How To Write An Inbound Email Marketing Workflow
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Writing an effective inbound email marketing workflow might seem like an easy task, but it actually requires a fair amount of expertise and skill to make it right. Luckily, there are just some basic things you need to learn about to be able to get started. Hence, here’s how to write an inbound email marketing workflow.
1. Plan Everything Out
First and foremost, you obviously need to plan out everything wisely. Don’t just jump at the opportunity and start doing whatever you know how to do in email marketing. Instead, try to have at least some kind of plan ready so you can follow it as you start marketing through email. Here are some tips:
- Understand What Inbound Marketing Is: Outbound email marketing is about reaching out to your potential customers while inbound email marketing is when they reach out to you.
- Consider Your Current and Required Resources: Estimate how much money and resources you have right now and how much you will need to make your email marketing plans come true.
- Be Prepared for Unexpected Situations: Even as you plan your every move, there will still be some unexpected situations that you need to be prepared for at least to some degree. Thus, being flexible is a must.
2. Customize Pop-Ups
The first thing you will need to do is start automating email newsletter subscriptions. One way to do this is by customizing the pop-ups on your website that will incentivize your site viewers to leave their email and get on your mailing list. Of course, there are some things you should remember when creating the pop-ups:
- Make them short and simple. You don’t need to have a lot of text on them because it probably won’t be read anyway.
- Add a call to action to explain what the pop-up is about and what you want from your site visitor.
- Place the close button appropriately. It should be easy to close the pop-up if needed.
- Keep the design similar to that of your website. The pop-up shouldn’t stand out like it was made by an amateur.
- Don’t irritate your viewers by making the pop-up show up too often. Once per page will be more than enough.
3. Host Contests and Giveaways
Another interesting way to automate the process of email address collection is by hosting contests and giveaways. One of the rules you include for your contests and giveaways should be email submission making all of the participants to provide you with their emails. This way, you will be able to grow your mailing list almost effortlessly.
4. Segment Your Target Audience
Though it may seem like something you only need for your general digital marketing campaigns, target audience segmentation is actually necessary for email marketing too. Dividing your audience into different groups will allow you to personalize your emails better and provide your subscribers with the most relevant content.
For example, someone who gave you their email to participate in your giveaway will have different interests than someone who subscribed to your newsletter directly through your website. Moreover, you can segment those getting on your mailing list through your site by asking them what kind of content they would like to receive (e.g. promotional content vs sale and discount alerts).
5. Welcome New Subscribers
Once you do get new subscribers, you will need to make sure to welcome them properly. This is quite simple and can actually be combined with your confirmation emails telling your new subscribers that they have successfully gotten on your mailing list.
So, for instance, the email confirming the person’s subscription to your newsletter can also have a welcome message in it. Alternatively, you can separate the two and send a welcome message absolutely separately.
6. Send Out Promotional Content
Once you have a mailing list of a big enough size, you can start sending out emails – particularly with promotional content. Such content will probably need to be the basis for your campaigns as it is meant to promote your brand and products.
As Wanda York from the writing service reviews site, Best Writers Online says, “It’s important not to go overboard with promotional content because it can quickly get on the nerves of your audience. But if done right, promotional content can be quite helpful for your audience and effective for you.”
7. Work on Your Emails
One thing many marketers and business owners forget is that it’s important to work on the emails themselves. You could be working on a marketing podcast right now which requires a lot of your attention, but it’s crucial to remember that all of your marketing efforts need to be coordinated and all of your resources need to be divided appropriately.
Try to make your emails shorter. You can add links to longer articles on your website or blog, but don’t try to overload your emails with information. In addition to that, work on your subject lines and stick to a particular formatting style. Shorter and to-the-point subject lines will get the attention of your audience faster while consistency in formatting will create a visual association for your brand.
8. Schedule Campaigns
Last but not least, it is never a good idea to just send out your email marketing campaigns at any time. You need to schedule all of your campaigns to make sure that everything is sent out at an appropriate time for your target audience.
Moreover, it’s better to align your email marketing campaign with your other digital marketing campaigns or at least keep in mind what your promotional or marketing actions are on other platforms. This way, you will be able to create even more powerful digital marketing campaigns.
Final Thoughts
All in all, launching effective inbound email marketing campaigns is possible once you get a little bit more confident in your abilities and learn the basic skills needed to get started. Use the tips in this article to guide you and help you create an efficient inbound email marketing workflow.