Email Marketing for Beginners | How to Get Started in 2024

Here's the deal: If you own any type of business, whether it's selling a product or offering a service, if you're an affiliate marketer, or even if you're working for a non-profit organization, you need to be using email marketing. Why? Well, firstly, there's 4.3 billion email users out there. 61% of customers prefer to be contacted by brands via email, and it has the highest ROI out of all the marketing channels. So, do I have your attention?

I thought so. Now, I know tackling an entire marketing channel like email marketing might seem overwhelming, especially when it's been with us for so long and you're just starting out. There are so many videos out there that focus on high-level tactics and have all the jargon when what you need is just to focus on the fundamentals first. Well, don't worry, because today we've got you covered, and we're taking it all the way back to the basics. In this series, we're going to be covering email marketing for beginners. My name is Jack, and I'm going to be one of your guides on this email marketing journey. We're basically going to be best buddies by the end of this series. We'll cover the fundamentals of email marketing—what it is, why you need it, and where to start—all the way through setting up your email list, crafting the perfect subject line, and everything in between. Ready to get your email marketing game rolling? Great, then let's go.

So what exactly is email marketing? Email marketing is a form of direct marketing where you use emails to build relationships and sell products or services to your audience. An effective email program will help keep your audience informed and engaged with your brand and its offerings. Also, it will help you turn those window shoppers into customers and those one-time buyers into brand advocates. I mean, what more could you want? That's literally every business's dream.

Now why is email marketing so important? Well, simply put, it's one of the most widely used communication channels across the globe, and it's not going away anytime soon. In fact, the number of email marketing users is expected to increase to 4.6 billion by 2024. How crazy is that? But what's even more insane with the ROI statistics is that email marketing consistently outperforms every other digital marketing channel, getting $38 back for every $1 spent. I just want you to think about that for a second. That means that for every dollar you spend, you get $38 back. Just consider that, and maybe go and Google it if you don't believe me.

And if you're still not 100% convinced, which I don't know how you can't be, I'm still going to give you some added benefits here. Low costs: having a big budget to spend is great, but usually and especially nowadays, with companies making so many cuts, you need to find a way to get a cost-effective solution. Also, if you paid attention to the ROI part, you know what I'm talking about. Next up, full control: email marketing gives you full control. Literally. You can choose how your emails look and what they say, and since email is a direct marketing channel, you know exactly who's going to be receiving your emails. And the best part? You own your lists and contacts. Let's take social media platforms as an example. If they just decided to, say, change their algorithm or just disappear tomorrow for whatever reason, you would lose all of the information that you have there and all of your fans and followers with it. With email marketing, that simply isn't a danger.

And another reason is precision; unlike with other marketing channels, when you send an email marketing campaign, you're contacting people who you already know and who already have their details. So starting from the basics, you can target specific segments—for example, new subscribers, your existing customers, or your most loyal customers. Amazing, right? And when you decide to dig even deeper into the analytics, you can even target people who clicked on your call to action or who visited your site and didn't convert, and then try and win them back. And let's not forget about personalization: being able to use someone's name when communicating with them, being able to understand their interests and needs, and being able to hit them at the right time according to their preferences. What other channel gives you this opportunity? Just think about it. Thanks to personalization, you can provide your subscribers with only valuable content, and that is how you succeed.

And lastly, and this especially goes out to those just starting, it's easy to use, and I really think this is a key point. Creating an email marketing campaign is simple. You can choose your target audience, design your templates, and schedule your campaigns in moments. And no, you don't need to know how to code or do any type of HTML magic in order to make this happen. Most platforms offer a really easy drag-and-drop system and have a ton of templates that you can personalize to your liking. So no more extra hours trying to make something work and look good at the same time. So, this has a lot of benefits, right? Well, there's actually many more, and honestly, I could sit here all day listing all of the benefits out, but if you're interested, you can go to the description and we'll list them all out for you.

So now that you know why email marketing is important for you, let's go through the different types of campaigns that you can send. The four main types of email marketing are: newsletters, regularly sent emails that will keep your subscribers up to date with all the latest from your business; promotional emails, campaigns that will tell your customers about a specific offer that you're pushing at that moment; transactional emails, which are emails that are triggered by a specific action, such as a sign-up or a purchase; and abandoned cart emails, emails that remind customers that they've left something in their cart.

