, and customer retention marketing.
Gives Behavioral Insights & Data
An effective email marketing strategy undergoes constant optimization; open rates, clicks, and other analytics can show you what’s resonating with people and where you can improve.
What are the steps to building an effective email marketing strategy?
1. Maintain a strong email list.
Contact forms and lead magnets like downloadable guides and resources are great ways to attract people who are interested in your brand.
Learn More: IMEG’s technology, Website Visitor Intelligence, turns anonymous website visitors into leads!
2. Define the email campaign goal.
Your message, audience, and CTA all hinge on your campaign goal: drive traffic, generate leads, increase conversions, nurture prospects, promote product or service, re-engage inactive customers, build better brand awareness, etc.
3. Identify the target audience.
Everyone in your email list shouldn’t be sent every email you create. This is where audience segmentation comes in: demographic or location, customer or prospect, position in the marketing funnel, etc.
Why it matters: Instead of sending a generic email to everyone, you’re able to send customized emails that are more relevant to more people.
4. Provide an incentive.
You want to give people a reason to open your email: special offer, new product, limited-time perks, exclusive resource, etc.
5. Create a compelling message.
Effective email marketing often answers this specific question: “Why should I care?” and follows this formula: Subject line → Hook → Value/Offer → CTA
6. Personalize the user experience.
Tailoring the content, offers, recommendations, and even timing can make a generic email more relevant. It’s the most important way to improve engagement with your email marketing campaigns.
7. Design for mobile devices.
Beautifully designed emails aren’t always the best performing ones, which is why simple and straight to the point is usually the best route. Strong headlines, short paragraphs, clear links and buttons, with one CTA and limited visual noise.
8. Automate a follow-up sequence.
One-time emails are sometimes necessary and can be just as effective, but automated sequences are often helpful for cart or product abandonment, remarketing campaigns, post-purchase nurturing, etc.
9. Always test before sending.
Preview your email copy, links, mobile display, and images. This is critical, not just for spelling and grammar, but also for formatting and brand positioning.
Tip: A/B testing the subject line, CTA, sending time, or incentive is one of the most effective tools for the best email marketing strategies!
10. Send at the right time.
There is no universal “best time” to send emails. Your customer’s behavior and past email send history can help you determine when to send out your emails.
How can an agency help with an email marketing campaign strategy?
Our team of email marketing experts uses real data and user behavior to guide campaign decisions, sending times, subject lines, and more. With an agency, you’re not taking a shot in the dark, but rather using strategic messaging and tools for maximum ROI.
Email marketing is one thread in the tapestry of digital marketing that works alongside SEO, content marketing, website development, paid search, and much more. With a full-service marketing agency like IMEG, you can grow your business and fuel your overall inbound strategy with expert guidance and recommendations. Don’t rely on trends or what may have worked in the past; let our experts help you determine the best path forward.
Reach out about our email marketing services to get started. We are ready to speak with you more about how to build an effective email marketing strategy!
