How Startups Can Leverage Email Marketing

Do you have a marketing strategy for your startup? Is email marketing at the top of your list of things to do? If not, it should be. Email marketing is a powerful and cost effective tool in your arsenal. With more than four billion email accounts worldwide, and more than 72% of U.S. online adults sending or receiving emails on their smartphones at least weekly, you are missing a great opportunity if you aren’t leveraging email marketing. Let's look at how startups can leverage email marketing to increase conversions, build customer relationships and stay in front of customers on a regular basis.  

Use an Email Provider

  To avoid spamming people, you want to send your emails through an email provider like MailChimp or Constant Contact. This helps you adhere to spam laws. You also don’t want to buy email lists. Add sign-ups to your website and social media accounts. If you’re brick-and-mortar, collect emails at your place of business. Another good rule of thumb when using email is letting people double-opt in.  

Email Regularly

  You don’t want to sit on your email list. Establish a schedule of emails and stick to it. For example, if you send a weekly email newsletter, send it on the same day each week. Your customers will start to look forward to it. In addition, email customers during and after their purchase to keep in touch.  

Optimize Your Email for Mobile

  With most people opening emails on smartphones these days, you want to make sure your emails are responsive and mobile-friendly. You want to test them in various settings. For example, test your emails on iPhones and Androids. See what they look like in the Outlook, Yahoo and Gmail apps as well as your phone’s native email app. Your optimized email may mean the difference between an open and clicks and being sent to the junk folder.  

Avoid One Big Image

  Gone are the days of the email that is one big image. Unfortunately while some businesses still send them, you’ve probably noticed they are not mobile friendly. You absolutely don't want to send an email that is one graphic image with text included. Break your email up into a balanced amount of images and text. Remember that some people may even have images turned off, so be sure and complete your “alt” text.  

Test and Test Again

  As we mentioned earlier, you want to test your email in as many places as possible. You can also A/B test your campaigns. This helps you learn what subject lines, content and images get more opens and click-thrus. Through A/B testing, you learn about your customers’ likes and dislikes so you can tailor content to their needs.  

Personalize Your Emails

  Your first step in personalizing emails is sending the right email to the right person. For example, let’s say you sell grills, patio furniture and hot tubs. When you collect sign-ups, make sure you leave a place for customers to tell you what they are interested in so you send them the right information. You also want to leverage automation through your website sign-ups. When people sign up for your list, make sure you have an automated string of emails set up to go out at different times (for example: first day, third day, one week, two weeks, one month). This keeps you in front of customers with information they actually want.  

Final Thoughts

  Email marketing is good for your startup, and it’s time you started using it to your advantage. Nearly 75% of consumers say that email is their favorite method of communication with the companies they do business with. What’s more, more than 60% of them want to get your promotional emails every week, and nearly 30% want them more often than that. It’s also worth noting that when you leverage email marketing, you gain access to the inner sanctum – your customer’s inbox. Email is a personal channel. You’ve been invited into the personal space of your current and potential customers. This means they want what you have to offer. You also have access to them in a number of places: on their computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Your startup can leverage email marketing for conversions and to build relationships with customers. It’s a good use of your marketing dollars. Are you a new startup ready to succeed? Are you looking to get your new business off the ground and watch it rise to success? We are here for you. We can help answer your questions and guide you through the process. Outsource your HR duties, finances, payroll and more to us. Contact Escalon today to get started. Images: Gilles Lambert