Follow the best email marketing strategies

Your own experience surely proves that we live in a social world. Every day, you interact in real time with people all over the world.

With social media playing a significant role, a large majority of marketing experts have predicted the end of email.

Does this spell the end of email marketing?

In our opinion, no. Email marketing is still relevant. As an example, DigitalMarketer generated over 20 million in revenue from email marketing alone.

Regardless of the rumors, email is not yet obsolete and if you know how to exploit it, it will allow you to increase your audience exponentially.

So we're going to look at the basics of email marketing, as well as strategies, statistical indicators, jargon to know and which members of your team may be qualified to do email marketing.

First, let's look at how email fits into a growing business.

Email marketing is a multifunctional tool. It can be used for branding, engagement, acquisition, retention, sales, activation, referrals or traffic generation.

It is essential to understand why we use email marketing. It's not for profit or growth directly.

Of course, the end goal of email marketing is both profit and growth, but the specific goal of each email is to move the consumer from one stage to the next in their journey.

Let's talk about the "customer journey".

Think of it as a journey your customers will take as they learn more about you. On the bottom left corner, they will start to notice you, but when they get to the top right corner, they know you and are telling their friends and family about how you have improved their lives. Email marketing seeks to move customers from one box to the other.

This circuit, from awareness of your existence, through conversion and on to referral, is the desired customer journey. As the customer moves through this circuit, their value also increases, bringing benefits and stability to your business.

Email allows you to help your customer through this journey, if you understand the methods that work.

Email marketing isn't just about sending an email to your entire database every time you put a new item online or launch a new promotion.

Mastering email marketing requires an understanding of the different categories of emails you will use, how to plan for them, and the different strategies you will use to connect with your subscribers.

There are three main types of emails you can use as an email marketer.

• Transactional - to provide a service or inform a customer.
• Relational - to engage subscribers and keep in touch with them.
• Promotional - to create sales.

Each type of email provides a different interaction with your subscribers.

Email Type 1: Transactional emails

These are emails that are sent automatically, confirming actions taken by your potential and current customers.

The majority of transactional emails are templates proposed by the marketing systems we use. Note that the average revenue generated by a transactional email is 2 to 5 times higher than that of standard emails.

Here are the 8 sub-types of transactional emails you can use, along with tips to increase their effectiveness:

1- The order confirmation

Order confirmation emails have the highest open rate compared to other types of emails. If you think about it, this is because your recipient just got you money and wants more information about their purchase.

Most brands prefer not to optimize this type of email to develop growth. However, here's what Amazon is doing:

This email validates the purchase, sets expectations and closes the transaction. The customer is satisfied with their purchase, which means it's a good time to suggest a complementary offer or request a reference.

2- Purchase receipts

Inbound emails as well as confirmation emails have a high open rate, however they are less used to develop growth.

Why not also leave an offer?

3- Delivery alerts

The emails about product delivery are well received by consumers. They inform them that their order has been shipped and when it will be delivered.

This type of email usually has no impact on the customer journey.

However, this email allows you to remind the customer of their purchase and get them excited about the upcoming shipment. What else could you do to capitalize on this enthusiasm? Could you suggest that they tell their friends? To share on social networks?

4- Account creation

This email appears when the customer creates an account for new purchases.

As is the case with most transactional emails, this type of email is very little used. Yet, being part of a closed group is like receiving a gift. Your customers are enthusiastic and happy. Why not offer them to do something, to share their enthusiasm with their friends on social networks?

5- Confirmation of return

When you sell physical products and you receive a request for a product return, it's a great opportunity to offer them a deal or coupon. Even if the customer is not satisfied with the product and makes a return, they can be pleased with the quality of your customer service.

Your goal is to convince the customer again. You can offer them another product that meets their expectations or a promotional coupon.

6- Support requests

As is the case with return emails, follow-up emails for support requests offer you the opportunity to earn more points. You'll have no trouble asking a customer who received satisfactory support to share their experience or asking them to share their joy in exchange for a coupon.

7- Password reminders

In general, password reminder emails do not offer more than a link.

Why not take this opportunity to make an offer or to talk about an upcoming event?

8- Unsubscribe confirmations

This is a standard automatic email. Is it not possible to find a suitable offer for this type of email? What growth potential will this create for your business? What movement can you create in the customer journey?

