Do you want to know the secret behind a prosperous email marketing operation? We’ll share with you the step-by-step email marketing process that can help you run it successfully. This is a series of articles that will give you an in-depth look at the step-by-step process.

For the first step, we will talk about growing a database (your contact list), how you can get people to opt in to your database, and the best practices to do it. So, let’s get to it, shall we?

Email Marketing Process

Step 1: Grow A Database

This is the obvious first step. In order to run a prosperous email marketing operation, you need to have a genuine optin database.

So, what is a database? A database is a catalog of subscribers who have granted you permission to send them marketing emails and promotion messages. This database or contact list is the most valuable asset of an email campaign and is very vital to the email marketing process.

You need to get your audience base’s permission to let you send them emails. Those who violate and abuse this can put their company’s position in peril. In a lot of countries, people can take legal action against companies who send unsolicited emails. These are often referred to as spam.

With that in mind, it is vital to record the permissions that are setup for each user. You need a timestamp. This is very important and is a major part of the input capture and subscription procedure. This data can help you protect your company against spam grievances and potential legal activity. 

Keep your database targeted to your audience and potential customers. It’s a key factor in every email campaign. The most critical facet of the database is the prospect’s email. But it is also beneficial to get other details such as the following below:

  • Full name (given name, last name)
  • Title
  • Gender
  • Country (for geotagging)
  • Phone or mobile number (for mobile notifications)
  • Birthday (for birthday gifts & giveaways)
  • Frequence (this refers to the number of times they’d like to hear from you such as once a week, twice a week, every day, or once a month)
  • The date the permission was granted, and lastly,
  • Source of permission

Should you decide to gather all of the information mentioned above, you should keep a separate database for different fields such as the name and the title.

In addition to that, it is also ideal to gather the prospect’s birthday instead of asking for their age. This will help assure that your database is always up to date.

Don’t Ask for Too Much!

Be that as it may, it is also significant to remember that you shouldn’t be tempted to ask for more information. Just ask what was required. The more information you can gather from the bullet point above, the better. This is because you can customize your marketing messages better for each customer. 

LOOKING FOR A ONE-STOP SOLUTION TO YOUR GROWTH NEEDS?

You should also consider that when a customer is asked for too much information, there is a lower chance that they will sign up. Some marketers think it a better strategy to ask for the basic information at first, such as email, first name, and last name. After the customers sign up, you can send them some follow up emails to request additional information. 

Email Marketing Process: Signing Up

So, how do you get entice prospects to opt into your database? Well, there are multiple distinct ways to do this. For instance, your website should have an email sign up form. This is very crucial so that your website visitors can explore their interests further by signing up. You can also offer lead magnets.

Lead magnets are something of significant worth that you can provide for your prospects in return for their email addresses. This can be an e-book, a giveaway, a video tutorial, and etc.

You should also consider putting a sign-up form on your blog, email signatures, your social media pages, mobile websites, flyers, posters, in-store displays, and even ask prospects in person. 

Do not forget to add CTAs or Calls to Action such as “Sign Up Now,” “Receive Newsletters,” “Be Part of the Family,” and etc. 

Sign Up Form Tips

When it comes to putting up sign-up forms, we have some tips for you. These are best practice tips that you can follow for optimal success.

  • Always place the form where readers can see. On websites, you should put it on every page. In flyers, put it above the fold.
  • Let people know that you value their privacy
  • State your anti-spam stance explicitly. People value companies who are upfront and honest
  • Tell your prospects what their information will be used for.
  • Always use a clear Call to Action
  • Ensure that their email address is entered correctly by analyzing the syntax
  • Award your prospects with something beneficial (Lead magnets)
  • Tell your prospects what they can expect to get and how frequently they will get it.
  • Always include a benefit proclamation
  • If you’re a retail website, add an opt-in option at the checkout process
  • Ask for email addresses in physical stores
  • Use interactions at conferences and conventions to ask for email addresses
  • Use your socmed accounts to invite people to opt-in. 

Keep in mind that this database of email addresses is a gold mine for marketers. Businesses often pay top money or spend thousands of dollars to attain this data. So you need to do your best when it comes to capturing emails within the rules, of course.

Summed Up

All of this is just the initial part of the email marketing process. There are loads more to talk about in the next couple of articles. Remember that growing your database is not a one-off thing. You can’t just gather emails and hope for the best. You need to strategize how to keep it growing and growing every single day. Ideally, you would want to keep growing your email list every day. So you should set goals and milestones for your company’s email marketing tactics.

In the next one, we will dip deeper into how you design an email marketing campaign. See you then!

© Image credits to Maria Orlova 

LOOKING FOR A ONE-STOP SOLUTION TO YOUR GROWTH NEEDS?