Email marketing can be an incredible tool for re-targeting existing customers with content, whether this is business information, new product announcements or exclusive deals to incentivise purchases. However, it can be a difficult world to navigate. Which platform should I use? What content should I promote? How should my email look?
If you are unsure about where to start, here is a 3-step email marketing campaign guide to help you wow your audience.
Step 1 –Email Marketing Platform
There are many email marketing platforms available, it is about finding one that is suitable for you and your business. Below is a comparison of some of the most popular platforms in 2022.
Active Campaign
Active Campaign is a CRM system that includes email marketing functionalities. They are well known for their powerful automation software and are ranked number 1 by G2 in Marketing Automation.
Here are some of the pros and cons of Active Campaign for email marketing:
Pros:
– Clean and responsive design templates.
– Great automated workflows.
– Offer more than just email marketing services.
– Strong email delivery rates.
– Excellent customer support services.
Cons:
– Complex features can sometimes be overwhelming.
– May be slightly too expensive for some people.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a very well know email campaign and automation platform. They offer a generous free package which includes up to 10,000 emails a month to a contact list of up to 2,000. Here are some things to consider before choosing Mailchimp for email marketing.
Pros:
– Often update their features.
– Also offer social media features.
– Easy to use templates.
– A/B testing options.
Cons:
– Paid plans are quite expensive compared to competitors.
– Free template options are limited.
– Reports could be more detailed.
Omnisend
Omnisend is known for its email marketing options for eCommerce automation. They have many automation workflows that help drive sales.
Here are some of their most popular features and some areas they could improve on.
Pros:
– Great automated workflows.
– Unique features for sign-ups.
– Detailed audience segmentation.
– Unlimited landing pages.
– Reports and analytics software.
Cons:
– Free version is limited.
– Can be complex to set up non-eCommerce emails.
There are many more email marketing platforms available that may be more suitable for your marketing needs.
Step 2 – Email Marketing Template
After signing up for a suitable platform, the next step is to create a branded template that can be used across your email marketing campaigns. This ensures all your emails are branded professionally and in line with your other marketing activities.
This process will be different on all platforms but some key things to include would be:
– Your brand colours, fonts, and logos.
– Your business’s main services.
– Customer testimonials.
– Your contact details.
– Space for campaign-specific images and content.
This template should then be tweaked with different imagery and text to reflect the goals of the campaign.
Step 3 – Email Topics and Content
Now all the preparation is done, it’s time to get your thinking cap on!
It’s important to not only make your emails look good, but ensure they contain useful content that your audience wants to engage with. Make sure to be creative and deliver a variety of content so you don’t bore your audience with repetitive, ‘salesy’ emails.
Some ideas to keep things fun are giveaways, incentive emails (refer a friend for 10% off), new product emails and behind the scenes.
But make it personal to you and your business. What does your audience want to see?
Email marketing can be a tricky world to navigate, so if you need any professional help, Wildfire is a full serviced agency for both B2B and B2C businesses. For more information contact us!