This is the concept you need to develop in order to achieve success in email marketing.

You can see that with these emails, you don't have to make major changes to get more results. It only takes a few adjustments to have a significant impact.

Think about the emails you already send. Most of them are automatically generated by the system. This means that they are nothing more than generic messages.

• What can you bring to these emails to integrate people into your customer journey?
• What can you do to make your subscribers become referral partners, representatives or promoters of your brand?

Type of emails #2: Relational emails

Businesses that develop their leads through email generate 50% more leads that are ready to buy with an acquisition cost 33% lower than average.

Here are the 8 sub-types of relationship emails you can use to positively impact your business, whether digital or physical.

1- Welcome message to new subscribers

This type of email should be sent to each new subscriber. This message allows them to get to know your brand, show them what to expect, not to mention the benefits they can enjoy by being on your list.

2- Secure content delivery

Secure content is valuable information that cannot be accessed for free on the internet. To access this information, you must "pay" using your email address or social media account. Lead magnets and optional offers are usually free, in exchange for the visitor's email address.

This automated email offers the content that was requested, successfully concluding the transaction. As is the case with transactional email, there is enough space to creatively increase its value.

3- Newsletters / Blog post

Every time you create content, you should send an email to your list of subscribers. These emails can be short and simple, they should introduce the topic and provide a link to access the new content.

4- Confirmation of a webinar / event

This type of email is both relational and transactional. You have asked someone to make time for you and they have put you on their agenda. They have made a commitment to you and in return, you must confirm that commitment.

This is the conventional part of this operation. You will need to confirm the date, time and all important details of your meeting by email.

The following 4 types of relationship emails are the least used. However, they can be of great use to you in reaching out to your subscribers and moving them along the customer journey. You have:

5- Survey / Poll

Surveys allow you to learn about your customers' interests. They also help you segment them so you can tailor your offers to their needs and interests.

6- Updates and new features

Take the time to inform your subscribers about changes in your company or products. This will help you build interest in your brand and prepare your consumers for the changes.

7- Competitions

Contests create excitement and bring in new subscribers. However, you need to make sure that your current subscribers are the first to know. After all, they are probably your most engaged fans.

8- Request for reference

After every positive exchange with your subscribers, it's only natural to ask for a referral. Think new buyers, a problem solved, or just send a kind word 🙂

Relational emails, regardless of the reason for sending them, should be primarily "human". The content should be valuable. Be sure to mention the next steps while encouraging people to choose this option as soon as possible.

Type of email #3: Promotional emails

According to the Direct Marketing Association, 66% of consumers who made their purchase online were motivated by an email marketing. Certainly, promotional emails are an effective growth tool.

So let's discuss 8 types of promotional emails you can send.

1- Promotional content

Promotional content is considered valuable by your audience and it helps you trigger sales. This type of content should not be overused. It must be balanced with relational content to avoid blaming subscribers and to keep them interested in your brand.

2- Content to download

The purpose of the downloadable content is to collect new emails. Users must register their email address to receive the content to download. However, why not also send it to your current subscribers to keep them engaged?

3- Blitz sale

Sales announcements are more important than other types of emails. To increase your sales in a short period of time, announce a flash sale.

Work on the subject line of your email announcing the sale to make sure it gets opened!

4- New product

Your goal as an email marketer is to walk new subscribers through their journey and turn them into ambassadors for your brand.

Why is this?

So that they can promote your company and your products.

By informing them of your launches, they will feel closer to your brand and will be more likely to share your products with their friends.

You can also use these last 4 types of promotional emails to keep your subscribers informed and on track.

5- Webinar announcements

6- Event announcements

7- Trial offers

8- Upgrade offers

Now let's discuss the nuance between broadcast and automated emails.

Email service providers allow you to send your emails in two ways:

• Broadcast emails are sent to the entire list or to a segment of the list manually. They are effective for promotions and content emails.
• Automated emails are pre-scheduled to trigger when an action has been taken. The majority of your marketing emails (with the exception of promotions and content emails) should be automated.

Keep in mind: just because you CAN doesn't mean YOU SHOULD send a message.

You can send tailored messages, responding to the interests and priorities of your subscribers without wasting time by automating your emails. It will be a success for you and your subscribers.

Remember, the goal is to activate the customer journey. So be careful not to include too many emails in each phase so as not to slow down the overall customer process. Moderation and quality are key here!

