Page conversion rates have ALWAYS been a problem. The simple fact is most people don’t convert even on the most optimized pages. 

What’s why traditional retargeting on ad networks has been so dang powerful. While retargeted leads come cheap, they still aren’t free. Worse, you’re back competing against your competition in the ol’ ad auction system. 

For the last 6 years, I’ve been using a tactic called Inbox Retargeting to identify who lands on my key pages and directly reach out to them in their inbox. 

No more ads. No more auctions. Just a targeted contact that showed they were interested, but didn’t quite take the leap yet. 

Before I dive into the “What’s” and “How’s”, this tactic can only be used in the good ol’ US of A. If you aren’t in the states or don’t have clients in the states, you’re out of luck. Sorry! 

How It Works

Inbox retargeting doesn’t take a lot of heavy lifting. I’ll share the strategy next but I wanted to start with some of the logistics. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer or coder, so keep that in mind if technical or legal questions pop up. 

If you have a website, you have tracking scripts, e.g.,  GA4, the Facebook Pixel, Heatmap software, etc…

To get started with Inbox retargeting, you just need to be able to copy and paste two scripts on your site: 

• A collection script: This fires and tries to identify the visitor

A suppression script: You’d fire this on your conversion confirmation pages, you don’t want people who converted to land in your Inbox Retargeting campaigns.

The tech works off of a database of contacts in the United States that are eligible for emails, so it’s completely above board with your ESP. However, you’ll want to do a few things before you start treating them like a regular member of your email list. 

We initially tested this on one of our paid media campaigns. We already had a really strong campaign that we wanted to squeeze more leads out of…and boy did we. 

We were driving traffic from Meta (Facebook for the OGs) to this landing page:

This page converts at 58%. Yeah, that’s a humble brag…deal with it. 

Even with a 58% conversion rate, we’re still missing out on 42% of the traffic we’ve already paid for. That’s kind of a bummer. 

After we added the collection script to the page, they were able to capture a lot more leads. The conversion rate jumped from 58% to a very sweet 87% – that’s a 50% increase! 

That was the impact on a single page, that’s when we knew it was time to go bigger. 

The Strategy

Most of the tools out there, whether it’s Retention.com or Customers.ai, are going to charge based on the number of contacts. So it can get pretty easy to burn through contact credits if you run the script on every page you manage, your site and your clients’ sites included. 

That’s why you’ll want to make sure to select pages that capture intent versus targeting all of your traffic. 

ID Key Pages

Here are some of the pages you should consider adding the collection script: 

1. Campaign Landing Pages – If you’re paying to send someone to a page, the referring source piqued their interest. If they didn’t convert, you’d definitely want to follow up. 
2. Product Pages – If someone is viewing this page they’re evaluating a particular product they were interested in. 
3. High Intent/Value Content Pages – This could be your pillar content on your blog pages, podcast pages, or your top level service pages. 
4. Registration Pages – This is a subset of a landing page, but if someone got all the way to a registration or sigh up page, they’re a prime candidate for outreach.
5. Cart Pages – People abandon carts all the time. If you weren’t able to catch their details during checkout, this is an ideal opportunity. 

Effectively it’s any page where you’re pushing a specific action. While the above pages are the pages to choose from, a homepage is acceptable but will require a little more finesse when you follow up. 

Map to Email Campaigns 

Now that you’ve identified where you’re going to identify leads, you’ll need to map it to your automation tool. 

GET CERTIFIED. Discover the proven plan for effortless, automated email marketing. Click Here

Most tools have a direct integration with your email service provider, but worst case scenario you may have to pass the data through a no code integration tool like Zapier. 

