The Basics of Email Marketing from Start to Finish

Are you looking for a cost-efficient way to advertise your business? Then consider using emails to let potential customers know about your products, services, or just to build brand awareness. With the proper email campaign, any business can encourage brand loyalty and nurture prospects to become a source of revenue. This Guide to Email Marketing will walk you through every step of the process.

Email marketing has changed a lot since I first begin to use it as an advertising tool, many years ago. Now, despite several new laws limiting what you can and cannot do, it is probably an even bigger source of revenue for businesses. This is due to how email advertising is more of a science than an art meaning advertisers can target specific groups, monitor KPI and much more.

What is Email Marketing?

We all know what an email is as the technology has been around since 1965 with the first “electronic message being invented at MIT. However, emails did not become widely available to the public until the 1990s thanks to Hotmail. Today, everyone uses email as part of their normal life. With this in mind, what is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is simply using emails to promote products or services, build relationships, and drive sales or engagement from campaigns and newsletters. Whether directly or indirectly, it all depends on your goals and strategies.

Email marketing is probably one of the most effective tools in the marketing world.  It is one of the most effective methods because the cost of sending emails is very low in comparison to other marketing methods.

Just keep in mind that it is more than just sending an email to your homepage website or to a product page. It is a series of steps that will eventually lead to revenue.

Guide to Email Marketing – Everything You Need to Know

The Cost of Sending Out Emails

Cost of Using an Email Sending Service

On the other hand, if you have email lists that are not direct opt-in that number in the tens of hundreds of thousands, then it is best to use an email sending service like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, SendGrid and such.

Creating an Email List – How to Build Up Your list

Creating an email list is an essential part of any marketing plan since it provides direct access to your target clients. The most effective email lists are the ones that are opt-in emails that come directly from your website or platform.

This is because you personally know that they are in some way interested in your product and services. Hence, having a direct business mailing list is gold as it will reduce your ROI and keep communication with your customers or potential customers.

However, just remember that it usually takes a few years before a company can amass a decent size list. This is Especially true if is a niche market or a B2B company.

They are so many techniques to building an email mailing that we could write a bookie about it. But for this article, we will just go over the basics of building a tailor-made mailing list to get you started.

>> If you are interested in learning these techniques, we recommend reading our Email Building List Tutorial.

Helpful Tips: It takes time to build an email mailing list. However, if you capture emails with the right segmentation and interest, it will eventually bear fruit.

Email Segmentation

Before you can create your mailing list, it is imperative to first figure out what kind of emails you want to send and to whom you will send them to. People signup to receive emails for various reasons. It could be to get discounts, info on specific products, or just informational or tutorials.

The job of email marketing is to send subscriber what they want in a way that will benefit your marketing efforts. However, if they start receiving emails that do not align with their interest, they will unsubscribe from them.

This is where email segmentation comes into play. Email segmentation is dividing emails into groups that share the same interest. That way, you can email each segment info that will appeal to them and ultimately increase your revenues.

While every business will have its own marketing segmentation, they are all fundamentally divided into certain categories.

The first segmentation would be whether it is for B2C or B2B. Afterward, it will depend on the industry and types of products or services you sell or provide will determine what type of emails you will be sending out.

Basically, the more significant segments you have, the better. Of course, there is much more to segmenting an email list but we will get into that in another article.

Next, using an email software or service, you want to make different mailing lists or groups according to your email marketing segmentation. This will enable you to send targeted emails to the right people.

Once your email marketing segmentation is done, it’s time proceed to the next step and learn how to capture emails.

Email Capture and Sending Software

If you have a website, you just need to integrate an email capture and sending software to it. It is especially easy if you have a website that runs on a CRM like Joomla or WordPress. This is because there are hundreds of plugins or components made to capture and send emails that you can install with just a few clicks of a mouse.

If your website does not use a CRM, no worries as it can still be done. The easiest way to do it would be to just open an account with an email sending company like the ones mentioned earlier. Then just insert their code or widget in your website that will embed an email capture form in your website. This method will require some coding expertise. So, if that falls outside of your skill set, better ask your IT department if you have one or hire someone to do it for you.