Here are the 8 most used trigger events in email automation.

1- The new subscriber

When someone subscribes, you would like to automatically welcome and persuade them to make a good first impression

2- The "lead magnet" request

The majority of new subscribers will become part of your list when they opt-in to a lead magnet. Automated sending ensures a response within minutes of the request.

Remember that a new subscriber will launch two automations at the same time: the subscriber welcome message and the lead magnet sending.

3- Registration to an event

When someone registers for an event, schedule a confirmation email, offering them all the details they will need such as date, time and all access data.

4- Purchasing

It is the same process when someone makes a purchase, he would like to receive a confirmation of the success of his transaction. A purchase invoice is suitable for this purpose.

However, be aware that if the buyer is not yet a subscriber, their purchase can automatically launch the subscriber welcome message.

5- The click on a link in a segmentation campaign

Segmentation is an effective method that allows you to customize emails to the needs of each subscriber. For example, their action when clicking on a link in an email can be used to launch an engagement campaign. This way, people who are not interested in the topic will not receive the campaign. Not only do people care about your content, they care about your promotion.

6- Interest in your brand

Automating interest requests allows you to keep track of purchases as well as subscriber actions that show you that your brand is attracting their interest.

7- Abandoned shopping cart

Encouraging people to make a purchase when they hesitate is one of the easiest ways to increase a customer's value. When someone adds products to their cart, but doesn't decide to take action, a reminder email should be sent.

8- Reactivation in case of inaction / reactivation

Reactivation is a way to wake up subscribers who have stopped communicating with you.

Each of the key actions taken by the subscriber should trigger an email that encourages them to progress in their journey.

Understanding email synchronization

Do you want your subscribers to look forward to receiving your emails?

There are two possible approaches to achieve this goal: segmentation and synchronization of emails to match the customer journey.

Segmentation allows you to send emails to the people most likely to respond positively to a particular email, it allows personalization. No one notices a promotion that doesn't meet their expectations. People prefer when the emails they receive are addressed directly to them.

Synchronization is about understanding where your subscribers are on their customer journey. This allows you to send emails tailored to the stage they are in.

When you understand the stages of the customer journey, it will be easier to send the right message at the right time. Let's discuss the 5 stages of email marketing and the phases of the customer journey they correspond to.

1- The persuasion campaign

Definition: an automated campaign is sent immediately after someone signs up for your brand to introduce you and manage their expectations.

Customer journey step: Subscribe

Use this campaign to:

• 1- Welcome new subscribers
• 2- Talk to them about what they can expect.
• 3- Introduce them to what they need to do next in order to receive the greatest benefits from you and your brand.

This campaign is sent to new subscribers to establish your authority, help them understand the benefits you will bring to them in order to motivate them and generate their interest in you and your brand.

If you know how to convince them, they will start identifying your name in their inbox and will be curious about the content of your emails.

The scenario:

Step 1: Start by welcoming new subscribers by introducing them to your brand.

Step 2: Restate in 3-4 points the benefits they can enjoy as a subscriber. (This is important. If you can't detail the benefits of being a subscriber, how can you expect them to want to know more about the benefits of buying from you?)

Step 3: Introduce them to what they can expect, using this method: here's what we're going to do; here's what you should do after we do it.

For example:

• Two to three times a week, we're going to send you new digital marketing content and strategies. [Here's what we're going to do]When you get that email, read it and save it, because when you go to look for a strategy that works, you're going to be able to access that data. [Here's what you need to do after you do it].

Step 4: Promote whitelisting by suggesting something like:

The information we offer, even the free information, is very important and it would be a shame if you didn't receive it. So here is what I would like you to do:

• Add this email address to the white list. [Insert link to details].
• Create a folder where you can save all our emails.
• Do not automatically archive them. (Read them and use them to grow your business!)

Step 5: Showcase your best asset. Send them the "best" of you, detailing the content your current subscribers have most subscribed to. For example:

• Your most shared content, whether it's a video or a blog post
• Your most commented Facebook post
• A piece of content that has been positively criticized

Make your persuasive emails like a first date with your new subscriber. Introduce yourself with your best assets, share your best experiences and focus on building relationships with your new subscribers.

2- The engagement campaign

Definition: An automated, interest-based campaign is sent after your subscriber has made a particular decision to make a relevant offer (and sale) to your subscriber.