Once you’ve worked out the digital plumbing, you’ll want to follow up based on the page the contact was collected on. Here’s how you should approach follow up: 

1. For Campaign Landing Pages – Give them the specific asset. They were interested in it, you’ve got their contact information, just hand over the goods. This builds good will at the start of the relationship. 
2. Product Pages – Send over the details of the product or product category they were viewing. This could be as simple as a reminder or you could build goodwill with a special offer or coupon. 
3. High Intent/Value Content Pages – Send over some of your best content or freebies that move people to the next phase of the Customer Value Journey. 
4. Registration Pages – Treat these like an “abandoned cart” type of email and get them to take that next step. 
5. Cart Pages – Same as “Registration Pages” but it’s, you know, an actual abandoned cart reminder. Similar to the product pages you could entice them to come back with a deal or coupon. 
6. Homepages – If you do run these on the homepage, you’ll need to do more of a reintroduction then transition to showcasing your best stuff. 

Email Structure

The initial message you send needs to have a very specific flow. There are four critical things that need to happen when they open up your Inbox Retargeting message. 

First, remind them about who you are and how they know you. This can be as simple as a, “Hey, thanks for stopping by…” message. Have some fun with it. 

Next, you need to provide highly specific value based on their browsing intent. If you get this wrong, they’re just going to file your message under SPAM. 

After that, you’ve got to set expectations with what they’re getting and now you’ll be communicating with them moving forward. 

And Finally, you need to give them an EASY OUT. These campaigns have our highest unsubscribe rate, but that’s because we outright ask people to unsubscribe if they don’t want any additional contact. 

Once you’e gone through this, you treat them like one of your regular subscribers with all your fancy ascension automations, content emails, and promotional emails. 

Here are the email stats from one of our PPC Campaigns:

With an average open rate of 53.87%, we know there’s a base line interest in the deliverable. The click rate is DANG good for messaging visitors who didn’t convert.

Sure the unsubscribe rate is a little high for this campaign, but that is intentional. We push them to opt-out in the first email so we don’t get dinged later with complaints. 

The Payoff: An Additional 109k Last Year

I mean, who doesn’t want another cool 100 grand for adding a script to your website and writing a couple of emails? Here’s how the numbers work out: 

Last year, we identified 3,714 leads using this method. IMPORTANT: When I was pulling these numbers, I realized we installed the code wrong on some pages and missed out on about another 2k leads…oops!

Our average lead cost was ~$7, so the leads themself were a $26,000 additional value. This alone would be a reason to use the tech. 

BUT JUSTIN, did they convert?! 

Yes!

We closed $36,000 in IPPC business from this lead source. For what we spent on those leads we’re looking at a 750% ROAS. Not too shabby. 

The rest of the money we made was by selling this service to our clients. Since we run paid ads for clients, this method is a complete no brainer. We ran a pilot program and only offered this to a handful of clients last year, we averaged about 4k/month in sales.

We sold clients the leads at ~$2/lead for some of the niches we work in, that’s a steal. 

If you decide to sell this you need to make sure the client knows these are lower intent leads and will require longer term nurtures. If you follow the email strategy I shared above, you’ll be good to go! 

Protip: Charge for building the follow up sequence! 

So that’s it! If you’re running your own business or are an agency owner, you’ve got to consider Inbox Retargeting. Though, I do have some bad news…

Not to be “Chicken Little” but this is starting to get way more attention, there are services popping out of the woodwork so this will become a table stakes method. So get ahead of this today.

The post Unlocking Hidden Revenue: The Inbox Retargeting Methodology appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

In the fiercely competitive outdoor gear market, innovative marketing strategies are essential for brand growth and customer engagement. Among these strategies, giveaways stand out as a powerful tool.

They are more than just a means to distribute free products; they are a conduit for creating a lasting impression, fostering community engagement, and enhancing your brand’s image. Drawing on the principles of “4 Season Selling,” this comprehensive guide aims to provide professionals in any industry with a deep dive into the strategic planning and execution of effective giveaways.

Yes, the examples used are within the outdoor industry but this will work across the board. 

Understanding the Strategic Value of Giveaways

Giveaways go beyond the mere distribution of free items. They are a potent mechanism for generating excitement, building brand awareness, and fostering a sense of community among your audience.

The strategic implementation of giveaways can lead to increased brand loyalty, higher engagement rates, and an expanded customer base. However, the success of these initiatives hinges on their alignment with your brand’s identity and the interests of your target audience.

