Getting started with email marketing
Who’s the target? What do you want them to do? Here’s our complete guide to planning your first email marketing campaign. By Rob Martin.
When you’re setting up your first campaign, it can be hard to know where to begin. The good news is, starting from scratch, in some ways, is much easier than taking over an account that already has a reputation. We’ve put together a few handy tips to help get you started.
Establish Goals
Do you want to increase sales, or raise your online profile? Before you set up a newsletter, set out what you want to achieve from email marketing, how it can benefit your business, and what it will provide to your audience. Also, think about who you want to connect with, and how you are going to measure success.
Build your list
You can’t send out a campaign without subscribers so invite people to sign up to your mailing list. GroupMail includes everything you need to maintain, manage and grow your email list. Create a sign-up form on your website, and share that form on your social channels. Consider offering people something in exchange for signing up to your list, such as a discount on your product or service. And always allow people to opt out. As your list grows, you will be able to start segmenting and send targeted campaigns.
Select a design
You’re going to have eight seconds to grab your recipients’ attention and convince them to engage with your email. And design, as much as content, plays a big part in this. So, don’t be tempted by fancy designs, a simple and clear layout is all you need. Remember, most people read their emails from mobile, so a mobile-optimised template is imperative. GroupMail’s selection of pre-designed templates help make your campaign look great on any device.
Frequency
Some businesses need to send out emails every two to three days, but others might only need to send out a newsletter once a week or once a month. Setting your goals early on will help you decide how often you need to be emailing your customers.
Timing is everything
You will hear lots of email marketing platforms saying which is the best time for sending out newsletters. On average, the best time is between 12 and 2pm on a Tuesday. But, don’t be afraid to experiment in the early stages of your campaigns. Most people read their email when they’re still in bed in the morning or before going to bed at night. So, sending a campaign at 6.30am, or between 8pm and midnight can have just as high an open rate as sending it midday. Find out which is the best time for your business.
Measure results
After you’ve sent your first email, you can start tracking the campaign’s success. GroupMail allows you to track opens, clicks, country, email clients, browsers, operating systems and more. You can also compare your email campaign reports so you can improve your results. When you’re starting email marketing from scratch, experiment with the send time and date, the subject line, and the frequency.