Email marketing is still the most effective way to reach people universally, but you would be shocked to hear the number of online businesses who aren’t utilizing their email lists. It’s crazy to think that the most cost-effective and direct way to reach your existing audience is the one being used the least.

It’s because of this fact that I’m going to fill you in on some ways you can start building your brand through email marketing today. When it comes to reengaging with people who have expressed an interest with your product or service it still can’t be beaten.

Repeat buyers are cheaper to acquire and more likely to do so (buy) as well. Think of eating at your favorite restaurant compared to trying a new place you’ve never heard of. Without much knowledge, you’re going to be hesitant to try the new place. This is the same way of thinking that your existing email subscribers are going to be using.

Why should you include email marketing?

• It’s easy to get started.  You’re collecting emails anyway so you’re already halfway there. Get set up with a CRM or autoresponder and you’re ready to go. There are a ton of email marketing services to choose from, all with pros and cons, but getting started you don’t have to be so picky. Get signed up with a well-known service like MailChimp or Active Campaign and start storing your email subscribers so you can start remarketing to them.
• Remarketing to existing customers is essentially free. Compared to retargeting ads to talk to previous customers it’s a lot cheaper and more personal to email them. Your customer has given you permission to contact them via email, as did anyone else who opted into an offer or promotion. Make sure you’re taking advantage of that permission and sending them the offers and info that they’re expecting.
• Emailing also builds relationships with your audience. Your first email may not get you 20 sales right off the top, but it could gain interest from 20 people who will be watching for your next offer. Using your brand personality and influence to create a more personal connection between your audience builds trust and interest. This keeps a regular flow of engagement between you and your prospect and solidifies trust.

Yes, emails can even be more effective than social media. Social media is super important when it comes to reaching your target customer. It’s where most eyes are and therefore is a valuable asset for any marketing strategy.

This is why it’s generally the first step in converting a new customer. But when it comes to converting those people into members of your brand's community, email marketing is the best way to transform them into supporters and repeat customers.

• In 2018 email had an average ROI (return on investment) of 3,000 percent. This means that for every dollar invested into an email marketing campaign the average return was $38. As of 2017, there were 3.7 billion global email users. This number is expected to grow to around 4.1 billion users by 2021. (Proving that email marketing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.)
• Mobile email accounts for 20-75 percent of opens depending on your audience. Keep in mind that if your email is not optimized for mobile that around 80 percent of users will delete it.
• Adding videos to emails has shown to increase click-through rates upwards of 300 percent. Video strategy gives you the ability to talk face-to-face with your prospect without getting on the phone with them.

It’s personal and super customizable:  List segmentation and personalized email strategies were the most effective email strategies in 2018. This means catering directly to your target audience. In 2019 personalization is no longer an option, but a must.

If you want to bust through the noise of your competition you need to reach your prospects personally. There are tools like Hubspot to help you send targeted emails to get the right content to the right person.

In segmenting your lists and sending customized emails you’re making sure they receive a tailored offer just for them. According to recent information, these segmented and targeted emails generate 58 percent of all revenue. With marketers who use them noting a huge 760% increase in revenue over time.

Which types of emails should you set up?

Order confirmation: Obviously the first email they should receive, if they bought from you, is confirming that their order went through. This will give them peace of mind, but also solidify the commitment they’ve made to your business.

Post-purchase affirmation: The best way to avoid a refund or return, aside from fulfilling the order. Let them know they made the right decision when buying from you. This is as easy as a confirmation on a receipt, a post-purchase email, or properly utilizing a thank you page. Let them know they made the right choice in working with you. Make them feel good about spending money they likely know they couldn't afford to spend.  

Thank you email with re-engagement offer: After they receive their order send them a thank you email to remind them of how happy they were to shop with you, as well as the great experience of it all. Then offer them an upsell with a similar product as the icing on the cake. After they see that they get exactly what they paid for when shopping with you they will be more likely to do it again and again.

Keep them updated each step of the way:

• When the order is confirmed
• When the order has shipped
• When it's arriving
• When it was delivered.

Which angles can you use?
Content marketing to build trust and a connection with your audience. We’ve gone over this a bit already but I wanted to really drive it home here. Content marketing is a very broad term, but in a nutshell, it’s any type of marketing campaign that is meant to inform or drive interest instead of selling.

There are a few reasons why this is so useful:

1. It builds trust and leadership. When you’re able to teach someone something new they will look to you for more info next time.
2. It establishes you as an influential person on the topic you share. You don’t always have to give them actionable information; you can share relevant content that entertains, informs, or reminds them of something.  or product from you since you’ve proven to know more than the average seller.
3. It gives you shareable content that your audience will be able to spread around to their friends who have similar interests. This makes organic marketing easier for you since your audience is doing the bulk of the work. Extending your influence and creating a larger fanbase that you can continue to market to over time.

Surveying: Learning more about your customers so you know what types of content to share. As well as what kind of offers to make. You want to be careful when asking for things in return from your audience. You don’t want to burn them out with offers and requests, so you want to make it count when you ask for a favor.

With that in mind, you can ask them what they would like to see more of; what kind of content they are most interested in, what product do they want to see from you, etc. This is one of the easiest methods of market research that is often overlooked. Just ask and let your audience tell you what they want, then give it to them.

Sales: Asking for the sale or inspiring action from the reader and leading them on a journey to buying your offer. Whether you want them to buy, give you information or opinions, call you, or whatever the case. Having an audience you can reach out to on-command is always beneficial.

You’ve spent the time collecting emails, sending them information and content to build a relationship, and created a trusting environment. Now that you’re friends it’s okay to ask them if they’d like a closer look at what you have to offer. This will also give you a better understanding of what works and what doesn't; what they like and dislike, and how you should go about asking next time.

Data is your friend and email marketing gives you a play-by-play of each step your list takes after you hit “send.” Allowing you to revise and tweak as much as you need to in order to create the perfect offer for your perfect segmented audience.

There you have it! There’s no reason to not implement email marketing, and every reason to start using it today. Start with these simple points and see why email marketing is so important to your online business. Use your email list and reach out to those who want to hear from you and see what you have to offer.

Pick from one of the many email services available, write a short, helpful message and hit “send.” Once you send the first email you’re gonna be hooked and wonder why you didn’t start sooner!