Establishing Clear Objectives

The foundation of a successful giveaway lies in its objectives. It’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, gather customer data, or perhaps introduce a new product line? The objectives you set will guide every aspect of the giveaway, from the choice of products to the promotional channels and the mechanics of participation.

Product Selection: Aligning with Brand Identity

The choice of giveaway products is a critical decision. These items should not only resonate with your target audience but also reflect the quality and ethos of your brand.

For instance, a brand known for its durable and high-quality camping gear might choose to give away a premium tent or a set of advanced camping tools. The products should serve as a representation of what your brand stands for.

Leveraging Influencer Partnerships

In today’s digital age, influencers play a pivotal role in shaping consumer preferences. Partnering with influencers who align with your brand’s values and appeal to your target demographic can significantly amplify the reach of your giveaway. This collaboration should be strategic, focusing on influencers who genuinely resonate with your brand and can authentically endorse your products.

Creative Mechanics for Enhanced Engagement

The mechanics of your giveaway should be simple enough to encourage wide participation yet creative enough to foster genuine engagement. Consider incorporating interactive elements like photo contests, where participants can showcase their adventures using your gear, or storytelling competitions that involve sharing outdoor experiences.

These approaches not only engage your audience but also provide you with content that can be leveraged in future marketing efforts.

The Importance of User-Generated Content

User-generated content is a goldmine for any brand. Encourage participants to share their experiences with your products, be it through photos, videos, or testimonials. This content is not only more relatable to potential customers but also serves as an endorsement of your products’ quality and appeal.

Optimal Timing and Comprehensive Promotion

Timing your giveaway to coincide with significant events, such as the launch of a new product line, a major outdoor event, or a seasonal change, can increase its impact.

Promote your giveaway through all available channels, including social media, email marketing, your website, and in-store displays if you have a physical presence. This multi-channel approach ensures maximum visibility and participation.

Adhering to Legal and Ethical Standards

It’s crucial to ensure your giveaway is compliant with legal regulations and ethical standards. This includes clear terms and conditions, proper handling of participant data, and adherence to platform-specific rules, particularly on social media. Maintaining transparency and ethical conduct not only protects your brand legally but also builds trust and credibility with your audience.

Analyzing Results for Future Success

Post-giveaway analysis is vital for understanding its effectiveness and for planning future initiatives. Evaluate key performance indicators such as participation rates, social media engagement, website traffic, and any subsequent changes in sales or customer inquiries. These insights will inform your future marketing strategies and help in refining your approach to giveaways.

Building Long-term Relationships with Customers

View your giveaway as the beginning of a long-term relationship with your customers. Engage with participants after the event, offer them exclusive discounts, invite them to join loyalty programs, and keep them informed about new products and initiatives. This continued engagement can convert one-time participants into loyal brand advocates.

When strategically planned and executed, giveaways can be a significant asset in the marketing toolkit of outdoor gear companies. They offer a unique opportunity to engage with your audience, enhance brand visibility, and drive business growth.

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It’s about creating an experience that connects with customers on a personal level, reflecting the adventurous spirit of the outdoor community.

Crafting a Narrative Around the Giveaway

Developing a compelling narrative or theme around your giveaway can significantly increase its appeal. For instance, if you are launching a new line of winter gear, consider a giveaway that emphasizes adventure and resilience in extreme conditions. This narrative not only makes the giveaway more interesting but also helps in creating a cohesive marketing message that resonates with your audience.

Integrating Social Responsibility

In the outdoor gear industry, social responsibility and environmental stewardship are often important to the customer base. Integrating these elements into your giveaway can enhance its appeal. For example, for every entry, you could commit to planting a tree or contribute towards conservation efforts. This not only incentivizes participation but also aligns with the values of your brand and your customers.

Utilizing Data-Driven Insights

Leverage data analytics to tailor your giveaway to the preferences and behaviors of your target audience. Analyze past engagement data, customer surveys, and market research to understand what excites and motivates your audience. This data-driven approach can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your giveaway.

