00:00:00 - 00:00:04
Welcome back to the all new digital rage. I'm Jeff at the producer here at Byer
00:00:04 - 00:00:08
Company. Today we're talking about email marketing strategies. It's not all
00:00:08 - 00:00:11
about blasting your audience with sales pitches to get an automated system.
00:00:11 - 00:00:17
Sound personal takes a lot of effort. Let's deep dive into our strategies.
00:00:17 - 00:00:21
All right, let's dive deep into this email marketing thing. We've got this
00:00:21 - 00:00:26
source here, maximizing engagement with email automation strategies. By the end
00:00:26 - 00:00:29
of this, you'll be ready to rock your own email campaigns, whether you're a
00:00:29 - 00:00:33
newbie or already sending out some stuff. You know, what I find really cool about
00:00:33 - 00:00:37
email marketing is it's not just blasting out messages. It's like building a
00:00:37 - 00:00:40
connection with your audience. One-on-one, something you just don't get with
00:00:40 - 00:00:44
those, you know, the social media algorithms. Makes sense. Everyone's talking about
00:00:44 - 00:00:48
email marketing and automation these days. But what are they really? And how do
00:00:48 - 00:00:54
they like work together? Imagine this. Think of email marketing, like building a
00:00:54 - 00:00:57
house, you know, the foundation. You're connecting with people who are actually
00:00:57 - 00:01:02
into what you offer, sharing cool stuff and kind of guiding them towards your
00:01:02 - 00:01:06
goals. Right? Now automation automation is like bringing in a whole crew of
00:01:06 - 00:01:10
expert builders. They make everything smooth and fast so you're not doing each
00:01:10 - 00:01:14
little thing by hand. I see. So you're not sending out individual emails one by one.
00:01:14 - 00:01:18
Automation is like sending personalized messages to tons of people at once.
00:01:18 - 00:01:24
And this source, it dives deep into the good stuff that comes from mixing
00:01:24 - 00:01:27
those two. One of the big things it talks about is personalization. It's not just
00:01:27 - 00:01:31
like sticking to someone's name in there. It's about figuring out what they like,
00:01:31 - 00:01:35
what they're interested in. And making your emails feel like you're talking
00:01:35 - 00:01:40
just to them, even if you're sending to thousands. Wow. That level of like
00:01:40 - 00:01:44
personalized stuff sounds awesome. But how do you actually do that when you've
00:01:44 - 00:01:49
got a huge list? That's where the magic of automation kicks in, right? It
00:01:49 - 00:01:52
handles all the repetitive stuff so you can focus on the creative part. The source
00:01:52 - 00:01:56
really hits it on the head when it talks about efficiency, scalability, and
00:01:56 - 00:02:01
consistency being the real game changers. I could see that would free up so
00:02:01 - 00:02:05
much time. You could set up those welcome emails for new people, send targeted
00:02:05 - 00:02:09
campaigns. You could even nudge those folks who left something in their cart.
00:02:09 - 00:02:14
Exactly. And all this happens automatically all the time. Your message is always
00:02:14 - 00:02:18
consistent. And it pops into their inbox at just the right time. It's like having
00:02:18 - 00:02:24
a like a tireless marketing assistant behind the scenes. You know, one thing that
00:02:24 - 00:02:29
really struck me in this source was how important email still is. Especially in
00:02:29 - 00:02:33
today's world where everyone's talking about social media. It's a really
00:02:33 - 00:02:37
key point, you know, with social media, those algorithms decide who sees what. But
00:02:37 - 00:02:42
email email is a direct line to your audience. You've got control. And that's
00:02:42 - 00:02:46
super valuable these days. Okay, let's say someone is totally sold on email
00:02:46 - 00:02:50
marketing and automation. What's the first thing they should do? The source makes
00:02:50 - 00:02:53
this great comparison. It's like choosing hiking boots. You wouldn't wear flip
00:02:53 - 00:02:57
flops to climb Everest. Yeah, I guess not. You need email tools that match what you
00:02:57 - 00:03:01
want to do. And how big your operation is. There are so many platforms out there
00:03:01 - 00:03:05
where do you even begin? This source gives a good overview of some of the big
00:03:05 - 00:03:09
names. It's interesting how it talks about each one's strengths and who they're
00:03:09 - 00:03:13
best for. Like MailChimp. It's super user friendly and it's got a great free
00:03:13 - 00:03:18
plan. So it's perfect for small businesses or those just starting out. So
00:03:18 - 00:03:22
dipping your toes in the water, MailChimp seems like a good starting point. What
00:03:22 - 00:03:26
about constant contact? What's their deal? Constant contact is great for those
00:03:26 - 00:03:30
who want a solid, reliable platform. Their support is awesome and their
00:03:30 - 00:03:34
interface is really easy to use. They've got tons of templates that make
00:03:34 - 00:03:38
designing emails a breeze. It's like having those comfortable hiking boots
00:03:38 - 00:03:43
perfect for any trail. Sounds good for someone who wants things to be simple and
00:03:43 - 00:03:47
wants a helpful team behind them. But what if you've got a big business or
00:03:47 - 00:03:50
you're tackling something more challenging? That's where something like HubSpot
00:03:50 - 00:03:55
comes in. It's more than just email marketing. It's got CRM, all that jazz. It's a
00:03:55 - 00:03:58
one-stop shot for managing your customers. You mentioned MailChimp being good for
00:03:58 - 00:04:02
beginners. But what happens if a business using it starts growing like crazy?
