Email Marketing Guide
Email marketing can result in the highest ROI of any marketing channel. But successful email marketing is more than sending an eNewsletter to your email list every month. If you want to capture, engage, nurture, and convert your prospects, you need a full understanding of every step that goes into an effective email marketing strategy. And, you need the right email marketing service to help you pull it off.
We know it can be daunting and often overwhelming, but for every dollar spent on email, you get $42 in return. With stats like that, it isn’t just cost-effective, it’s 100 percent worth what you put into it. Plus, your email list is full of people who have opted-in and want to hear from you. Having a direct line to reach your audience, using tailored email marketing campaigns is invaluable.
We’ve seen first-hand the benefits and ROI email marketing has to offer, and we know that more businesses would be using it if they found an email marketing tool that works for them and an easy, digestible way to take in tips, steps, and tactics before sending their first campaign.
If you're a marketer, marketing manager, or just wearing a marketing hat, we put this guide together with you and people like you in mind. By the time you’re done reading this, we’re confident you’ll be able to put together an email marketing strategy that:
Captures new leads and prospects so you can take advantage of your website traffic.
Creates more revenue by tapping into opportunities with your existing, happy customers.
Re-engages abandon cart customers, so there are no lost opportunities.
Gets automated feedback that leads to improved services and increased engagement and sales.
Sends automatic nurture to your leads, generating passive income so you can focus on getting other tasks done.
What is Email Marketing (and why is it so darn effective)?
Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy in which emails are sent consistently to an opted-in list of customers and prospects, also known as email subscribers. While it's one of the oldest forms on online marketing, it's also one of, if not the most, effective ways to turn your contacts into customers.
Since the dawn of the internet, the inbox has been a sacred space for connecting with family, friends, coworkers - and eventually businesses and brands. It began as a one-to-many approach. Businesses typically sent one message to their entire audience, whether through a monthly newsletter, promotional send or announcement. Over time, inboxes grew noisier, more crowded. And those batch & blast sends? They just didn't engage subscribers like they used to.
Fast forward to today, the digital experience has completely evolved. Even though your customers and prospects are receiving more messages than ever before, increased access to valuable customer data and insights means that you can be more engaging than ever before in the inbox
Modern email marketing is personalized, often automated, and in-tune to each subscriber's own experience with the goal of moving them through the buyer’s journey to generate loyal customers and repeat business.
What is the Buyer’s Journey?
The buyer’s journey is the process in which a buyer realizes they have a problem that needs to be solved and seeks education before making a buying decision.
What are the stages of the buyer's journey?
Awareness: Buyer realizes they have a problem that needs to be solved.
Consideration: Buyer performs research, brand, and product comparisons while considering which solution is best.
Decision: Buyer selects a solution to their problem.
Understanding the buyer’s journey is at the core of an effective email strategy. By understanding what stage your buyers are at, you’ll be able to create personalized content that address specific needs at specific stages of the buyer's journey to launch a successful campaign. Let’s outline the steps you need to take to get your first email campaign off the ground.
How do I find subscribers and grow my email list?
As a marketer, your list of email addresses is your most valuable marketing asset. When email subscribers opt-in to your list, they want to hear from you. So give them easy ways to sign-up.
To grow your email list, make sure you’re including email signup forms on every page of your website - the footer or sidebar of your site are great places to add a form. Share links to your subscriber form on social media to broaden your reach. Also, don't forget about capturing emails in person as well. Use a tablet - or even old-fashioned pen and paper - to capture names and emails from your storefront or live event.
Your forms must be compliant and permission-based. Make sure you include verbiage on your forms that explains what you’ll be using your user’s information for (i.e., to send them marketing materials) and that they can opt out of your email list at any time.
How do I get subscribers to fill out my subscriber form?
Signup forms come in different shapes and sizes, and it never hurts to add a little honey to catch more flies. Let your subscribers know that by signing up for your list, they are going to receive great content. You can also use strategies like offering and quality resources or giving away something for free in exchange for an email address. Here are some examples of the different kinds of signup forms you can use to build your email list:
1. Embedded Subscriber Form
These are the most common types of signup forms. They’re a simple form embedded on your site, usually in the page sidebar or footer. A great subscriber form mentions the type of content you send and how often you send emails, enticing new sign-ups and reducing future unsubscribes.
2. Pop-Ups
Pop-ups are exactly as their name makes them sound. They “pop up” or appear on a webpage as a visitor scrolls down or is about to exit the page. Use pop-ups as one last attempt to capture your visitor's email address before they leave your site. Offering a discount, special content can be a great way to capture sign-ups before they leave your site.
