Marketing through email newsletters is a great way to reach a wide audience.  Email marketing continues to be the best way to market to your target audience, with an average ROI of over 120%, according to a survey conducted by the DMA and Demand Metric.  It even outperforms social media and direct mail marketing.  If your business hasn't set up an email marketing strategy yet, now's the best time to do so.  We have a few tips on how to get your email marketing strategy going and working for you from the get go.

Finding the Right Provider

There are many email newsletter providers to choose from.  For beginners and those on a small budget, we recommend Mailchimp or SendinBlue.  These have free accounts that are easy to use, have a library of templates to choose from, and allow you to send a large amount of emails each month as you grow your subscriber list.  Check out this best list by The Work At Home Woman to check out some more free email newsletter provider options to find the one that's right for you.

Create a Sign-Up Form

Once you have chosen a provider, create a sign-up form that is simple and easy to follow.  The easier you make it for your target audience to sign up, the more likely they will want to join.  Choose only the fields that matter most, which may only be name and email.  Make sure to use color to attract your customers to sign up.  Using the right colors to make the form stand out is as important as making it easy to fill in.

Start an Audience List

When you start email marketing, you will create a general list that everyone will go on.  Once created, advertise and encourage your target audience to sign up for your email newsletters.  As your subscriber list grows, you can start to create segments.  Creating segments as your list grows will allow you to send the right email campaign for that specific audience, thus ensuring you get the results you want.

Create Interest

If you only ask customers to sign up for your newsletter without an incentive, the results you are hoping for might fall short.  Show your audience why signing up for the newsletter will be beneficial for them.  Advertise a special coupon code for signing up, the ability to get first dibs on sales, or a list of opportunities they can enjoy while being subscribed.

Make Them Feel Welcomed

Now is time to design and create the welcome letter.  This will be the email that goes out to those who sign up for your newsletter.  This is a great time to talk about what your newsletter is all about and how you intend to use.  Letting customers know what to expect will encourage them to stay subscribed.  You can also include any special offers from your promotion of your newsletter in the welcome email.

Engage with Your Audience

Once your subscriber list is growing, be sure to schedule your newsletter to go out in a timely manner.  Predictability will help grow trust and build a lasting relationship with your audience.  Give them content they will appreciate, which can be behind the scenes images or commentary, instructional videos, or even a voice or video update from you, the business owner!

We hope you enjoyed our tips on how to begin a successful email marketing strategy.  If you would like more assistance on how to get your email marketing strategy off to a great start, message our expert staff today!