Email marketing is a powerful tool when building out a strong online presence and one of the best ways of communicating with your customer base that doesn’t depend on an algorithm (such as social media). In addition, customers are more likely to purchase via email marketing channels (over social media).
Like all communication with your customer base, marketing to your email list should add value and allow your customers to get to know your brand better.
Here are our three steps to getting started with email marketing:
1. Pick a Platform
The first step to Email Marketing is choosing a platform to store the emails you collect and create templated email sends to communicate with.
MailChimp and Constant Contact are fairly popular among small businesses -- in addition to website platforms such as SquareSpace, Shopify and Wix that allow you to send emails directly from within their platforms as well.
If you already have a website built on one of these platforms, it is likely easiest to also use them for email marketing. For more detail on these website platforms, check out Part 1 of this series.
2. Build Your List
As your starting and building your email list, you’ll want to collect emails any chance you can -- with permission of course. Here are a few ideas for how to build your email list and potential customer base:
Provide a Newsletter Signup On Your Website
Many website platforms offer the ability to easily include a newsletter signup on your website as a pop-up or a form on the actual webpage. If you decide to use a website platform as your email marketing provider (as we mentioned above), when a customer fills out this signup, they are automatically included to your email list.
Host a Giveaway On Social Media
If you have a social media following, you can host a giveaway that entices followers to sign up for your email list. Many brands have done this by asking customers to sign up for their email list, and then entering their subscribers into a drawing or giveaway for a free product or service.
Host a Virtual Workshop or Class
Hosting a virtual class or workshop that people can sign up for with their email will allow you to add them to your email list and communicate with them post-workshop/class. To confirm that you can add the person to your email list, you’ll want to include text on the event description saying something along the lines of ‘signing up for this event will automatically add you to our email list, and you can unsubscribe at any time’.
Collect Emails at In Person Events and In Store
*If your location is closed right now due to COVID-19, put this on the back burner for when you re-open!*
Having a notepad for customers to write down their emails and join your list is an easy add to have at the register. You can also bring this notepad to farmers markets, pop-ups, and other events to gain more subscribers as well. Many brands will also entice customers to sign up by providing a discount off their first purchase upon signing up.
3. Communicate Effectively
According to this Marketing Sherpa report, 63% of customers want to hear from the brands they subscribe to at least weekly.
We recommend sending one email per week to stay consistent and top of mind with customers. These don’t always have to be promotional emails selling a product, it could be sharing content such as blog posts, social media videos, or a recent article you were featured in. Email marketing platforms allow you to schedule email sends ahead of time, which can help stay organized with this timeframe.
A large part of email marketing is to stay connected with your customers and allow them to get to know you and the business more. With a strong email list, you can communicate in more ways with the customers who want to hear from you and support you!