Email Marketing Services: 10 Ways to Start Your Own Business
Email marketing can be an effective and cost-efficient way to generate leads and sales, but many business owners don’t know where to start when it comes to setting up an email marketing strategy. These 10 steps will help you set up your own email marketing services business that generates leads and increases revenue, whether you want to run it as a side business or incorporate it into your larger business plan.
Research Email Service providers
One of the first steps in starting an Email marketing services business is deciding what software you’ll use. There are a variety of companies that offer Email management and/or delivery, including well-known names like MailChimp and Constant Contact. The right one for you will depend on your specific needs and budget; if you’re just getting started, you may want to opt for a free or freemium service until your business grows enough to warrant investing in full functionality. Once you choose a provider, there are several factors to consider when selecting your package. Among them:
A) How many emails can I send per month?
B) How many contacts can I import?
C) What type of analytics do they provide?
D) Do they have customer support?
E) Is it easy to set up campaigns? F) Is it easy to create templates and manage content?
Consider Software and Apps
There are many tools out there that can help you start a business from home. Some of these tools include MailChimp, Constant Contact, and Sendgrid. These tools can be helpful for sending newsletters, promotions, follow-ups, etc. Having an app like Boomerang for Gmail is also very useful because it allows you to schedule emails to send later on. This way, you don’t have to worry about forgetting an email or losing track of which ones you’ve sent. You can even use Google Calendar to keep track of your meetings and appointments. When it comes to software, I highly recommend creating a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system so you can keep track of your leads. If they haven’t responded after two weeks, move them over to another category so you know not to contact them again.
Choose Content Management Systems
A content management system (CMS) is a software tool for managing content that you want displayed on your website. Content management systems are often used for building web pages, blogs, and online stores. There are several different types of CMSs available, including WordPress, Drupal, Joomla!, and more. When choosing a CMS for your business, consider how much control you want over design elements like logos and colors as well as how easy it will be to update in-house.
Define a Targeted Audience
To develop an effective email marketing strategy, you first need to think about who your target customers are. These days, there’s a huge variety of tools you can use to figure out who your ideal customer is—whether it’s Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel. Once you know who they are, make sure that all of your messaging and content reflects their needs and interests. If you don’t have a clear picture in mind, try talking to people in your network and asking them what they want and need from an email marketing service provider. You might be surprised by how specific some of their answers are! In addition to understanding your target audience, think about what type of value you can offer them—in other words, why should they choose you over another company? This information will help inform everything else on your list.
Pick Right Email Service provider
Choosing a reliable email service provider (ESP) is an important decision for your business. If you choose one that limits how many emails you can send, it could hinder your growth. In contrast, if you pick one that doesn’t have enough storage space or doesn’t allow images in your emails, you may run into problems with deliverability—meaning subscribers might not receive them in their inboxes.
Draft an Effective Sales Page
Sales pages help describe your product or service, outline its benefits and call-to-action. Sales pages are often written as part of a larger marketing plan. Consider writing your sales page as an appendix or postscript in your business plan, or include it as a standalone marketing piece to accompany your formal plan. If you’re not sure where to start, there are numerous templates available online that can give you ideas on how to structure your sales page. It’s also important to remember that what works for one business might not work for another; it all depends on your target audience and industry. For example, if you sell adult toys online, you might want to be more explicit about what customers will receive than if you sold children’s toys online.
Set Up an Analytics Account
Make sure you’re tracking your emails. If you’re planning on sending out a bunch of emails and then wondering why they aren’t working, consider Google Analytics. It tracks every page on your website and helps show you exactly where people are going, how long they’re staying there, what they click on, and more. Check out How To Track Every Email You Send With Google Analytics In 5 Minutes Or Less! for a step-by-step guide.
Know your goal for writing an email
Different companies have different goals for email marketing. If you’re sending emails to existing customers, your goal is probably building long-term relationships or encouraging loyalty. If you’re looking for new customers, your goal might be more immediate—and more transactional, such as generating sales leads.
Create Lead Capture Pages
Creating lead capture pages is a popular marketing strategy for businesses looking to capture leads through their website. Not only does it give you a way to generate new business, but also gives you an easy way to collect information about your visitors that can be used later on in sales and product development efforts. Here are some ways to get started with lead capture pages.
Write effective emails.
Email marketing is one of your most valuable tools as a small business owner. If you’re new to email marketing, take time to research best practices, including subject lines, send times and whether you should be using both text and HTML emails. Hire a professional designer to create a clean look for your emails so they are easy on customers’ eyes and enticing enough that they click through. Post links on your website directing customers to sign up for your newsletter or mailing list via email.