Personalizing Customer Interactions

Personalization can significantly boost the impact of your giveaways. Use customer data to personalize communication, offering participants tailored recommendations or exclusive deals based on their interests and past purchases.

This level of personalization can create a more engaging and memorable experience for customers.

Creating a Seamless Digital Experience

In today’s digital age, ensuring a smooth online experience for participants is vital. This includes an easy-to-navigate giveaway page, clear instructions, and a straightforward entry process. A seamless digital experience reduces barriers to entry, encouraging more participants to engage with your brand.

Engaging with the Community

Community engagement should be a key component of your giveaway strategy. This can involve partnering with local outdoor clubs, organizing events, or engaging with followers on social media. Building a sense of community around your brand can enhance loyalty and turn customers into brand ambassadors.

Measuring Success Beyond Numbers

While quantitative metrics like participation rates and follower growth are important, qualitative aspects such as customer feedback, brand sentiment, and the quality of user-generated content are equally crucial. These metrics provide insights into the emotional impact and brand perception improvements that result from your giveaway.

Leveraging the Giveaway for Long-Term Brand Building

Consider the giveaway as a step in a larger brand-building strategy. The relationships and insights gained through the giveaway should be leveraged for long-term brand growth.

This could involve follow-up campaigns, targeted marketing initiatives, or loyalty programs designed to keep the participants engaged with your brand.

Innovating and Evolving

The outdoor gear market is constantly evolving, and so should your giveaway strategies. Stay abreast of the latest trends, technologies, and customer preferences. Experiment with new platforms, collaboration models, or giveaway formats to keep your campaigns fresh and relevant.

Reflecting on the Giveaway’s Impact on Company Culture

Finally, it’s important to reflect on how your giveaway aligns with and impacts your company’s culture. A successful giveaway should not only resonate with your customers but also with your employees. It should reflect your company’s values, mission, and vision, fostering a sense of pride and purpose within your team.

Final Thoughts

Giveaways, when thoughtfully executed, can be much more than a marketing tactic. They can be a powerful catalyst for brand growth, customer engagement, and community building. By keeping your objectives clear, aligning with your brand values, and continuously learning and adapting, your giveaways can become a cornerstone of your marketing strategy in the outdoor gear industry.

The post Maximizing Impact with Strategic Giveaways: Enhancing Brand Loyalty and Engagement appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Simon Trafford is the Co-founder and Head Coach at Merchant Mastery and one of three world-class instructors for DigitalMarketer’s—NEW for 2022—Ecommerce Marketing Mastery certification course. 

He’s taught thousands of ecommerce brands how to grow from a tiny mom n’ pop shops to massive global brands through effective marketing. You’ll definitely want to watch as he talks about the 3 email automations you NEED to have so you’re not leaving money on the table.

In this video:

• You’ve GOT to Automate These 3 Email Flows: 00:16-00:24
• Nail This Email Automation For Cash on Demand! 00:25-00:36
• Forget This Email & You Can Forget Repeat Buyers: 00:49-1:00

Extra resources:

Boost Conversions with These 3 Copywriting Tips https://www.digitalmarketer.com/blog/3-copywriting-tips-to-optimize-your-sales-funnel/

The TOP Reason Your Ad Campaigns Fail https://www.digitalmarketer.com/blog/ad-scent/

Maybe You Need a Different Product? Or Maybe a Different Approach [VIDEO] https://www.digitalmarketer.com/blog/product-market-fit-scott-cunningham/

The post Email Automations That Help Turn Tiny Shops Into Mega Marts with Simon Trafford [VIDEO] appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

DigitalMarketer has just released a brand new email marketing certification course! 

Our expert line-up of instructors includes:

Richard Lindner, our resident “jack-of-all-trades.” Over the past 12 months he has managed well over a BILLION email sends, created & implemented strategies to overcome major changes in Yahoo, Hotmail, and Gmail algorithms, tripled email open rates, doubled email clickthrough rates, and generated over $20M in revenue from email marketing alone!

