Email marketing can be a powerful tool for startups looking to develop greater brand awareness, connect with potential customers, and drive revenue in the modern age. Using a well-made email marketing strategy, startups can reach a wide audience and build lasting relationships with customers.
In this article, we’ll explore the key benefits of email marketing – particularly for startups – as well as some of the best practices and tips for creating effective email campaigns that encourage customers to engage with the brand on a consistent basis.
Email Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing for Startups
Email marketing is important for the online climate, because it offers several unique benefits that are especially valuable to businesses that are just starting out. Here are reasons why email marketing may be even more beneficial for startups than traditional marketing channels:
- Cost-effective: Email marketing is a cost-effective way for startups to reach a large audience without breaking the bank. Unlike traditional marketing channels, such as print, radio, and television ads, email marketing is relatively inexpensive and can be done on a tight budget. Even one-person startups can easily manage a professional but straightforward campaign with a couple dedicated hours.
- Targeted: Email marketing allows startups to target their message to specific audiences, based on demographics, interests, and behavior. This means that startups can tailor their message to the people most likely to be interested in their products and services. This saves both time, money, and rocky first beginnings with your marketing.
- Measurable: Email marketing is highly measurable, allowing startups to track the performance of their campaigns in real-time. By tracking open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, startups can optimize their campaigns for better results – as well as get a better idea of how their target audiences behave.
- Builds relationships: Email marketing is a great way for startups to build relationships with their audience by providing personalized communication. It’s a direct channel, tailored specifically to customers or viewers who opt in. This hones your marketing campaign and helps develop a personality for your brand.
- Increases brand awareness: Email marketing can help startups increase their brand awareness by giving their customers frequent updates and news. This helps to foster a more authentic and effective connection, as well as get customers excited about your growth.
What Kinds of Emails Should a Startup Send Customers?
Startups can use a variety of email marketing campaigns to reach their target audience and drive business growth. Here are the best examples:
Welcome series
A welcome series is a sequence of emails that are sent out to new subscribers after they sign up for a startup’s email list. This series of emails can help introduce the startup’s brand, products or services, and provide valuable information to the new subscriber. For example, a startup selling fitness products might send a welcome series that includes information on healthy living, nutrition, and exercise tips. This not only encourages the reader to explore the brand further, but helps to establish it as a rising authority in the industry.
Newsletter
A regular newsletter can be a powerful way for startups to engage with their audience and keep them informed about company news, updates, and promotions. For example, a startup selling sustainable products might send a monthly newsletter that includes information on new product launches, company events, and sustainability tips. This provides added value to the customer, while also keeping startups in their audience’s eye consistently.
Abandoned cart emails
If a potential customer adds items to their online shopping cart but doesn’t complete the purchase, the company can send an abandoned cart email to remind them of their abandoned cart and offer incentives to complete the purchase. For example, a startup selling beauty products might send an abandoned cart email that includes a discount code to incentivize the customer to complete buying lipstick or perfume. This promotes better sales, and lets the customer know that the brand is engaged with them.
Product launch emails
When a startup launches a new product or service, they can send an email to their audience to promote the new offering and generate excitement. For example, a startup launching a new mobile app might send an email announcing the launch and highlighting some of the key features of the app. This can be more direct and focused than press releases on other social media, and raise the chance of your audience actually seeing the news.
Best Practices for Email Marketing
Here are great email marketing practices that startups can follow to create effective email campaigns and maximize their impact:
- Build a quality email list: Startups should focus on building a quality email list of subscribers who are interested in their brand, products, or services. This can be achieved by using opt-in forms, offering incentives for signing up, and leveraging social media channels. Companies should never buy emails lists, as this can ruin their sender reputation and get their content viewed as spam.
- Segment the email list: Startups should segment their email list based on demographics, behavior, and preferences, to ensure that the right message reaches the right audience.
- Use clear and concise subject lines: The subject line is the first thing subscribers see and it can determine whether or not they open the email. Startups should use clear and concise subject lines that accurately reflect the content of the email. The more legitimate, straightforward, and non-spammy you appear, the better.
- Use a personalized and conversational tone: Startups should use a personalized and conversational tone in their emails to build a relationship with their subscribers and make them feel valued. After all, you’re developing your brand image with a captive audience, not just messaging people at random.
- Create mobile-responsive emails: With more and more people accessing emails on mobile devices, startups should focus on creating emails that are optimized for different screen sizes and devices.
- Include a clear call-to-action: Every email should include a clear and prominent call-to-action (CTA) that encourages subscribers to take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.
- Frequently test campaigns: Startups should constantly test and optimize their email campaigns, including subject lines, CTAs, and email design, to improve their metrics.
These tactics can help you develop a successful email marketing campaign, even when your business is just starting out.
