Introduction
Email advertising, despite its ubiquity, remains one of the most formidable and indomitable digital marketing tools obtainable to businesses, regardless of their magnitude or market share. Its innate capacity to nurture symbiotic relationships with customers and provide invaluable content for them is unparalleled. With this comprehensive and elucidating email marketing overview, you will delve into a trove of information, ranging from the various typologies of email advertising and the most proficient platforms and software to employ, to the intricacies of e-mail testing and the critical metrics that define success.
What Is Email Advertising?
The paradigm of email advertising is an eminent and paramount digital marketing strategy that entails disseminating commercial messages to a specific cohort of individuals through electronic mail. Its inherent potential to foster and maintain enduring relationships with customers by bestowing them with invaluable content is unparalleled. Amongst the extensive repertoire of digital marketing tactics, email advertising reigns supreme, offering businesses of all dimensions an unparalleled and omnipotent tool to cultivate brand loyalty and connect with their customers on a deeper level.
Why Should You Use Email Advertising?
Email advertising, a formidable and powerful weapon in the arsenal of digital marketing, has become an indispensable tool for businesses of all calibers. Its unparalleled potential to nurture and foster enduring relationships with customers by endowing them with invaluable content is incontrovertible. The cost-effective and efficacious nature of email advertising has unequivocally positioned it as the ideal tool to sustainably connect with your target audience and cultivate brand loyalty. Therefore, it is imperative that every business adopt email advertising as a strategic tool in their marketing approach.
Email Advertising: Categories and Subcategories
The classic utility of email advertising in establishing an impregnable rapport with customers and providing them with invaluable content is a bygone conclusion. Nevertheless, as pledged, this guide embarks on an illustrative journey to unravel the different typologies of email advertising in a comprehensive and nuanced manner.
There are two primary types of email advertising: Transactional and Direct.
Transactional emails
The potential of transactional emails to double as a medium for advertising is a salient and efficacious strategy. Transactional emails, by definition, are messages triggered by an action that the recipient has taken, encompassing a diverse array of messages, including confirmation notifications, password reset requests, shipping notifications, amongst others.
Essentially, anytime you receive an automated email from a company, it’s transactional. For example, a company might send a welcome email to new subscribers that include a discount code for their first purchase or an order confirmation like the one in the example below.
Direct emails
Direct emails, on the other hand, are promotional and are sent to drive some sort of action from the recipient. They can include anything from sales and discounts to new product announcements or blog post notifications.
Within these two broad categories, there are also several subcategories. One of the most common types of email advertising is newsletters, which are typically sent regularly to your subscribers and often contain articles, videos, or other content that you want to share with your audience. Below is an example from a supermarket chain Safeway including coupons and giveaways.
Newsletters alone have different types:
1. Announcement newsletters: The quintessence of announcement newsletters is to furnish subscribers with the latest and most salient information about a company’s novel products, services, and organizational developments. These newsletters are typically dispatched at regular intervals, such as weekly or monthly, and aim to ensure that subscribers are always abreast of the latest developments within the company’s ambit.
2. Content newsletters: The fundamental objective of content newsletters is to endow subscribers with unparalleled content, ranging from articles, videos, or other pertinent resources relevant to the industry or niche of the company. These newsletters may also feature special offers or promotions that the company desires to disseminate to their readership.
3. Marketing newsletters: These newsletters are geared toward driving action from your subscribers, such as clicks through to your website or landing pages, sign-ups for your e-mail list or other offers, or purchases of your products or services.
4. Email courses: These are a series of emails that are delivered over some time, typically on a daily or weekly basis. Each email in the series builds on the last, providing new information or actionable steps for the reader to take.
5. E-book: E-book can be sent to subscribers either as an email attachment or a downloadable link. An e-book is typified by its lengthiness, providing a veritable treasure trove of in-depth information on a specific topic. This modality stands in stark contrast to the relatively curt nature of other email formats, representing a formidable medium for dispensing substantial and exhaustive information.
Ebook Newsletter
Lead nurturing
Which involves sending regular emails that help to build a relationship with your subscribers and eventually lead them down the sales funnel. This can be done by providing helpful content, such as industry news or tips and tricks, or by offering exclusive deals and discounts.
If you are looking to start your email advertising campaign, there are several different platforms and software programs that you can use. Some of the most popular options include MailChimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, Campaign Monitor, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, and Marketo.
Email marketing overview: The best platforms for email advertising
We will look at 5 most popular email advertising platforms that have proven their worth in 2023:
1. MailChimp:
MailChimp is the leading email advertising platform in the market with over 15 million users in its bucket. The reason for this popularity is not solely because the platform offers a free plan for small businesses or is easy to use, but it also offers a wide array of features, including custom templates, drag-and-drop editor, automated email segmentation options, and many more!
2. Constant Contact:
Constant Contact is another email advertising platform that has taken to be second on our list with over 650k users, offering a wide range of features akin to Mailchimp, but with great A/B testing capablities, social media integration options, reporting and analytical tools, and all other features that Mailchimp is also popular for!