For those that do not have a website, you can still create an email mailing list for your business by once again using an email sending company/service. This is because they will also provide a link where people can sign-up for your emails.

The best ones will have ways to easily integrate email capture forms with other platforms like Shopify, Etsy and such.

The last part to remember about using an email capture/sending software is to make sure you have a viewable privacy policy and that visitors you who sign up to receive emails agree to receiving them.  Without those, you will probably be in violation of a few laws.

Creating an Effective Email with a High Conversion Rate

Crafting attention-grabbing emails with high click-through rates requires a blend of artistry, creativity, and scientific methodology. Few marketers achieve optimal results on their first or second attempt. Success typically demands multiple iterations through A/B testing, with careful refinements based on performance data. However, by focusing on several key elements, you can significantly increase your chances of creating compelling email campaigns that drive meaningful engagement.

Here are the top elements to focus on:

• Compelling Subject Line – A well-written subject line is crucial for capturing the recipient’s attention and encouraging them to open the email. Consider using personalization, adding a special offer, asking a question, or emphasizing a sense of urgency.
• Personalization – Personalize your emails to make them feel more relevant and engaging. This can involve using the recipient’s name, referencing past interactions, or tailoring the content to their specific interests.
• Mobile Optimization – The majority of emails are opened on mobile devices, so ensure your email is designed to be easily readable and clickable on smaller screens.
• Clear Call to Action – A clear CTA tells the recipient what you want them to do (e.g., “Learn More,” “Shop Now,” “Download Now”). Position the CTA prominently within the email, ideally above the fold, and make it visually appealing.
• Use Visuals – Images and videos can help capture attention and make your email more engaging.
• Sense of Urgency – Creating a sense of urgency (e.g., limited-time offer, exclusive discount) can motivate recipients to click faster.
• Segmentation – Segment your email list based on demographics, behavior, or other relevant factors to send more targeted and effective messages.
• Concise and Skimmable – Keep your email content concise and easy to scan, especially if you’re using longer forms.
• One CTA per email – Focus on a single, clear call to action per email to avoid overwhelming recipients and increase the likelihood of a click

The Email Landing Page and How It Relates to Revenue

The next step to the email campaign process is the landing page which, if done correctly, will improve your conversion rate. Essentially, email marketing is a 2-step process where:

1. The Email gets the attention of the user and makes them click on the Call-To-Action (CTA) Link which leads to a landing page
2. The Landing Page is a continuation of the email where they get more information about what got them to click on the CTA in the first place. Ultimately, it will lead them to buying a product or service, increase your branding or increase your authority on a subject matter.

The goals will vary but are usually to:

• Acquire leads
• Drive sales
• Increase engagement

Key Aspects of a Promotional Email Landing Page

On the other hand, if your email was meant to increase user engagement, for branding purpose, share information or educational purpose, then it needs to go to the proper content. However, you should include ways to include call to action in an organic manner. Like, “Let us do the work for you”, “contact a representative to learn more” and so on…

Key to a Successful Email Campaign – Setting Goals and Tracking

Before you can even start your email campaign, you first need to figure out what you want from it. Are you just trying to share content with potential clients to increase trust and value to your brand? Or is your goal to sell a specific product via a promotion?

Whatever your goals may be, it is imperative that your goals be trackable. Otherwise, you are just sending emails in the dark and will not be able to make the required adjustments to meet those goals. In addition, tracking email KPI are your proof that your email campaign is working and why you should continue getting a budget for it!

This is where the use of email KPI and Metrics comes into play.

Here is a list of the best key metrics to keep track of:

• Event lag
• Unsubscribe Rate
• Bounce Rate
• Revenue Per Email

Yes, Email marketing is a lot of work but when done correctly, the rewards are well worth the effort. Unfortunately, not everyone is skilled enough or has the time to create a successful marketing campaign. This is where BlindMonkeyMedia comes into play with our Email Marketing and Consulting Services.

About the Author

Frederick Saint-Jacques is an internet marketing guru with over 20 years of online marketing experience. He has a proven record at creating and executing marketing campaigns for some of the top companies in the world. When he is not managing an advertising campaign or consulting about online marketing, you might find him camping in some unknown part of the world with his son and his dog.

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