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Email has been around for over five decades and its importance continues to grow. Not only do we use it extensively at work, but it has proven its effectiveness time and time again as a marketing channel.
By 2027, email marketing revenue will grow to $17.1 billion, predicts a report from Statista. So it's no wonder that 69% of marketers use email to distribute content, increase brand loyalty, and boost sales.
As a startup founder, you may be wondering how you can achieve the same success. Maybe you're nervous about launching or haven't seen great results with your first campaigns. With a clear and strong strategy, you can overcome those nervousness with confidence and press send.
Here's how to improve your approach and avoid pitfalls when planning email marketing campaigns for your startup.
1. Define your goal
Before you start, define what you want to achieve with your email marketing—whether it's increasing website traffic, raising brand awareness, or increasing sales. A goal will give you more clarity on next steps and how you'll measure success.
Related: Increase your brand awareness with these groundbreaking PR tools
2. Build your email list
It's time to build your email list and make sure it's ready for outreach. Don't worry if your database is small – many startups see high engagement with smaller databases. More important than the size of your list is its quality. Have all of your subscribers opted in to receive emails from you? You want to reach an audience that expects to hear from your startup.
3. Check your contacts again
Aside from getting your subscribers' consent to send emails, a high-quality list also means that those subscribers are genuine and their contact details are accurate. Bounces on your newsletters and campaigns negatively affect your reputation with inbox providers. To avoid this, use an email verification service to validate your list before your emails are sent.
Related: How to manage your email list like a pro
4. Segment, segment, segment
Having an opt-in email list full of content will put you one step ahead of many of your competitors. Next, to further refine your approach, analyze your customers and prospects to figure out how to segment them into separate groups. Start with one or two filters, such as one-time buyers and repeat buyers, and then specialize further. To increase engagement, send these groups emails that gently encourage them to try more of your products.
5. Choose a good email marketing platform
Now that your lists are ready, it's time to choose a service to send your emails. As a startup owner, you may not want to spend too much, but this is an area where you shouldn't cut corners. Your email marketing platform should allow you to streamline your efforts and – most importantly – ensure high email deliverability so your campaigns reach your audience. Choose a reputable company.
6. Test your emails for mobile
Some emails may look great on desktop but have errors on mobile, which can cause your audience to immediately tune out. To keep people's attention, use a testing tool to point out any issues so you can fix them in advance. Test your emails with your team, too. Aside from uncovering errors, their feedback can help you continue to improve your content.
7. Don’t hesitate – press “Send”
If your list is in order, you've found a reliable platform to send emails to, and you're proud of your content, it's time to hit send. Startup owners and marketers often put off this big step because they're nervous about customer feedback. But procrastinating and fretting over the smallest details will only increase your nervousness. Send your email so you can get that initial feedback and learn how to improve.
8. Show up as promised
This is probably the best email marketing habit you can adopt for your startup. Sending an email here and there won't make a huge difference to your business. Checking in with your subscribers on a regular basis will. What's more, sending emails regularly also gives you the opportunity to see exactly what your audience responds to the most – so you can focus your future campaigns on that.
Related: 11 Email Marketing Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
9. Make each email better than the last
While reaching your audience regularly via email is critical to your success, you must also strive to maintain and improve the quality of the content. Here's how to keep increasing your metrics: 47% of consumers open a branded email primarily because they always receive good emails from that brand. So avoid sending an email just because it's due. Instead, work with your team to make every email count.
10. Partner with other startups
Partnering with other companies for co-marketing initiatives has been one of the best ways to grow my own startup, ZeroBounce. My team and I continue to pursue these types of engagements because they help us reach new audiences. Reach out to companies in your industry and propose a partnership, including a cross-promotion via email. This will help you gain exposure and even gain new subscribers.
11. Stay up to date with email sending rules
The email industry has seen a lot of changes in the past few years—from Apple's release of the Mail Privacy Protection update to Google and Yahoo enforcing new sending rules. To get great email marketing results for your startup, you'll want to stay on top of similar updates. For example, major email service providers now require email authentication from senders who reach more than 5,000 subscribers daily. Following the rules ensures you follow these protocols and helps you land your campaigns in the inbox and increase revenue.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
