What is email marketing?

What is email marketing and how does it work?

Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that uses email as a tool to communicate with the audience. It aims to build customer relationships, promote products or services, and enhance customer interaction. It is one of the most efficient marketing channels, as it offers a high return on investment (ROI) and allows for direct and personalized communication.

What are the benefits of email marketing?

Low Cost

Email marketing is the most cost-effective type of advertising compared to TV and social media. Using platforms like Mailchimp or MailerLite, you may communicate with thousands of users at a low cost that will not dramatically impact your budget. 

High Return on Investment (ROI)

The ROI (Return on Investment) for email marketing is among the highest in the marketing sector. According to studies, for every €1 spent on email marketing, companies can earn up to €36. This return makes email marketing extremely cost-effective for boosting revenue and building client connections. 

Direct & Personalised Communication

Emails arrive directly at the customer's inbox, creating a more personal touch. You can send personalized messages that meet each customer's needs and interests. This increases the effectiveness of communication and enhances the user experience.

Enhancing Customer Loyalty

Regular emails help keep your business in the minds of customers, building trusting relationships. Through them, you can inform customers about new products, offers, or useful content, keeping them always informed and connected to your business.

Ease of measuring results

Email marketing tools provide analytics such as:

• Open Rate: How many people opened the email?
• Clicks (CTR): How many people clicked on links.
• Conversions: How many completed the desired action (e.g. purchase).

Automation & Time Saving

With the automation tools, you can create automated campaigns such as welcome emails for new subscribers, reminders for abandoned shopping carts, and greeting emails for birthdays and anniversaries. This automation saves time and provides regular communication with clients, so improving their experience and increasing their engagement with your brand.

Facilitate Segmentation and Targeting

You can segment your audience based on:

• Demographics (age, gender).
• Behaviors (e.g. previous purchases).
• Product or service preferences.

This makes your campaigns more targeted and effective.

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How to get started with email marketing?

Set Goals for Email Marketing

Define what you want to achieve:

• Increase sales.
• Increase sales.
• Building customer loyalty.
• Drive traffic to your site.

Clear goals will help you design appropriate campaigns.

Choose an Email Marketing Platform

Use a tool that makes it easy to manage your email list and send campaigns.

Some popular options are:

• Mailchimp: Suitable for beginners, with free software.
• Sendinblue: Ideal for email and SMS marketing.
• ActiveCampaign: For advanced automation.
• AWeber: Easy to use for small businesses.

Create and Build your Email Marketing List

To gather email addresses, add pop-ups on your website and offer something free, such as eBooks or discounts, to encourage signups. Don't forget to obtain users' authorization to use their email in compliance with GDPR.

Define Your Audience

Analyze your target audience:

• What are their interests?
• What are their interests?
• What products or services are they most interested in?

By segmenting your list you can create targeted campaigns.

Create Attractive Content

• Design engaging emails: focus on an interesting subject line for a higher open rate.
• Use a clean and professional look.
• Add strong Call-to-Actions (CTA) to encourage the desired action.
• Content: Informative newsletters.
• Offers, discounts, and contests.
• Useful content (e.g. tips, tutorials).

Design Automation Strategies.

Use tools for automated emails, such as:

• Welcome email for new subscribers.
• Reminders for abandoned shopping carts.
• Greeting emails for special occasions (e.g., birthdays).

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What are the key tools for email marketing?

For email marketing, the basic tools you need are easy to use and help you send professional emails and track results. Here are some efficient platforms:

Email Marketing Platforms

1. Mailchimp

Ideal for: Beginners and small businesses.

• Easy to use with drag-and-drop editor.
• Ready-made templates for quick creation of emails.
• Automation and A/B testing.
• Statistics and reports for campaign optimization.

Price: Free plan for up to 500 subscribers, with paid options for larger lists and advanced features.

2. Moosend

Ideal for: email and SMS marketing.

• Ease of creating automated campaigns.
• Excellent customer support.
• Competitive prices with no limitations on features.

Price: Free plan with full functionality for a limited number of subscribers.

3. Klaviyo

Ideal for: Automation and e-commerce businesses.

• Integration with platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce.
• Advanced automation and message personalization.
• Segmentation capability for targeted campaigns.

Price: Free plan for a small number of subscribers.

4. HubSpot

Ideal for: Businesses that want to combine CRM and email marketing.

• Free CRM linked to email marketing.
• Automation and sales management.
• Excellent reporting and analysis tools.

Price: Free plan for basic functions, with paid plans for more tools.

Useful tools

Canva: For creating attractive banners and templates.
Grammarly: Check grammar and spelling for better copywriting.

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What is an email list and how can I build it?

An email list is a collection of emails from people who have agreed to receive updates, offers, or other upgrades from the company. It is one of the most effective techniques for developing relationships with your audience. 

5 Steps to build your email marketing list

1. Place the registration form in strategic locations

Make sure the form is prominent and easily accessible. Ideal locations include:

• Home page: For every visitor to see.
• Blog posts: accompanying content that provides value.
• Footer: At the bottom of your page, so it's always available.

2. Offer something worthwhile

Incentivise visitors to sign up by offering them rewards such as:

• A discount or coupon.
• Free eBook, guide, or list of tips.
• Access to exclusive content or offers.

3. Use Pop-Ups

To increase registrations, use tools such as:

OptinMonster or Sumo: They display dynamic pop-ups when the user navigates to your page.

4. Promote the form on Social Media

Share it on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Create posts or stories that direct the audience to your form.

5. Requested registration at the time of purchase

Add a registration option to the checkout process so customers can easily register while completing their purchase.

TIP

Keep your form simple, asking for only the necessary information (e.g., email and name). That way, users are more likely to sign up!

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How much does email marketing cost?

The cost of email marketing depends on what you want to achieve.

There are options for every budget:

• If you're just starting out, you can use free plans that offer the basics, like sending emails to a limited number of subscribers.
• When your list expands or you require extra features, the cost typically begins around €10-20 per month and rises as the number of subscribers or features you use increases.
  The advantage of email marketing is that you may begin at a low cost and gradually increase your budget.

Basic email marketing terminology you need to know!

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

The percentage of users who click on a link in your email.

Open Rate

The percentage of recipients who opened your email.

Bounce rate

The percentage of emails that were not delivered.

• Hard Bounce: Permanent error (non-existent or invalid address).
• Soft Bounce: Temporary error (full inbox, server problem).

Conversion rate

The percentage of users who perform the desired action (purchase, registration).

Unsubscribe Rate

The percentage of users who choose to unsubscribe from the list.

Segmentation

The separation of the list into groups based on criteria (age, location, buying behavior).

Do I need email marketing services or can I do it myself?

If you're just sending a short newsletter, you may manage your email marketing on your own utilizing simple platforms.
However, working with specialists is preferable for better results, particularly when it comes to increasing performance and using tactics like automation, segmentation, or A/B testing. A well-designed plan can significantly impact the success of your campaign.

Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools to grow your business, increase sales, and maintain strong relationships with your audience. With the right strategies, you can create targeted campaigns that get real results.

At Net n Design, we're here to guide you through every step of the process. From building your email list to automating and optimizing your campaigns, we can help you get the most out of email marketing.

📩 Contact us today and see how we can make your email marketing strategy more effective!