3. AWeber:
AWeber is another popular email advertising platform offering an array of features, such as customizable email templates, signup forms, autoresponders, list management tools, and more. AWeber offers a free plan too like the Mailchimp, but for all new users, and businesses of all sizes!
4. Campaign Monitor:
Campaign Monitor on the fourth is also one of the most used email marketing platform in the market with over 2 million of users worldwide. It is mostly known for its intutive interface, easy list management features, detailed and adavnced analytics/reporting tools, and more feasible options! It is a great option for businesses of all sizes with several offer plans.
5. ActiveCampaign:
ActiveCampaign is another popular email advertising platform that offers a wide range of features, including drag-and-drop segmentation tools, signup forms, autoresponders, list management tools, detailed reporting and analytics, and more. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes and offers a free plan for new users.
Email marketing overview – The best software for email advertising
To choose the best email advertising software you need to first check if the software has a good range of features and is budget friendly apart from these you can also make sure the software has a responsible customer support team and is also easy to use. Let us see now based on these features on which softwares can provide you with flexibility:
1. SendinBlue:
SendinBlue is on the top of our list. It is a widely used email advertsing software that offers great range of features with custom templates, drag-and-drop editor, automated services with free plan options.
2. GetResponse:
GetResponse is also a well-established email advertising software with a copious suite of features and capabilities that range from the standard list segmentation tools and A/B testing to cutting-edge functionalities like social media integration and comprehensive reporting and analytics tools. This software is an all-encompassing solution suitable for businesses of all sizes, presenting scalable plans tailored to meet the needs of both small and large teams alike.
3. MailerLite:
MailerLite is another popular email advertising software that offers a variety of features, including customizable templates, a drag-and-drop editor, signup forms and autoresponders, detailed reporting, analytics, and more. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes and offers a free plan for new users.
4. Sendy:
Sendy is another popular email advertising software that offers a wide range of features, including list segmentation tools, signup forms, autoresponders, A/B testing capabilities, detailed reporting and analytics, and more. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes and offers a free plan for new users.
5. Benchmark Email:
Benchmark Email is another popular email advertising software that offers a wide range of features, including customizable templates, a drag-and-drop editor, signup forms and autoresponders, list segmentation tools, detailed reporting and analytics, and more. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes and offers plans for both small and large teams.
Email marketing oveview – How to test your e-mails before you send them out
You may tets your emails in many ways, but the most used and known ways the several businesses adapt are:
1. A/B Testing:
When it comes to email marketing, A/B testing (also known as split testing) is an intricate method that involves comparing two versions of an email to determine which one performs better. To achieve this, you need to send one version of the email to a control group and another version to a test group, after which you measure their respective performance metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and more.
By comparing the metrics of these two versions, you can determine which one is more effective at engaging recipients and driving results for your business. However, this process requires a good amount of perplexity and burstiness in the content to capture the intricacies of the method and convey its importance.
2. Multivariate Testing:
Unlike A/B testing, which compares only 2 versions of a single email, Multivariate testing is a complex system that allows users to compare more than 2 email variables against each other. This helps users to know which method is performing as intended and also gives insights that help to further improve the email advertising strategy if not up to the mark. Multivariate testing is a great way to add some burstiness to your email marketing campaign by testing a variety of variables in different combinations.
3. Subject Line Testing:
Subject line testing is a common method for testing emails before they are sent out. This involves creating several different versions of the subject line and sending them out to a small group of subscribers. The version with the highest open rate is then used for the main email send. Although seemingly simple, subject line testing requires a certain degree of perplexity and burstiness to ensure that the right combination of words and phrases are tested to maximize the open rate.
4. Pre-Header Text Testing:
The preheader text is the short piece of text that appears after the subject line in an email. This text can have a significant impact on open rates, so it’s important to test different versions of this text to see which one has the best results. Pre-header text testing is another method that requires some degree of perplexity and burstiness, as different words and phrases need to be tested to determine which ones lead to better open rates.
5. Timing and Frequency Testing:
Timing and frequency testing is a complex method that involves testing out different send times and frequencies, such as sending at various times of the day or on specific days of the week, to see which approach results in the highest open and click-through rates. This requires a certain amount of perplexity and burstiness in the content to ensure that the variations in send times and frequencies are conveyed effectively and the importance of testing each of these parameters is emphasized.
6. Click Testing:
Click testing is a common method for optimizing the performance of your emails. This involves tracking which links in your emails are getting the most clicks, and then modifying or removing the ones that are not performing well to see if you can improve overall click rates. Click testing requires a certain degree of perplexity and burstiness, as different links and their respective click rates need to be compared and analyzed to identify which links are performing well and which ones need to be modified or removed.
Testing your emails is an essential part of any email advertising campaign, and there are many methods available to accomplish this goal, including A/B testing, click testing, and others. However, testing your emails is not a simple task, and several factors must be taken into account, such as selecting the appropriate metrics to track, guaranteeing that your test groups are statistically significant, and establishing a clear threshold for discerning which version is superior.
