Email

email marketing

In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. It usually involves using email to send advertisements, request business, or solicit sales or donations, and is meant to build loyalty, trust, or brand awareness.

wikipedia

Why do email marketing?

Email marketing isn't something marketers do just because they can and it's easy. The tactic is very effective at helping business owners and consumers stay connected. In fact, consumers often seek out email marketing campaigns from their favorite brands and local stores.
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how to start

1. Choose a Web-based provider

In the early days of the web, it was enough to randomly harvest a few thousand email addresses, feed them through a mail program and start reaping the benefits. That approach is no longer applicable: it can cause serious legal problems and is likely to get your ISP account dropped

The major email service providers have the capability of reaching inboxes through permission based email marketing with an efficiency you would be hard pressed to achieve in any other fashion. They also enable you to study every aspect of your email campaign through their extensive email tracking and reporting; set up comprehensive surveys; enjoy extensive email list management tools; and receive guidance from experienced professionals.

2. Start gathering email addresses
3. Choose a template
4. Plan out your topics & send schedule
5. Send an email campaign and track your results

news latter

Definition: Newsletter marketing is the practice by which companies send informational and product-focused content via an emailed letter to a subscriber list that comprises potential and existing customers.

The email newsletter is a powerful marketing and communication tool that has various useful functions. It reminds your users about you; it informs users about your products; it tells them what you have been up to; and it helps you build a unique relationship with them.

What is a subscription confirmation email

A subscription confirmation email is an email that is sent out to new subscribers in order to confirm that they want to subscribe to your list. When you created your account, a confirmation email is already setup to be sent to any subscriber who signs up by using a form.

Free Email Marketing Software

1. Benchmark
  • Free Plan: Free for Life plan for up to 2000 subscribers and 14,000 emails a month
  • Paid Plans: Send based plans start at $9.95 per month; list-based plans at $11.95 per month


2. Reachmail
  • Free Plan: Free for up to 5,000 contacts and 15,000 emails per month
  • Paid Plans: Start at $10 per month for up to 7,500 contacts and 30,000 emails/month


3. MailChimp
  • Free Plan: Forever Free plan for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month
  • Paid Plans: Start at $20 per month for unlimited email


4. VerticalResponse
  • Free Plan: Free for up to 1,000 email contacts and 4,000 emails per month
  • Paid Plans: Start at $22 per month for unlimited email sending plans


5. Elite Email
  • Free Plan:Free for up to 500 contacts with unlimited email sending
  • Paid Plans: Start at $15 per month for 500+ contacts and pay-as-you-go plans

Standards

As a marketer/business owner, you or your team should be keeping track of 5 key email marketing metrics:

  1. How many people open your emails
  2. How many people click on a link inside your emails
  3. How many people unsubscribe
  4. How many people complain
  5. How many people forward your emails

However, the more accurate answer really depends on your industry.

For example, MailChimp reports that the average open rate for companies in hobby industries is 28.49%, whereas the average open rate in the marketing/advertising industry is 17.85%. That’s a pretty significant difference.

So, if you really want to have a benchmark to measure against, you should be looking at the average open rates for your particular industry.
Here are the average open and click rates of MailChimp customers by industry :

Industry Open Click
Agriculture and Food Services 24.70% 3.12%
Architecture and Construction 24.58% 2.90%
Arts and Artists 27.04% 2.87%
Beauty and Personal Care 18.46% 2.05%
Business and Finance 20.98% 2.77%
Computers and Electronics 21.00% 2.25%

templates

Email templates are the framework for your email marketing messages—they make messages appear clean, focused, and professional. With Marketing Campaigns, we provide the tools to create and collaborate on any number of email templates.

There are a few things to keep in mind when designing HTML email campaigns.

  • Emails should be 600-800 pixels maximum width. This will make them behave better within the preview-pane size provided by many clients.
  • Design for simplicity. Use grid-based layers and avoid complicated elements that require HTML floats or positioning.
  • Assume images will be initially blocked by email clients, or that certain images—background images, for example—will completely fail to load.
  • Don’t design an email that’s essentially one large, sliced-up image. While these kinds of emails look pretty, they perform poorly.
  • Use basic, cross-platform fonts such as Arial, Verdana, Georgia, and Times New Roman.
  • Avoid elements that require Flash or JavaScript. If you need motion in an email, a .gif is your best bet.
  • Don’t forget about the mobile experience! Is your email readable at arm’s length on a small screen? Will the images slow its load time on a mobile device? Are your links easy to press with a thumb

Automation

Email automation is the most effective way to engage in email marketing because it enables you to send out messages to your customers at designated times. ... Using automation, they can save time by setting up the email platform to send messages when customers take specific actions.

Marketing automation refers to the software that exists with the goal of automating marketing actions. Many marketing departments have to automate repetitive tasks such as emails, social media, and other website actions. The technology of marketing automation makes these tasks easier.

free Automation platform

Sendloop
One of the most important aspects of refining a drip campaign is targeting the right people. With Sendloop, you can funnel contacts into very specific campaigns and track their movements on your site to further tailor your messaging in the future.
ActiveCampaign
3. BombBomb
Drip
MailChimp
optinmonster.com

Sometimes, a well-intentioned business, eager to grow, encounters someone offering them an inexpensive “shortcut” to building their email list.

At first, this may sound like a quick fix. But, buying email lists is not an effective way to grow your email list. As a business, you want engaged readers that will find your emails valuable. The people on the for-sale lists did not agree to receive your emails, so the email addresses are not quality.


Additionally, sending unsolicited emails is against the CAN-SPAM act. According to the CAN-SPAM Act, a U.S. law that regulates commercial emails, you cannot sell or transfer email addresses, even in the form of a mailing list. Sending emails to people who didn’t ask for them is spam, and will make the readers will lose trust in your company.

A better way to grow your email list is through confirmed opt-in, which ensures that the people you are sending emails to want your emails. This also means you will get less unsubscribes.

"aweber.com"

How to Build Your Mailing List

Creating your mailing list is the first step in creating a viable email marketing plan. Your mailing list is made up of customers and fans who want to stay in the loop on your latest news. Check out out these 3 lightning-fast ways to start building it today (no hammers or nails required).

Add a Signup Form

This is an amazingly efficient tool that lets people quickly subscribe to your list in a snap. Add the Get Subscribers App to your site to prompt visitors to subscribe to your mailing list. You can also add a signup form to your ShoutOuts to make it easy for even more readers to opt-in.

Ask for their basic info (we’re talking a name and email address at most) and offer something of real value in return, like an exclusive eBook or special product coupons.
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