7 Simple Steps to Develop a Completely Kick-Ass Email Marketing Strategy

Many businesses might utilise email marketing, but their marketing strategies tend to be one-dimensional. As an example, a business that is only using email marketing to advertise a new product or sale is missing out on all the opportunities that are provided by a creative, focused email marketing strategy.

Email marketing can be one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to drive business and create customer loyalty, but with any other type of marketing, it needs to be done correctly to maximise results.

Often, businesses have the goal in the back of their mind that they want to start email marketing, but the toughest part is often knowing just where to start.

There are seven steps that should be followed by any business considering the implementation of email marketing:

Define a targeted audience. When creating email marketing, it's important to know your audience, and to tailor your message effectively to that specific audience. By knowing who you want to be reading your emails, you're going to allow yourself the opportunity to speak more effectively to this audience. In email marketing, it can be a good idea to create a database of contacts that is divided into segmented audiences, so that you can ensure each group is receiving the specific message that is going to most uniquely match their needs and interests. Sending mass emails with little regard to audience is a good way to render your message useless.

Define your reason for writing. Before starting any email marketing campaign, you should have a grasp on why you're sending contact to your audience. Do you want to sell products, promote events, maintain relationships with current customers or gain new customers? Whatever your reason for sending email communications, just know what that reason is prior to starting. It will help you refine your message and target it more effectively.

Define the frequency with which you'll send emails. Email frequency is important, so that customers know what to expect of your communications, in terms of when they'll arrive. It becomes a routine, which is a great way to target your message and build loyalty. There are a number of types of messages that can be set-up via auto responder, such as welcome messages, in addition to regular e-zine style emails, all of which can be used to keep readers engaged in what it is you're marketing. Finding the right balance when it comes to frequency is important; if emails are irregular and there are months where a subscriber's in-box is missing an email from you, it's more likely that when you do send another communication it will be deleted or marked as spam. On the other side of the coin, if you constantly bombard subscribers with emails, your message will become irrelevant, and it's more likely that it will be overlooked.

Outline your goals. Is your goal to increase sales? Maybe you want to have a great social media presence or increase your SEO rankings. Whatever you goal with email marketing is, it's important to determine these goals ahead of creating any email marketing.

Find a template and email style that is going to work for your goals and audience. There are a number of reasons to create an email, whether it's to create customers, maintain relationships or advertise, but regardless of the reason, choose the style of email and formatting that is going to work to be suit your goals.

Develop a writing style and stick with it. All too often, emails are created quickly, and with little regard for the writing style. The task of creating emails can be delegated to any number of employees, all with different writing styles, but when developing email marketing it's important to create a voice, and style that is unique to your emails. Keep your style creative, unique and uniform across all emails.

Set measurable goals. Prior to ever sending an email marketing campaign, specific goals should be developed, to measure the success of your marketing campaigns. Without goals, you're sending emails blindly with no regard for how they're being received or interpreted.

If you're in the dark about how to create an effective, kick-ass email marketing campaign, it may be a good idea to pair with Red Apple, to create outstanding content, and a measurable plan for success.

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Laura Williams is a virtual assistant with a passion for business and helping you grow through dynamic business administration support, online marketing and lead generation strategies. Laura has an extensive sales and marketing background and lives on the North Coast of NSW. Laura often wears many hats and has been described by clients as a 'genius' and a 'woman of action'.

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