Stage of the customer journey: Convert and Incentivize

Use this campaign to:

• Convert subscribers into buyers by recommending actions to take

This campaign targets subscribers who have just signed up for your brand. For example, they may have visited a page or downloaded a lead magnet, but did not take the next step you suggested.

The goal of this campaign is to engage the subscriber, remind them of the positive action they have taken with you and mention the next logical step to take towards a purchase.

The scenario:

Step 1: Appreciate the action they just took

Step 2: Try to master the criticisms you know they feel. Don't just talk about tactical features and technical specifications. Talk about the concerns and emotions that are holding them back from making decisions.

Step 3: Indicate the next step to be taken, mention it clearly.

Step 4: Ask them to buy.

Email marketing is obviously about creating links with your subscribers. Right from the start, you need to communicate your expectations of the link. Since you ultimately want to convert your subscribers into customers, you should ask them for the purchase without hesitation.

3- The development campaign

Definition: An automated, interest-based campaign makes a compelling offer (and sale) to your subscriber immediately following their triggering behavior.

Stage of the journey: Incentivize and Develop

Use this campaign to:

• Facilitate and accelerate the recovery process
• Convert first-time buyers into multi-buyers by showing them the next step to take (or coaching them until they are willing to take that step).

With the exception of the engagement campaign, this campaign is automated as a result of an action taken by a subscriber, usually by a purchase. It presents the next step to take with your brand.

In most cases, it fills the gap in your process while improving your results.

You may find that each additional offer is a stopping point where your customers can decline and close your process. This step is designed to follow an offer, offer additional invitations to buy and control the refusals to buy.

The scenario:

Step 1: Start by referring to the action they just took (Avoid referring to actions they didn't take: "We noticed you didn't buy our main product, so I'm reintroducing it to you"). Compliment them. Appreciate their enthusiasm. Build on that positive energy.

Step 2: Speak up and control the rejections that might prevent them from taking the next step.

Step 3: Make the next step clear so they know what to do. Your goal is to convert casual buyers into multiple buyers. To do this, you need to identify the importance you bring to them, remind them of the benefits they will gain, and build their interest and excitement.

However, before you launch a sale immediately, you need to ask yourself these two important questions:

• QUESTION 1: What is the next step I want them to take?
• QUESTION 2: Is there any reason to believe that they are ready to take the next step?

These questions are very important because (believe it or not) they are not always easy to answer!

What do I mean by that?

Your offer should be consistent with the stage of the relationship. If you move too quickly or go too hard, your subscribers may feel embarrassed and walk away.

If they don't feel ready to take the next step, don't push it. Walk with these subscribers until they feel ready, then launch your offer.

4- The segmentation campaign

Definition: a manual promotional campaign is sent to your entire database with the objective of segmenting your subscribers according to their convenience.

Customer journey stage: All

Use this campaign to:

• Engage subscribers who are already "in the thick of it" in the value chain.
• Guide them to divide themselves according to their current interests.

This is one of the email campaigns that are not automated and launched as a result of a subscriber's action. Instead, you run this promotion on your entire database (or on a large segment) to segment your subscribers according to their preferences.

You want your subscribers to say loud and clear, "Yes, I'm interested in this topic." And when they take that action, your engagement campaign needs to be ready to talk to them again.

The goal is: send more emails to people who are engaged in your campaign and a little less emails to those who are less responsive to your campaign.

This approach may seem impulsive, but it works because it shows that you are listening to them. And from our experience:

• If you listen to your subscribers, they are willing to spend more.
• If you listen to their expectations, they will be more responsive to your brand.

Ideas for segmentation campaigns:

Idea 1: Use content to segment your list: blog posts, video or confidential content. Then, if someone engages with that content by showing interest in the topic, send them an engagement campaign with promotional content focused on that topic.

Idea 2: Use special offers: coupons, flash sales or special promotions. These time-sensitive offers give people a reason to take immediate action. This allows you to accelerate their value journey.

Idea 3: Use events: webinars, demonstrations, workshops or even one-on-one phone calls. As they say, time is money. After committing time to attend an event, people are more likely to put their money in.

5- The re-engagement campaign

Definition: An automated campaign that is designed to re-engage any subscriber who has not viewed or clicked on an email within the last 30-60 days.

