While it may seem dated, email provides better engagement than other form of digital marketing. More people open and read emails (even spam email!) than click on banner ads or use social media. Emails provides a direct line of communication to people who are actually interested in your products.

 

How email marketing works:

Email marketing is really straight forward. People provide you with their email address and, from time to time (usually once or twice a week), you send them an email. To automate the process of sending emails, you’ll need a newsletter service.

How to create an email marketing list

mailchimp email marketing service

Mailchimp is a free email marketing service

There’s no shortage of email marketing providers, but I recommend using mailchimp. It’s easy to use and, best of all, it’s free for up to 2,000 subscribers.  Other paid service providers include awebber (www.awebber.com)  and constant contact (www.constantcontact.com). Regardless of the service you choose, it’ll come with step by step instructions on how to setup your campaign. If you can’t be bothered to set up your campaign, then have your developer do it, or hire an email marketing integration expert though upwork.com

How to capture emails from visitors

email popup

 

To capture emails from visitors on your website, you’ll need two things: (1) an opt in form (2) a pop-up feature.  To save time and avoid working with any code, I recommend purchasing an email plugin from an app store (i.e. codecanyon.net) which will enable you to create both the opt in form as well as the pop up feature.

How to get sales through email campaigns

An email newsletter is a powerful weapon in digital marketing, but people will delete or unsubscribe from your email list just as quickly as they signed up for it. To prevent this from happening, use these tips:

  • Use a short headline that entices the reader to open your email in the subject line. Saying “check out our new products” or “save 20% today” comes off as spammy and will likely get your email tossed. But using headlines like “5 ways to save on your next (fill in blank),” “How will you celebrate (fill in the blank),” “See our exclusive summer collection” are more likely to peak the reader’s curiosity and get them to open the message.  
  • Don’t oversell. There’s nothing wrong with letting readers know about your next big sale or your newest products, but doing so needs to be balanced out with quality and relevant content. For example, if you run a fashion site, instead of telling readers about a sale, send them a newsletter that contains tricks to wash their clothes or 3 secrets of the of the fashion industry.  Good content will keep subscribers engaged otherwise they’ll build an immunity to your sales pitch.
  • Frequency. Send a newsletter regularly. Some sites send 2 or 3 emails a week. If your list is small, start by sending an email every week or 10 days.

 

Conclusion

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to generate sales. To run an email marketing campaign, you need to:

  • Sign up with an email newsletter service provider such as mailchimp.
  • Create an opt-in form.
  • Install a popup form that enables visitors to opt in to your newsletter.

 

 

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