Our Approach to Email Marketing

Year after year, email outperforms every other marketing strategy. According to 2021 data, email drives an ROI of $36 for every dollar spent, higher than any other channel. Yet too many people think it’s no longer relevant and switch to other channels that are more expensive or just don’t get results.

We have been preaching about our email approach and how it relates to marketing for years and continue seeing its value for our business and clients. 

Six reasons why email marketing is so powerful

1. You own your list. When you get an email subscriber, you can contact them anytime. With platforms like Facebook, Twitter (!), or any other external platform, you never know when changes to their algorithm or business goals will suddenly stymie your outreach. You can take your list with you even if you switch email providers.
2. Direct contact. Aside from deliverability issues, every email you send should be seen by your list. Even if someone doesn’t open the email, they probably read your name and subject line; you’ve made another brand impression. Because of algorithms, many social media posts are never even shown to your followers. 
3. Measurable results. You can see and track every email open and click thru. This gives you concrete data on what’s working and what’s not.
4. Push people down the funnel. Email is almost always the connector to move your prospects from awareness to consideration. There are other ways to do this, but email is highly efficient. For most businesses, prospects are not ready to buy after just hearing about your products or service once. They want to learn more about you and your company and build trust in you. Email allows you to share your expertise and build rapport to encourage a prospect to take the next step.
5. Automation. Using drip campaigns or autoresponders, you send out a string of email messages without lifting a finger. You set up the campaign once, and your emails get sent every time a prospect takes a certain action. 
6. Aggregate your promotions and communications. If you write a blog, post videos on YouTube, or share insights on LinkedIn, it’s smart to share great content by email. You probably have people who follow you or your brand on different platforms and may miss it otherwise. When you spend time putting together impactful content or an irresistible offer, email can multiply your results.

Our approach to successful email marketing

Any of the major email platforms will work

It really doesn’t matter whether you use MailChimp, Constant Contact, HubSpot, or something else. They all let you design emails and set up automated campaigns. There are differences in pricing, ease of use, and how they integrate with other online platforms. 

More than ten years ago, we became an agency partner of Campaign Monitor and created our Mail on the Mark service. We like how we can create customized templates or use their drag-and-drop tools.

But we have experience with all of the major platforms and can help you choose which one is right for you.

Plan for lots of repetition

It’s unrealistic to think you can immediately send one email and drum up sales or registrations. It’s continually staying top of mind and repeatedly sharing your knowledge, insights, or promotions to get people to take action.

If you are creating a newsletter, send it frequently and consistently. 

If you are developing an email drip campaign, don’t stop at just one or two emails. Plan to send at least five and ideally more.

Email’s big flaw

The primary shortcoming of email marketing is that you need to build your list. Before you can use email marketing, you’ll need to do some complementary activities to encourage people to join your email list.

Some common ways to get people to join your email list:

• Gated content. A prospect gives their email address in return for an e-book or other valuable content like a video, worksheet, or calculator.
• Educational content. People will join your list if your e-newsletter delivers valuable insights and information.
• Social media promotions. Social media is a better way to expand awareness of your brand. Make sure some of your posts encourage people to join your list. You can offer gated content or promotion.
• Discounts. If you have website traffic, offer a discount to get a prospect to join your email list. This works well for consumer products, but service professionals can offer free consultations.

Most important, don’t expect someone to join your e-newsletter list without a good reason. Just having a form on your website will not be enough. People get a lot of emails, and unless you clarify there’s a benefit to providing an email, they probably will not be inclined to do so. Some non-profits or events companies can gather email addresses because people want to stay connected and be informed, but most other businesses need something more compelling.

How to get started with email marketing

Every size and type of business should make email marketing a priority. It will take time to build your email list, so find consistent ways to do this. In the beginning, it may be just adding people one by one that you meet at networking events (make sure you ask their permission). Then, start using an offer as a way to move your social media followers to your email list.

Once you have a list, start thinking about what your contacts want. You can write blogs and share them by email or other industry blogs if that’s easier. You can share examples of your work or customer testimonials. You can offer special promotions like discounts or free consultations.

Hiring a professional to manage your email marketing

The biggest challenge with email marketing is keeping up with it. We frequently hear from our clients that they want to send out at least one email a month, but they often fall short. Most only send four emails a year when they try to do it independently.

Outsourcing your email approach to a marketing firm ensures that your emails are sent consistently. The experts will handle the writing, design, formatting, and scheduling. A firm like ours knows the tools well and can quickly create drip campaigns and integrate them with CRM.

Knowing the incredible ROI of email marketing, it makes sense to invest in a professional approach to email marketing.