3. Lead Magnets
A lead magnet is a valuable piece of content or service, like ebooks, whitepapers, guides, checklists, reports, free consultations, or demos. Visitors can provide their information In exchange for a lead magnet. Again, obtaining permission is essential. So, we recommend including a disclaimer on these forms indicating that by filling them out, you’re permitted to enroll visitors in your campaigns and add them to your email list. You can also include a permission box for them to check.
What are some best practices for subscriber forms?
Voice: The tone that you use on your signup forms should match your brand. Your company has a personality that is uniquely yours, and it should shine in everything from your blog content to your signup forms.
Incentive: The only reason someone signs up to receive your emails is because they believe they’ll get value from it. If that value isn’t apparent, then your forms will not be effective. Make sure you present the value upfront and provide enough incentive for them to fork over their information.
CTA: A clear and straightforward call to action is a must for any signup form. Use actionable words in your signup forms, like, “Yes, I want my copy of the benchmarks report!”, “Start using beautiful templates today.”, or “Save my spot!” Creating a sense of urgency never hurts, either.
How do I add a sign-up form to my website?
Adding an email newsletter signup form to your website is quick and simple. In fact, with Benchmark Email, customizing, and publishing your form can take minutes. Let’s walk through how to do it.
1. Choose the Type of Signup Form.
Select the type of signup form you’d like to create. For email newsletter signups, the most common forms are pop-ups and embedded.
2. Design Your Signup Form.
Make sure your signup form design matches your company’s website branding. You don’t want to overwhelm users by asking for too much information, so we recommend asking for just a name and email address. If you really want to keep the process short and sweet, just ask for their email address, as you can always ask for more information once they’ve subscribed.
3. Set Up a Confirmation
When someone completes your signup form, you want them to feel assured that they’ve properly enrolled in your messaging. Ensure that once they opt-in to your email newsletters, they see a thank you page and receive a confirmation email. For consistency, you’ll want the email to match the look of the signup form, and make sure the thank you page is welcoming and uplifting.
4. Publish Your Signup Form
When you complete putting together your signup form, you will be given a piece of code to place on your site.
Send this code to your web developer, and he or she will know where to place it. If you are building your website yourself using a service like Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify, or BigCommerce, you can place this code into their custom HTML blocks and then place the block anywhere on your site. If you are using WordPress, we have a plugin that installs your created signup forms automatically on your site.
Where you put your signup form is important. You want to look for high-traffic places on your website, as well as consider the user experience to determine those places that make the most sense. Here are some options to consider:
Footer
“About” Page
In your blog posts
Sidebar
Resource page
An exit-intent pop-up
How do I write a great welcome email for new subscribers?
Subscribers are most engaged when they first enroll in your email list, which creates a huge window of opportunity for you. You’ll want to take advantage of that engagement period, and a welcome email is a great way to do so.
A welcome email is what you send new subscribers once they’ve signed up for your emails. It helps set the tone for your relationship, and it’s necessary for building trust so they can start to think of you as a reliable resource. Here are some compelling stats on welcome emails to give you an idea of just how crucial they are.
On average, they generate 320% more revenue on a per email basis than regular promo emails. They see three times more transactions and revenue per email than regular promo emails.
They experience four times the open rate and five times the click-through rate over other emails.
The average click rate for a welcome email is 14.4 percent, whereas other emails average 2.7 percent.
They average a 50 percent open rate.
They’re 86 percent more effective than standard newsletters.
Subscribers who receive a welcome email are 33 percent more engaged with a company than those who have not received a welcome email.
Welcome emails with offers can increase revenue by 30 percent per email compared to welcome emails without an offer.
They have an average conversion rate of 94 percent. A regular email campaign has an average conversion rate of one percent.
Don’t just wing it when it comes to putting your welcome email together. Be intentional and ensure you’re making all the right moves to start your new relationship off on the right foot. Keep your welcome email short and to the point while still adding value. Remember, for most companies, this is the email that gets opened the most and sees the highest engagement.
What are some tips for creating a highly effective welcome email?
Automate your welcome emails. Set up an automation so that one is sent to a new subscriber the same day they fill out a form.
Craft your email subject line with care. It’s the first thing your subscribers see and therefore plays a significant role in whether or not your email gets opened. Make it clear and catchy.
Create a warm welcome. Make your new subscribers and customers feel right at home and consider including a special promo.
Tell your subscribers what to do. Keep it simple and let them know the next steps they need to take.
Deliver on your promise. If you promised to send them something on the signup form, your welcome email should contain it.
What is an example of a good welcome email?
Each company is different, and some choose to create a welcome email campaign over sending a single welcome email. We recommend keeping it simple by focusing on one email that offers a warm and helpful welcome to your new subscribers. Here’s an example of the welcome email we send to new users who signup for our free Starter Plan: