How to get started?
eTarget's 5 steps for starting your email marketing program.
1. Collect email addresses
2. Create an email template
3. Determine what emails to send
4. Plan how often and when to send your emails
5. Start sending!
1. Collect email addresses
Review all your interactions with customers and add a step where you ask for an email addresses. Sending emails to a purchased list is not much different than spamming and you do not have an established relationship with the recipient to lean on and foster.
Here's some ideas to build your lists:
- Your website - Provide a sign-up form on your website and list the benefits. We provide a simple form for you to add to your website.
- Your place of business - When customers are at your counter or shopping, allow them to sign up for your email list.
- Your existing email lists - Use your current email lists to keep building your list. If your current recipients see something of value to them, they may think their friends will benefit as well. Allowing them to pass your email along may easily add more to your list.
- Coupons and specials - Offer special incentives through email only and promote forwarding to friends.
- Advertisements & Direct mail - Be sure to let people know about your email newsletter. Send them to your website or have them send an email to you requesting to be added to your list.
- Contests - Register participants address and announce the winner through your next newsletter list.
- Events and Trade shows - Hand out your marketing materials that asks them to subscribe.
2. Create an email template
Your email design (template) should reflect the image of your business. If you have a website, be sure to make the colors, images and design similar. Remember to think of a format that allows flexibility, you to send coupons, tips, etc. You will likely need multiple templates.
eTarget provides free templates that will get you started. You can modify them, we can modify one for you or we can create a custom template for you that matches your web site and other marketing collateral.
3. Determine what emails to send
Think about your email marketing goals and get a plan on paper. Give some thought to what you hope to accomplish with your email marketing efforts. It may be to generate leads, acquire customers, create more transactions and revenue or build company awareness to enhance your company's brand. Understanding your goals will allow you to build a plan. Every step of your email campaign process should reflect the goal.
Once you are up and running look to add segmentation, better deliverability tactics, introduce A/B split testing and perform continuous analysis and improvement.
Think about the type of information that would encourage your customers to read and respond to your emails. Here's some email ideas:
- Offer coupons and sale notices, plan a promotion, announce new items or recently received items.
- Provide tips, suggestions and guidance. This will help people see you as a trusted advisor and market leader.
- Send emails at holidays. For example you can send Happy Mothers Day emails to the mom's on your list.
4. Plan how often and when to send your emails
Now you have to determine how often to send the messages you've outlined above. When you're done you can even schedule your fully completed email communications in advance to be sent automatically.
Here's some frequency ideas:
- Try and touch or be in contact with your list at least once a month.
- Send a "Welcome" message to all new subscribers. (eTarget does that for you!)
- Look at a calendar and make note of the holidays.
- Think about events in your industry. Is it seasonal or are there annual conferences that you can send emails for.
5. Start sending!
We'll bet you are currently receiving lots of email marketing messages from retailers and maybe even from your competitors. It's time to get started!