Email marketing is one of the most efficient ways to develop and maintain a customer base, and it doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Here’s how to build a strong marketing strategy from the ground up.
Identify an Audience
When it comes to content marketing, it’s important to first know and become familiarized with your target audience. Knowing demographics such as age and social class can help target emails specifically to the correct clientele. This will also guide decisions such as tone and graphics.
Grow the List
After identifying the audience, the next vital step is building an extensive email list. The best way to do this is to offer some form of incentive for potential subscribers to opt-in to the program. This can be as simple as giving exclusive previews for new content, or it could even be free trial offers or discounts.
Form a Content Strategy
Having the right content is only half of the battle, and diving into an email marketing strategy without a plan can be disastrous. It’s important to plan what types of emails will be sent.
Email content should include a mix of both promotional and informational content to push new products or services while also positioning the brand as a resource for subscribers.
Other decisions to consider during planning include aesthetics, such as whether emails will be plain text or HTML, and whether they will include graphics, photos and videos.
Set a Schedule
Being in a subscriber’s inbox frequently is a good way to stay in the back of their minds, but too many emails can be overbearing and lead to a loss in subscribers. It’s important to find a balance of content and frequency, and to develop a schedule so subscribers know when to expect emails. It can also help in planning special holiday marketing throughout the year.
Email marketing can pay back dividends if executed correctly, but the first step to creating a successful strategy is developing and adhering to a plan.