Alex Cattoni, founder of the Copy Posse, and master email marketer. Since 2011, Alex has helped launch several successful brands and has proudly partnered with many of the hottest transformational authors and businesses on the planet, writing high-converting sales copy, scaling multi-million dollar brands, and crafting iconic promotional campaigns.

Dave Albano, a dynamic and dedicated digital marketing expert, business strategist, and inspired speaker and trainer. Founder & CEO of Joza Marketing and creator of his famous 2-day business intensives, Dave’s high impact strategies and done-for-you services get more customers into your business, more productivity from your day, and more excitement into your life!

Hamoon Green, the CEO & chief strategist of Quick Boost Marketing. He helps 7-8 figure ecommerce brands generate 30%-40% of their total revenue through email marketing and marketing consultation. Hamoon is a whiz at helping 7-figure brands easily add 30%-50% in revenue through email marketing. 

What will you learn from Alex in the new Email Marketing Mastery online certification course:

• How to utilize and monetize your email list–the right way–to turn signups into sales…
• The 3 biggest mistakes in email marketing (and how to avoid them)…
• The power of email and why it’s the lowest hanging fruit in any business…
• A 3-part framework for building authority and anticipation before pitching an offer to your list…
• The 6 email framework you can use as the base of every single email marketing campaign you write.

In this video:

The Single Most Important Skillset You Can Learn to Grow Your Business 2:28 – 2:40

Why The Industry Definition of Email Marketing is LAME 4:23 – 4:33

What is email marketing and why does it matter?

The official definition from MailChimp says:

“The use of email within your marketing efforts to promote a business’s products and services, as well as incentivize customer loyalty. Email marketing is a form of marketing that can make the customers on your email list aware of new products, discounts, and other services.”

Alex’s laser-focused, customer-centric definition goes like this:

“The regular and reliable use of email to communicate with a list of subscribers. Used to provide real value–in the form of education, inspiration, or entertainment–and build trust that will allow you to ultimately monetize a loyal base of customers, followers, and fans.”

Become a Master of Email Marketing https://www.digitalmarketer.com/certifications/email-marketing-mastery/

WORKSHOP: Email Follow-up Machine https://www.digitalmarketer.com/workshop/the-new-email-follow-up-machine/

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Ultimate Email Subject Line Swipe File https://www.digitalmarketer.com/lp/ultimate-email-subject-line-swipe-file/

The post Why Email Marketing Matters for Monetization with Alex Cattoni [VIDEO] appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Imagine your email marketing is like a little fire and this little fire is great. It keeps you warm, keeps you happy. Much like your typical email marketing campaign. It works, does the job, still effective here and there. You get some wins.

But deep down you’re like, I want a larger fire! One that people want to crowd around and read. I want my email marketing campaign to take off like a rocket and amazing tons of people!

Well, that’s what adding video to your email marketing campaign will do.

Embedding a video to the body of your email does so many amazing things!

Here are 3 things to do to your video in your email marketing campaigns that are really going to help them catch fire!

• Include “video” in your subject line. Why? Adding the word “video” in your subject line boost open rates by 19%!

• Add a clickable animated GIF with a play button so it tells the person, that this is a video just for them. Do not just do a still image. 

• Use the video you create in your email message to drive home the value proposition of what is being communicated in that email, let that video take your customer down the sales funnel you want them to go down. 

On top of that, studies show that if someone watches a video about a product or service they are 50% more likely to buy it.

The world’s best marketers are leveraging video in their email marketing, it’s time that you do it for yourself and for your clients. 

If you’re like most people, you might be wondering, how in the world do I even begin to do this? I don’t have the time to…

• Record a video
• Upload it and host the video somewhere
• Create an animated GIF
• Add that to the email
• Hyperlink it to a landing page were the video lives

I get it, that’s why Magnfi does that for you like “snap” and you can have it all branded to your agency for your own in-house video service offering. Check out our white label option at Magnfi.com.

