E-mail marketing?! Is that still around?
You bet it is! Even with social media going strong, e-mail marketing is still one of the most effective ways to engage your customers and provides opportunities to:
- Add value both before and after a sale by sending great content,
- Find out what your customers are thinking with polls and surveys, and
- Yes, even sell your products and services.
Then check out my “Getting Started with E-Mail Marketing” package.”
But for many folks, getting started with a newsletter can be a daunting task. They wonder:
- What to write about,
- How often and when to send e-mails,
- Which online e-mail service provider to use and,
- So much more.
That’s why I put together this small business guide about e-mail marketing. It’s chock-full of links to information that will help you get the most out of your e-mail marketing efforts.
Building Your E-Mail List
E-Mail marketing success begins with your subscribers. Without building a targeted subscriber list, your e-mails will never get read by your existing and potential customers. Here are a couple of ways to get an effective list started and keep it growing:
- How to Create an Email List Without Sacrificing Trust – one of the key factors of successful email marketing is trust. Here’s how to earn it.
- Email Marketing: Driving Customer Opt-in To Your Email List – two tips for driving e-mail list sign-ups.
Creating Your E-Mails
Deciding what should be in your e-mails, and then continuously creating and finding content to include, is one of the most challenging parts of an ongoing e-mail marketing campaign. Here are a bunch of tips to help you get over that hurdle:
- What to Put in a Newsletter – The Anatomy of an E-Mail Newsletter [Infographic] – if you’re wondering what to put in a newsletter to send to your e-mail marketing list, you are not alone. This handy infographic will help you figure it out.
- Answers to Your E-Mail Marketing Questions [Infographic] – I received a few questions after posting the “Anatomy of an E-Mail Newsletter” infographic. Here are the answers.
- 5 Essential Elements to Creating Killer Email – some handy tips to keep in mind when creating your e-mails.
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Where to Get Content Ideas
The next three links focus on methods for getting content ideas for your e-mails:
- 1000+ Content Ideas for Your Blog or Newsletter – Every day, thousands of bloggers and e-mail marketers ask themselves the same question, “What am I going to write about this time?” If you’re one of them (as I am), then this post is for you!
- Never Run Out of Content with this Email Marketing Approach – learn about a way to quickly and easily create great content: content curation.
- Best of the Blog: 5 Great Sources of Content for Your Blog and Email Newsletters – links to some spots online where you can discover content ideas.
How-To Use E-Mail Marketing
Here you’ll find solid advice on how-to run an effective e-mail marketing program:
- Your Subscribers Are Not Your Friends – sending e-mails as part of your e-mail marketing effort requires a different mindset than when you e-mail your friends and family. Learn why and get some great tips on how to avoid potential pitfalls.
- How to Use Email for Target Marketing – some specific tips on how to target different customers with the most appropriate messages.
- E-Mail Marketing in the Age of Social Media: Recorded Webinar – this video provides a great overview of the advantages of e-mail marketing and includes tips for getting the most out of your efforts.
- Email Marketing for Retailers: Recorded Webinar – this video is full of e-mail marketing best practices for retailers.
- Email Marketing for Restaurants: Recorded Webinar – this video is full of e-mail marketing best practices for restaurants.
- Email Marketing for Realtors: Recorded Webinar – this video is full of e-mail marketing best practices for realtors.
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