So now that I've listed all of the different types of email you can send, have a think about which one might work best for your business and when. And now it's time for that first big step: choosing an email service provider for your business. With so many options out there, it can be overwhelming to try to pick the right one. There's so many different features, and there's so many different pricing models, but it's really important that you pick the one that fits your business best. Not sure where to start? Don't worry; we've got you to help with your decision. Here are six factors to help you make the right choice:

Number one: features. You'll need to make sure that your email provider offers you the features that you need and that are easy to use. Pay most attention to the core features at first. How many contacts can you store in the database? How many emails can you send in one day? And how many users can use the account simultaneously? These core features are much more likely to be impactful than anything else. Then you should look at the more advanced and detailed stuff like templates, automation, tracking, and mobility. But once you prioritize all of the features that you want and need, you can better evaluate all of the different providers.

Next up: user experience. As a person who is just stepping into the email marketing world, you need to make sure that the tool you use is simple and easy to use

. Remember, you're the one that's going to be using this tool the most, or likely teaching your team how to use it. So if you overcomplicate things for yourself with the wrong tool, then that's going to be a lot of time spent in training or just generally inefficiently using the tool itself. And we definitely don't want that to happen.

And come on, another really important factor that we just can't forget about is the cost. Some email service providers offer a free plan, while others provide a more tiered pricing structure, and some offer both. What's important is that you pick the right one that fits your needs and your budget. For example, GetResponse offers a free forever plan for those who don't want to spend a great deal on their email marketing when they're just starting out. You can get your first email campaigns, website, and subscriber list built for free. And then, once you're set up and feeling more comfortable, you can move on to a pay plan that suits you as you grow. Honestly, it's really up to you and your needs. And don't forget, email marketing does not need a big budget to be effective.

Next, look at delivery rates. To have a chance of engaging customers and prospects, the emails actually have to land in their inbox to start with. Be sure to ask potential providers about their delivery rate, what they do, and how they work with their customers to make sure they keep that rate high. For example, GetResponse has a delivery rate of 99%. Pretty good, right?

Another thing you can do before making your final decision is check the reviews. In the business-to-business world, reviews are so important when it comes to making sure that you pick the right provider. So make sure that you take the time, do your due diligence, and see how the provider that you're looking at is received in the market. It's also worth mentioning that case studies are really valuable because they go into more depth, offer a little bit more insight, and have specific data points. So be sure to look out for those as well.

Let's look at GetResponse again. What? You thought we'd make this video and not give ourselves a shout-out?

And last but definitely not least, check out the customer service. Of course, we always want things to go smoothly and without hassle, but let's face it, that's not always the reality. Issues are always going to happen; that's inevitable. Let's just accept it. So it's important that when they do occur, you have a smart and resourceful customer service team that is on hand to help you.

So as you can see, choosing the right email provider is an important decision for your business, and it might not be easy. But making sure that you choose the right one is only going to be beneficial in the long run. So if you go away and think about all of the factors that we've covered today, you'll stand a really good chance of picking the right email service provider for your business. It's going to kick-start your email marketing strategy and drive results for your business. And that is your homework for today. Take what you've just learned and go and explore; look at all of the available options out there; and don't be afraid to ask questions. And make sure that you check out GetResponse within that research. We're an online marketing platform that goes way beyond email. You know the deal. It's all linked in the description.

And there you have it—a beginner's guide to the basics of email marketing. And don't forget, we're just getting started here. So in the next video, we're going to be covering how to create, build, and manage your lists, which is kind of important. I mean, if you want to start sending emails, it's kind of important to have people to actually send them to. So you might not want to miss that. Thanks for watching. Make sure to subscribe for more content like this. And happy marketing!

Are you ready to revolutionize your business with the power of email marketing? Discover the secrets to success in our beginner's guide, where we break down everything you need to know to get started. From building your subscriber list to crafting irresistible campaigns, we've got you covered every step of the way. And when you're ready to take action, don't forget to check out our recommended email service provider, GetResponse, to kickstart your journey with ease. Click here to learn more. https://www.getresponse.com?a=A9NmvFydkr

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