The post Video is Rocket Fuel for Email Marketing appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Creating an email strategy feels like you’ll need a whiteboard, 5 different colored pens, your entire team, and 4 cups of coffee each.

It feels like a *big* task—something that your team needs to work on at *just* the right moment. 

We have some news for you…it’s actually the opposite. An email marketing strategy is less about an over-the-top, “started from the bottom now we’re here,” type of strategy and more about taking one step forward. Then, another. And, another.

There are 5 steps to creating an email strategy that encompasses your organic, newsletter content (that isn’t overly promotional), and your promotional content (that sells products).

And each one can be situated within a week (maximum!).

Your email marketing strategy doesn’t have to wait until things slow down, you “know more,” or you’re finally ready. It just requires taking the first step…choosing your type of newsletter.

Step 1: Choose Your Type of Newsletter

Our favorite part of email marketing is the relationship we can build with our audience without selling them anything. Using a weekly newsletter, we can create 52 touchpoints a year with our subscribers with the goal of giving them useful marketing information that helps their launches, campaigns, and business endeavors.

There are 4 types of newsletters to choose from:

#1: “Letter-from-the-editor” or “Featured Article” Style

This type of newsletter is best suited for: 

• Brands with something to say and/or points to make
• Companies wanting to take a stance on something happening in their industry (have an opinion, provide tactical advice, etc.)
• Businesses willing to dedicate more resources and time to create a valuable newsletter

#2: “Link” or “Curated Content” Style

This type of newsletter is best suited for: 

• Brands and businesses who want to provide quick value to their customers
• Companies strapped for time and people power

#3: “Blog” Style

This type of newsletter is best suited for: 

• Brands with a dedicated blog and/or content repository
• Companies that want to drive A LOT of traffic to their content

#4: “Hustle” Style

This type of newsletter is best suited for: 

• Brands with a dedicated content team that can really put pen to paper
• Companies that are big on the affiliate side of marketing
• Businesses that want to establish themselves as THE AUTHORITY in their industry

Action: Choose the type of newsletter you’ll send out on a regular basis (1-3x per week). If you’re having trouble deciding what your audience would like most, ask them!

Step 2: Create an Editorial Calendar for Promotional Content

Your promotional calendar is a big part of your email marketing strategy. We’re not saying you need to have your entire year planned out without any room for flexibility. You just need at least 3 months of a *decently* solid idea of what you’ll be promoting. Of course, as those weeks play out and if anything needs to shift, you can. But, your promotional calendar shows you what you have coming up and where your organic content can help you with campaigns.

Not only will our promotional content (email campaigns with copy specific to purchasing the Digital Mastery Certification) cover the offer, but we can also add it into our organic content.

The DigitalMarketer Insider newsletter can support this promotion by talking about the importance of being a T-Shaped marketer and linking out to our article explaining what it is and why marketers should care.

Action: Create a promotional calendar, so you know when offers and products are launching. Then, use that calendar to correlate your organic content with those offers and products to help support your campaigns.

Step 3: Schedule When Your Emails Will Go Live

Remember, your email marketing strategy is just as much about nurturing your audience as it is about selling your products. Here’s the rule of thumb we like to follow: publish a newsletter consistently (1-3x/week) and only run 3x promotional offers per month. If you run more than that, you’ll “fatigue” your email audience. This means they’re so bombarded with promotions and offers that they start to delete your emails the second they show up in their inbox.

Your open rates decrease, your click-through rates are minuscule, and your profits suffer. 

Since this is the worst-case scenario in email marketing, you need a plan to avoid it. That’s why you’ll schedule when your emails go live for your newsletter and promotional content.

For example, let’s say you have a weekly newsletter that goes out every Monday. You have 3 offers you’ll promote between November 29th-December 31st, and you have 3 emails per offer for a total of 9 promotion emails. 

These are general numbers, though. You can send more (or less) promotional emails depending on how many promotions you’re selling, when the final purchase date is, and how your campaign is doing (poorly = send more emails).

Action: Create an email calendar that shows when each email you plan to send each month will go live. You can also use this calendar to figure out when to have newsletter content, and promotional copy written, edited, and uploaded to your email platform.