Customer Journey Stage: Everything

Use this campaign to:

• Call inactive subscribers and ask them to resume communication through your emails.
• Get them interested in you and your brand again.

In practice, not everyone will be interested in your emails. Wherever they are on the customer journey, your subscribers are likely to become inactive.

What is it?

You send a re-engagement campaign designed to restore their interest and get them to view and click on your emails again.

The scenario:

Step 1: Detect your inactive subscribers - anyone who has not clicked on an email in the last 30-60 days.

Step 2: Offer them a good reason to resubscribe to your emails. For example, you can opt for the direct approach and ask them if everything is going well:

• I noticed you hadn't checked or clicked on my emails and just wanted to ask, "Is everything okay?"

Step 3: Remind them what they can benefit from as a subscriber.

Step 4: Tell them what they missed. As you do in a persuasion campaign, send them some of your best content.

If this campaign is successful, you will have re-engaged your inactive subscribers and hopefully get them back on track.

What if it doesn't work?

It's easy. Don't send them any more emails.

Inactive subscribers only increase your costs and hurt the quality of your broadcast. They are also the most likely to complain about your emails in their inbox.

So there's no need to feel guilty. Just clean up your subscriber list regularly.

The 5 types of email campaigns we've just seen will allow you to sign up your subscribers at every step along the way. However, it's important to remember that your goal is not just to get people to engage.

Email marketing allows your subscribers to move quickly from one step to the next in the journey.

In general, this journey begins when someone notices your brand and chooses to subscribe. Once this happens, your tasks are to:

• Convert your new subscriber into a customer.
• Have fun with the brand.
• Improve their experience by getting them to buy more value-added products.
• Make him your representative.
• Convert it into a promoter.

The 5 campaigns we've reviewed will help you achieve each of these goals and quickly convert new subscribers into active promoters.

Sending the right emails to the right people at the right time is an important aspect of email marketing. In order to maximize your efforts, it is imperative to also measure your results.

Here are the most effective performance indicators that will help you better manage your email marketing.

Growth data

For this evaluation, you want to have the number of new subscribers compared to the number of unsubscribes. As you can imagine, you would like the ratio to be positive.

Delivery rate

This is the percentage of messages sent to the recipient's inbox compared to the number of emails sent. Aim for a delivery rate of over 95%.

The opening rate

This is the percentage of messages viewed by the recipient compared to the number of emails sent.

The click-through rate (CTR)

The percentage of emails clicked compared to the number of emails sent or, in some cases, compared to the number of emails opened by the recipient.

The churn rate

The percentage of emails resulting in unsubscribes compared to the number of emails sent.

The complaint rate

The percentage of emails marked as spam, compared to the number of emails sent.

TIP: You will have an increase in your email delivery rate if there is an increase in your open rate and click-through rates and at the same time a reduction in your unsubscribe rates.

That's why we support segmented email campaigns that target people at a particular stage of the value journey. Our email marketing approach is strategically designed to drive views and clicks while reducing unsubscribes.

What jargons do you need to know as an email marketer?

The customer journey

It's also known as the value journey. The development of a relationship with a prospect that leads them on a path of getting to know your company, your products and your brand.

Broadcast email

This is an email sent to all subscribers, to the mailbox, or to part of your subscriber list.

Automated email

An email sent automatically when a customer or prospect performs a particular action. For example, a suitable offer may be sent to a person who has filled out a form.

Promotional calendar

These are 30- and 90-day calendars that include planning for email campaigns that will move a customer step-by-step through the customer journey.

Email Storyboarding

The process of planning the structure, timing and content of an email campaign.

Who in your organization should be trained in email marketing?

Three different departments should be qualified and understand the role of email.

Marketing

Every marketing professional should know how to leverage email marketing to improve leads. To be more specific, this is especially true of your monetization team.

Sales

It is one of the most effective ways to create trade.

Editorial

Your editorial team will turn to email to share the content they create and add value to subscribers on an ongoing basis.

Email marketing can generate the best return on investment of all marketing activities. However, most companies don't pay much attention to it (or ignore it altogether).

Email is foolproof when you pair it with your content and advertising campaigns to guide your new subscribers, nurture relationships and move them quickly through the customer journey.

Mastering the techniques we've discussed in this chapter may take a little longer than you think, but it's worth it. Email marketing will improve growth, unlike any other strategy.