Nevertheless, with meticulous planning and a keen eye for detail, you can confidently test and optimize your emails to ensure that they are as potent as possible in meeting your marketing goals.
Here are a few tips on how to do this:
1. Use a testing tool: There exist numerous online testing tools such as Litmus or Email on Acid, which can be instrumental in verifying how your e-mails will be displayed on different devices and email clients, ascertaining that they are adequately optimized for varied screen sizes and configurations.
2. Review the code: Additionally, it is also imperative to review the code meticulously to detect any potential errors, utilizing a tool like HTML Validator to ensure the code is error-free and well-formed.
3. Send test emails: After code review, sending test emails to yourself or your team members is another critical step to ensure that the emails are being delivered as intended, and there are no unforeseen issues with the content or formatting.
4. Monitor your metrics: Furthermore, it is crucial to keep a close eye on email advertising metrics to gauge the success of your campaigns and identify areas that require improvement. This can include monitoring KPIs like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, among others. Thoroughly monitoring these metrics can help fine-tune your e-mail advertising campaigns for optimal results.
Email Marketing Overview – Metrics
If you are to test your email success, there are many metrics that can guage the success of an email campaign accurately, however knowing the basic metrics is always important.
Open Rates: Open rates as the name suggests is th percentage of people who open your email. This helps you to know the engagement of your campaign and if your campaign is interesting enough to be opened by the recipients.
Click-Through Rates: CTR or Click-Through Rates are another important metric for an email advertising campaign that helps the brands known the percentage of people who click on any link provided in your mail. Unlike open rates, this is more of a metric that can clearly indicate that the recipients have not only read your mail but are also taking action.
Conversion Rates: Conversion rates on the other hand are the success of your email with the percentage of people who have taken a desired action after receiving your email, such as purchasing a product or even subscribing to your newsletter.
Revenue Generated: Finally, ROI is measured with respect to the revenue generated on the emails in comparision with the revenue spent to host the campaign. It is a sure measure of the success of your email advertising campaign to know if you are converting your potential customers to loyal customers by increasing sales.
There are several other metrics a business can measure, however on the other side, it is important to know how these common metrics are performing. And if these common metrics lack to perform as intended, then it is advisable to check out other metrics such as CPL, CPC, Bounce Rate, Unsubscribe Rate, and more!
How To Create An Email Campaign: A Summer Summary
1. Decide on the goal of your email campaign
To first start with an email campain or any other campaig, you should know your goals and business objective. Answer questions such as, Are you trying to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or sell a product or service? Once you clearly know what you want to achieve, you can create content that is relevant to your target audience.
2. Choose the right type of email campaign for your business
There are 2 types of email campaigns, namely promotional emails and nurturing emails. Promotional emails as we know focus on product releases, announcements, freebies, sales, etc, content related to the products or services of the company encouraging recipients to purchase. On the other hand, nurturing emails contain content related to your business, industry news, or current events that only focuses on expanding knowledge on your industry. You can also create specialized campaigns for different segments of your target audience, such as new customers, lapsed customers, or VIPs.
3. Select the best email platform for your needs
With a plethora of email platforms available, selecting the one that caters to your specific requirements can be a daunting task. Some of the widely-used platforms include AWeber, Constant Contact, GetResponse, and MailChimp, each offering its own distinct features and capabilities. To make the right choice, it is crucial to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each platform and determine which one aligns with your budget and needs.
4. Choose email advertising software for your business
Once you have zeroed in on the ideal email platform, the next step is to choose email advertising software that integrates seamlessly with it. Popular options include Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, and Mailchimp, all of which provide an array of beneficial functionalities. It is highly recommended to take advantage of free trial offers that are available, to conduct thorough testing and ensure that the chosen software aligns with your requirements.
5. Test your email campaigns before you send them
Before unleashing your email campaigns upon the unsuspecting masses, it is essential to thoroughly test them to ensure that they are functioning optimally and will reach your target audience as you intended.
Luckily, there are numerous tools available to assist you in this regard, such as Mailchimp’s Inbox Inspector, which enables you to preview your email across various email clients and devices to ensure that it displays perfectly in all contexts. With this vital step out of the way, you can rest assured that your email campaigns will hit their mark and generate the desired response from your audience.
6. Select the most appropriate metrics for measuring success
Well, there are several metrics to measure from, including the ones we have discussed earlier. From open rates, CTR, subscribe rates, to bounce rates, CPM, CPC, CPL, and more, you should select the metrics that most define your campaign and its success.
Conclusion
Keeping in touch with customers and providing them with engaging content is crucial for any successful campaign. In this comprehensive email marketing overview, we have covered the different types of email advertising, recommended software and platforms, testing methods to ensure maximum effectiveness, and which metrics to use to measure success.
But why go through the journey alone? With 12 Channels, you can streamline your email advertising process with the aid of our expert team and top-of-the-line email advertising software. Our services can help take your campaign to the next level, so why not give it a try? Achieve your business goals through effective email advertising with 12 Channels today!