Bonus Tip: Make sure you have someone on your team dedicated to email. It’ll be their job to make sure newsletters go out on time and promotional copy is written and scheduled for campaigns. This is the *only* way to avoid email falling through the cracks and reaching Q3 of 2022 and wondering what happened.

Step 4: Use Email for Market Research

In 2021, we lost a lot of data thanks to Apple’s iOS 14 privacy changes. This isn’t a bad thing (people should be aware and able to choose where their data is shared), but it did require a pivot in marketing. Instead of relying on third-parties to capture and use data in our campaigns for us—we need to start doing it ourselves.

And email marketing is the perfect place to start. Your email audience is more than hot leads. They’re a direct connection to your customer avatar and what they’re thinking, feeling, and looking for when it comes to your brand and products. They can tell you what type of newsletter they’re looking for, the products they want you to create, and how they feel about your current email strategy.

But, you have to ask them first.

Use your email platform to ask your subscribers market research questions. Now, here’s where we create an email marketing strategy out of this. Tag the subscribers based on their answers, build funnels for your specific products related to their interests, and send subscribers down funnels for products they actually care about. 

Or, as your promotional calendar starts rolling out, you now have lists of subscribers interested in those products or topics. Let’s say we surveyed our email subscribers and asked what they were struggling with the most and one of the answers was SEO. Every subscriber who answered SEO could be sent a DigitalMarketer Insider personalized to help them learn more about SEO, with content like this:

Action: Personalize your email strategy by surveying your audience to see what they’re most interested in and sending topic/product-specific content and funnels based on their answers.

Step 5: Test, Optimize, and Stay Flexible

If there’s one piece of overarching marketing advice that any business could take and apply, this is it. Marketing is all about testing, optimizing, and staying flexible. Great marketing plans aren’t written in stone. They’re adapted as needed based on the story the metrics tell them.

For example, if you start sending out an email newsletter with 4 curated links every week and your open rate goes from 30% to 10%—there’s a problem. Your audience doesn’t want curated links…they’re looking for something else. This is your sign to ask them what they’d like to see more of and integrate that into your upcoming emails.

Every year we take a look at our best performing email subject lines to figure out where we could do better and which subject lines to leave behind in the new year.

Action (Test): Try out different sections in your newsletter to see what your audience loves the most (keep tabs by looking at open rates and click-through rates on links in that specific section).

Action (Optimize): Ask your subscribers what they’d like to see more of through market research and tags, and pay attention to what topics get the most opens and clicks.

Action (Stay Flexible): Don’t take it personally if the marketing strategy you created doesn’t work out the way you’d hoped. Stay flexible and change it based on the new data you have. 

Email Strategy is a ‘One Step at a Time’ Game

Each step of creating your email strategy takes a week—maximum. That assumes your team is completely bogged down with other work and only has a minimum amount of time to put towards it. 

If your team has remotely a decent amount of time to allocate to your email marketing strategy, you’ll have it live in less than a month. And you don’t even have to feel overwhelmed by the process, because email strategy is a ‘one step at a time’ game. 

Step 1: Choose Your Type of Newsletter

Step 2: Create an Editorial Calendar for Promotional Content

Step 3: Schedule When Your Emails Will Go Live

Step 4: Use Email for Market Research

Step 5: Test, Optimize, and Stay Flexible

Once you’ve gone through these 5 steps, the next step is creating an Email Indoctrination Series that introduces your brand to your subscribers, tells them what to expect from your emails, and gives them a free gift. 

Ryan Deiss, CEO of DigitalMarketer, teaches the 10-Point Indoctrination Email Playbook: How to Welcome New Email Subscribers inside of DigitalMarketer Lab. Get access to the 10-Point Indoctrination Email Playbook, and Insider Trainings, Workshops, and Playbooks covering marketing topics like:

• Email marketing
• Building out your agency
• Copywriting
• And more…

The post How to Create An Email Strategy appeared first on DigitalMarketer.