I'm sure you've heard this often: "The money is in the list.”
The claim is based on the fact that people opting for your marketing messages are more likely to engage offers you send versus a random individual that discovers your website or advertising campaigns. A list is incredibly powerful for boosting profits and maintaining a healthy bottom line for your business growth.
The following are a few of the ways to make email marketing work for you and your business…
#1: Pick the right provider
The provider you choose for your email marketing services makes all the difference. A provider should be able to bring the following:
· Compliance with government regulations
· Templates (to aid the beginners and experienced users)
· Tracking & testing
· Reports
· Stellar customer service
A proper choice for those starting with email marketing is a provider that also provides services in combining social media, landing pages, mobile, and form integration. The reason is that email marketing is more than simply sending emails; encompasses multiple factors to increase conversions such as the items listed above.
The best approach to finding the right one for your business is to pick up the phone and talk with a representative with the company so that you may fully understand the options and value the email marketing service has to offer.
#2: Optimize the opt-in form
The work you put into the list is only as good as your ability to gain subscribers because, after all, what's the point of putting in all this work into a list if no one opts in?
The opt-in form (the one you're often given via code from an email marketing provider) is best placed in the following areas:
· Above the fold (generally in the sidebar if you are operating a blog)
· Before the comment section of your blog
· Towards the end of your "About Me" page
· Interlinked as a separate landing page within your site (and for guest posting purposes)
Basically you want to have your opt-in form where people will see it and take action. A way to figure this out is by using heat maps to measure where visitors focus their attention along with the best practices already established for email marketing.
#3: Treat the list as a VIP entity
Many businesses treat their email list as just another collection of people to send updates and sales copy but when you stop to think about it you begin to realize that those who have opted for your list are essentially the type of people likely to promote your brand, buy, and provide actionable feedback.
The email list, in reality, needs to be treated like VIP.
Content you share in the email should be somewhat exclusive so it gives people a reason to subscribe rather than simply follow your social media accounts. A way to make the most from this is by providing exclusive discounts to subscribers (which also happens to encourage sign ups) along with content that wouldn't be found on the website or through social channels.
In many ways, this treatment of your list, like VIP, creates a tight-knit community you can refine to the point where each email sent out is well received and profitable (in some fashion).
#4: Test anything and everything
The last (but most important) element of email marketing is the fact that you are constantly testing anything and everything.
Testing includes:
· Headlines
· Body copy
· Call-to-actions
· Segmented lists
· Creative
…and more.
The marketplace has much variety and is the reason why you would want to test different elements of your email marketing. Testing not only allows you to experiment and improve conversions but gain feedback from subscribers so that you may increase profitability in the long haul.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a powerful method to increase exposure to your brand, coerce conversions, and encourage individuals to promote your content; it can be one of the best ways to achieve business growth.
The problem is that many treat the marketing vehicle as yet another way to blast their subscribers and utterly alienate their audience because they don't understand how to truly use the platform. Try the methods described in this article and see how it works for you. Chances are, it'll lead to success.