00:04:02 - 00:04:06
Do they have to switch platforms or can MailChimp keep up? That's a great
00:04:06 - 00:04:11
question. Yeah, MailChimp can definitely handle growth. But at some point a
00:04:11 - 00:04:15
business might need the extra features. The kind of things HubSpot offers. It
00:04:15 - 00:04:19
really depends on what they need and where they see their email marketing going.
00:04:19 - 00:04:26
The bottom line is there's no one perfect solution for everyone. Right, it's all
00:04:26 - 00:04:29
about finding what works for you. Now let's talk about building an email list.
00:04:29 - 00:04:34
This source says it's not just about how many subscribers you have. But the
00:04:34 - 00:04:38
quality of your list. Absolutely. The source uses this brilliant analogy. It's like
00:04:38 - 00:04:42
gardening. You wouldn't just throw only old seeds in the ground and hope for the
00:04:42 - 00:04:46
best. So how do you get those right subscribers? What kind of seeds should you be
00:04:46 - 00:04:51
planting? It gives some really practical advice. First, offer something valuable to
00:04:51 - 00:04:55
get people to sign up. Think free resources, exclusive content, special discounts.
00:04:55 - 00:04:58
It's like a welcome gift to show what your brand is all about. It's like giving
00:04:58 - 00:05:02
them a little taste of what they can expect. What else can you do to make your
00:05:02 - 00:05:06
email garden thrive? Make it super easy to find you and sign up. Think about
00:05:06 - 00:05:11
where your ideal audience hangs out online, your website, your blog, social media,
00:05:11 - 00:05:15
all that, and make sure it's clear how to join your list. So you're casting a
00:05:15 - 00:05:20
wide net but being strategic about it. What happens when someone actually
00:05:20 - 00:05:25
subscribes? How do you make them feel welcome? That's where nurturing comes in. The
00:05:25 - 00:05:29
source really pushes personalized welcome emails. It's your chance to make a
00:05:29 - 00:05:33
great first impression. You know, introduce your brand's personality and all that.
00:05:33 - 00:05:37
It's like building a friendship you don't propose on the first date. I love that.
00:05:37 - 00:05:42
Yeah. You're building trust over time. So how do you keep that list healthy and
00:05:42 - 00:05:47
engaged in the long ride? How do you avoid those wilting leaves so speak? That's
00:05:47 - 00:05:51
where list hygiene and segmentation come in. Think of it like weeding a garden,
00:05:51 - 00:05:55
getting rid of inactive subscribers. And segmentation is like grouping your
00:05:55 - 00:05:59
plants based on their needs. You wouldn't water a cactus the same way you water
00:05:59 - 00:06:03
a fern, right? So segmentation is about sending the right content to the right people.
00:06:03 - 00:06:07
Exactly. You want each subscriber to feel like you're talking just to them. Like
00:06:07 - 00:06:10
you're giving them something valuable, something that actually matters to them.
00:06:10 - 00:06:16
Okay. So we've got the basics down the tools, the list. What's next in this email
00:06:16 - 00:06:22
adventure? Now's the fun part. We get to create those awesome automated campaigns,
00:06:22 - 00:06:27
those welcome series, those clever, abandoned cart emails. And of course we'll
00:06:27 - 00:06:30
talk about all the data and how to use it to improve everything. Okay. So we've got
00:06:30 - 00:06:34
our foundation, we've got our tools, we've got our list, time to get creative and
00:06:34 - 00:06:37
build some awesome email campaigns, right? Absolutely. This is where we get to like
00:06:37 - 00:06:41
design those automated campaigns. The ones that take your subscribers on a
00:06:41 - 00:06:46
journey. I like that. A journey. What kind of campaigns does this source talk about?
