Some marketers say email marketing is dead. It certainly is not. In fact, it is a great way to increase your business and sales. Today we are going to discuss the basics of email marketing and list building.
Let’s get started!
Step 1- Get an Email Marketing Tool
An email marketing tool is what you are going to use to store your list and send out your email campaigns. There are a bunch out there. Some popular ones I know of are Aweber, Sendlane, and ActiveCampaign. The pricing of each varies and depends on how big your list is.
Now you have your email marketing tool. Here are some steps on what you need to do next.
Create Your First List – In simple terms, a “list” is a folder where you will store email addresses. Start with a Master List. This folder is where you will keep all your email addresses. Make a Customer List for people who have purchased something from you already. You can make a Prospect List for anyone who has shown interest in your product but has yet to buy from you.
Import Existing Contacts – You may already have some email addresses. Organize them in a spreadsheet and import them. It is that easy.
Set-Up Segments – Segments are important. It allows you to send emails to a specific group of leads with different needs. Example: If you are trying to narrow your email to people that haven’t opened an email, set up an Unopen Segment. You can tailor these segments to your needs.
Create an Email Template – Remember this tool isn’t only for storing your list. It’s where you will send your broadcast emails. Learn how to use the email templates. These will add a visual appeal instead of it being only text.
Step 2 – Create an Offer to Exchange for an Email Address
This is the most important step in this whole process. How are you going to convince someone to give you their email address? It is their personal information after all.
You need to offer something that is valuable. So you’ll need to do a little thinking here. What can your company offer that is valuable to the lead? Here are some ideas of what most marketers offer.
Coupons and Discounts – This is more of the eCommerce side. It can work if you offer any type of paid subscription service. Offer a discount or free shipping in exchange for their email address. If you have a subscription service, offer the first month for free.
Offer a Free Resource – Offering a free resource can grow your list fast. Create something that your target audience will find useful. How-to guides are a good example. Make sure when you are creating it, it aligns with an obstacle in your niche.
Run a Contest – Everyone loves something for free. It’s just human nature. Offer a year of free service. Give out a product of yours. Cash giveaways are awesome if you have it to spend. People will give their emails out to be registered.
Email Newsletter – If someone is interested in what you are offering, they more than likely will sign up for your newsletter. This is a good place to create some content for your niche. You can make it like a weekly blog post. You can also use this to tell people about new products, services, or any updates that may be occurring.
Step 3 – Create a Landing Page
This is where your customer is going to enter in their email address. You will display your offer on this page. Once they put their email in and register, it will start their customer journey.
They will get their freebie through your welcome email. You should have an autoresponder email series already set up in whatever email marketing tool you chose.
These are not difficult to create. You can use services such as Leadpages to create it. If you do not have the time you can hire someone on Fiverr to do it for you.
Step 4 – Advertise Your Offer
Now is the time to get your offer in front of as many eyes as possible. There are a few ways you can do this.
Popups – I know people find these irritating. Yet if placed correctly they work. If you have a web page already built, the initial visit to the homepage is a good place to try a popup.
Solo-ads – You can buy traffic from vendors. There are lots of places on Facebook and the internet to find these. Depending on the quality, the price will vary. The average cost is around $0.45 a click.
Social Media/ Blog – You may already have a following. Be it large or small, this is a good place to show your offer. Make a post and say what you are giving away. Add a link to it. If they are interested they will click. The best part about this is it is free.
Paid Ads – These are very easy and can be a couple of bucks a day to run. You can use social media and create an ad to get in front of a targeted audience. The more money you invest the more eyes will see it. Instagram and Facebook’s ad scheduler is very simple to use. All you do is create your ad. Then you target the right audience. Then you schedule the time it runs.
Step 5 – Start Mailing
At this point, you should start seeing your list size increase. If you have an autoresponder series setup, your subscribers should be going through the Customer Journey already. If not then you can start sending out emails. I suggest one per day. You don’t want to burn your list out. I’d suggest finding some email swipes or learn about copywriting.
That’s it, folks. It’s a pretty simple process. It just takes a little time and a little money. You should have a sizable list in no time. Then you should start seeing an increase in your sales!