00:06:46 - 00:06:50
Well, first up, you've got your welcome series. It's like rolling out the red carpet
00:06:50 - 00:06:54
for your new subscribers. Introduce them to your brand, set the stage, you know?
00:06:54 - 00:06:58
Yeah. Make a good first impression. What else? Then you've got educational series.
00:06:58 - 00:07:03
These are great for positioning yourself as an expert. You share valuable insights,
00:07:03 - 00:07:07
helpful stuff related to your niche. So you're not just trying to sell them
00:07:07 - 00:07:12
something all the time. Exactly. Then there are promotional campaigns, you know,
00:07:12 - 00:07:16
highlighting special offers, new products, all that. But the key is to make sure it's
00:07:16 - 00:07:20
relevant to your subscribers. Otherwise, it just comes across a spamming. Right.
00:07:20 - 00:07:25
The right message to the right people. Now, let's talk about transactional emails.
00:07:25 - 00:07:30
Those are the ones that are triggered by specific actions like order
00:07:30 - 00:07:35
confirmations, shipping updates, stuff like that. So even those basic emails are a
00:07:35 - 00:07:39
chance to connect with your audience. Exactly. You can still make them engaging on
00:07:39 - 00:07:44
brand. You can even use them to gather feedback, you know, always be improving.
00:07:44 - 00:07:49
And speaking of engagement, we can't forget about those abandoned cart emails.
00:07:49 - 00:07:54
Ah, yes. Those are lifesavers for e-commerce businesses. Someone add stuff to
00:07:54 - 00:07:59
their cart, but doesn't buy the abandoned cart email swoops in and saves the day.
00:07:59 - 00:08:03
I remember this source had this example. One company added a countdown timer to
00:08:03 - 00:08:09
their abandoned cart emails. And it like skyrocketed their revenue. Just a
00:08:09 - 00:08:13
little tweak made a huge difference. It's amazing how those little psychological
00:08:13 - 00:08:17
nudges can work, right? So we've got welcome series, educational campaigns,
00:08:17 - 00:08:23
promotions, transactional emails, abandoned cart reminders. Wow, that's a lot.
00:08:23 - 00:08:28
How do you keep track of it all? How do you know what's working? Data, metrics,
00:08:28 - 00:08:34
analytics. I know it sounds scary, but the source really emphasizes that it's
00:08:34 - 00:08:39
your best friend. So it's like a roadmap for your email marketing. Exactly. You
00:08:39 - 00:08:42
wouldn't go on a road trip without a map, right? Okay, let's talk about some of
00:08:42 - 00:08:47
those metrics. First up, open rate. What's the big deal with open rate? Well, if your
00:08:47 - 00:08:52
open rate is low, it might mean your subject lines are boring, or maybe people
00:08:52 - 00:08:56
don't recognize your sender name. Make sense is like that first impression. Okay,
00:08:56 - 00:09:01
next we've got click through rate or CTR for short. That tells you how many people
00:09:01 - 00:09:05
are clicking on the links in your email. So it's not just about opening the email,
00:09:05 - 00:09:08
it's about engaging with the content. Exactly. And then of course we have
00:09:08 - 00:09:12
conversions. This is the big one. How many people are actually taking the action
00:09:12 - 00:09:15
you want them to take? Buying a product, signing up for a webinar, whatever it is.
00:09:15 - 00:09:19
But what if your conversion rate isn't as high as you'd like? That's where AB
00:09:19 - 00:09:23
testing comes in. You test different versions of your email to see what works
00:09:23 - 00:09:26
better. Like try different subject lines, different calls to action. So it's like a
00:09:26 - 00:09:30
science experiment, figuring out what your audience responds to. Yeah. And it
00:09:30 - 00:09:34
takes the guesswork out of it. You're using data to make better decisions. Okay,
00:09:34 - 00:09:39
we've talked about campaigns, metrics, the good stuff. What about the pitfalls?
00:09:39 - 00:09:44
The things to watch out for. Well, one of the big ones is neglecting list
00:09:44 - 00:09:48
hygiene. You got to keep your list clean, remove those inactive subscribers.
00:09:48 - 00:09:53
It's like weeding your garden. And another common mistake is sending generic
00:09:53 - 00:09:57
content. People get so many emails these days yours has to stand out. You want to
00:09:57 - 00:10:01
make it personal, relevant to their interests. And of course you have to stay on the
00:10:01 - 00:10:04
right side of the law. Make sure you're following all those rules about consent
00:10:04 - 00:10:10
and unsubscribing. Right. Being ethical and respecting your subscribers. Now before we
00:10:10 - 00:10:14
wrap up, I think it's worth taking a look at the future. What's coming next in the
00:10:14 - 00:10:18
world of email marketing? We've covered a ton in this deep dive from the basics
00:10:18 - 00:10:24
to those cool campaigns and metrics. But before we wrap up, I'm curious what's on
00:10:24 - 00:10:29
the horizon for email marketing? What's next? This source mentioned some pretty
00:10:29 - 00:10:34
fascinating trends. One that really jumped out at me is AI. Artificial
00:10:34 - 00:10:41
intelligence in email automation. AI in email. That sounds futuristic. What does
00:10:41 - 00:10:46
that even mean? Imagine AI figuring out your audience's behavior like way beyond
00:10:46 - 00:10:49
what we can do ourselves. You know, we're talking about emails that almost read your
00:10:49 - 00:10:53
mind. They know what you need and give you exactly the right content. So it's like
00:10:53 - 00:10:57
AI could look at what I've bought before or what I've browsed online and
00:10:57 - 00:11:00
recommend things that actually be interested in. That's kind of cool, but also
00:11:00 - 00:11:03
a little creepy. What about privacy? How do we make sure it doesn't get too
00:11:03 - 00:11:07
intrusive? That's a really important point. As AI gets smarter, we have to be
00:11:07 - 00:11:10
transparent. People need to have control over their data. You know, it's about
00:11:10 - 00:11:15
finding that balance between personalization and respecting privacy. AI-powered
00:11:15 - 00:11:18
emails are definitely something to watch. Any other trends we should be keeping
00:11:18 - 00:11:23
in eye on? Another big one is cross-channel integration. Email won't be a
00:11:23 - 00:11:26
standalone thing anymore. It'll be connected to social media, content marketing,
00:11:26 - 00:11:31
everything. So it's all part of one big personalized customer experience. So
00:11:31 - 00:11:36
emails like one piece of the puzzle. Right. And marketers can create this seamless
00:11:36 - 00:11:40
experience across all those touch points. Your email could trigger a
00:11:40 - 00:11:44
personalized message on Facebook or visiting a website could lead to a specific
00:11:44 - 00:11:49
email follow-up. The possibilities are a pretty mind-blowing. Email marketing is
00:11:49 - 00:11:53
definitely not standing so. Yeah, it's constantly evolving. That's what makes it
00:11:53 - 00:11:56
so interesting. I feel way more prepared to tackle my own email marketing after
00:11:56 - 00:12:00
this deep dive. Glad to hear it. This source really lays it all out there. Let's do a
00:12:00 - 00:12:04
quick recap of what we've learned. We started with the basics, personalization,
00:12:04 - 00:12:08
efficiency, all that good stuff. We talked about choosing the right tools like
00:12:08 - 00:12:13
MailChimp or HubSpot, finding the one that fits your needs. And we dug into
00:12:13 - 00:12:17
building that awesome email list. Remember that gardening analogy. We talked
00:12:17 - 00:12:20
about crafting those automated campaigns from welcome series to abandoned
00:12:20 - 00:12:26
car emails. And we can't forget about those metrics. Open rates, click-through
00:12:26 - 00:12:30
rates, conversions. And of course those potential pitfalls to avoid. Keeping
00:12:30 - 00:12:35
your list clean, making your emails personal, staying legal. We even looked
00:12:35 - 00:12:39
ahead to the future of email. AI, cross-channel integration, the whole nine yards.
00:12:39 - 00:12:44
This has been a fantastic deep dive. I hope you all feel ready to take your email
00:12:44 - 00:12:49
marketing to the next level. Me too. But before we go, I have one question for you
00:12:49 - 00:12:53
and for our listeners. What really stood out to you in this deep dive? What are
00:12:53 - 00:12:57
you excited to try out? For me, it's that email marketing isn't just about sending
00:12:57 - 00:13:02
messages. It's about building real connections with your audience. And with
00:13:02 - 00:13:06
automation, you can do that on a huge scale. People feel valued like you're
00:13:06 - 00:13:10
talking directly to them. That's a great takeaway. So to everyone listening,
00:13:10 - 00:13:14
keep exploring, keep experimenting, keep learning. The world of email marketing is
00:13:14 - 00:13:18
constantly changing. There's always something new to discover. Until next time,
00:13:18 - 00:13:24
happy email. Reach out to us at jbuyer.com for comments and questions. Follow us at
00:13:24 - 00:13:28
buyer company on social media. And if you'd be so kind, please rate and review us in
00:13:28 - 00:13:31
your podcast app.