Email marketing tactics and suggestions for effective campaigns

How long has email marketing been around?

Depending on your source, Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971 or 1978, ushering in the contemporary era of communication. The message was unremarkable—just a string of numbers and letters that appeared more like a password than a communication—but it was profound in its significance.

The email was transmitted from one computer to another through a system of machines like the current internet. Moreover, Tomlinson invented the "@" sign for use in email addresses.

Years later, Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corp, sent the first promotional email to a list of email addresses. Email marketing was therefore born. Even though there were just a few hundred persons on the list, Thuerk was nevertheless able to lay claim to the title of "Father of Spam."

There's no denying the influence that a well-crafted message can have on your customers, not to mention the impact CRM and lead nurturing can have. Nowadays, we are overwhelmed with email marketing campaigns, and yes, some of it still feels spammy. According to estimates, there will be 4.6 billion email subscribers worldwide by 2025.

"Ease of use is the main advantage of Mailchimp's email builder. We can simply make emails appear and feel like an extension of our website by fast loading in our color scheme and our brand typography.

Nick Sapia, Alps & Meters' chief digital officer Discover how he sends emails that are consistent with his brand using Mailchimp.

Is email marketing effective?

Email marketing is one of the most economically efficient ways to spread the word about your business or make a sale. 

According to a 2015 DMA survey, email provides an average $38 return on investment for every $1 spent (ROI). Customers frequently check their favorite retailers' emails when they are prepared to make a purchase.

But, as email usage increases, it might be difficult to stand out in overflowing inboxes. Mailchimp provides you with the tools you need to stand out and create successful email marketing campaigns (plus, we have lots of tried-and-true suggestions on sending exceptional emails). For additional information on why email marketing is effective, see our email marketing statistics by industry.

Where can I find an email list?

When you create and manage an active subscriber list made up of people who are interested in receiving your messages, you'll see the best return on investment (and who opted in on purpose). Mailchimp lists include built-in features to assist you along the road, even though creating a clean list can need more work at the beginning of your email marketing campaign.

There are many techniques to locate folks who will eagerly anticipate receiving your emails, but we've selected a few that are most effective.

Create an email list by:

• Add a registration form to your website. People will desire a means to stay informed about your business if they visit your website for the first time and enjoy what they see. Build a sign-up form for your newsletter, then set up a pop-up to gather visitor data.

• Make use of a traditional sign-up sheet. When you're around people who are into what you do, offer a spot for them to sign up and learn more, whether it's at your physical store, an event you're holding or attending, or your brick and mortar location.

• Use social media to encourage registration. Use your engaged social media following as a resource if you don't already have a sizable email list or would just like to see one grow. Provide a link to your sign-up form on social media.

More subscribers can be added to an existing list by:

• Run a promotion or hold a contest. Giving people a reason to subscribe to your email list is something we really believe in, and contests are a great way to do this. Consider presenting a prize to a deserving new subscriber or a coupon for a first purchase.

• Include sharing options in your emails. People will want to share your emails if you write them in a beautiful, appealing way and include a lot of useful information. With the help of Mailchimp's capabilities (such as share buttons and social media post generators), your emails can easily go viral.

Create a landing page using Mailchimp. Landing pages provide an additional means of expanding your email list. Landing pages use your finest graphics and content to clearly state the call to action and significantly increase email signups.

May I purchase an email list?

No. If you use Mailchimp, you cannot utilize an email list that you purchased, hence you shouldn't buy one.

Bought lists are useless and negatively affect everyone who uses Mailchimp. Many of the emails you send will be marked as spam and you'll get a lot of unsubscribe requests if you send them to a list of people whose contact information you purchased. When someone with the same IP has sent spam in the past, some email spam filters will flag that email campaign. Your email is delivered through our servers when you use Mailchimp, so if one user sends spam, it can hinder other users' emails from getting to inboxes. Yet by prohibiting the usage of purchased lists by Mailchimp users, we improve deliverability for everyone.

• Because of this, we take great care to maintain our sending reputation, and it's crucial that all users follow by our Conditions of Use, which uphold anti-spam regulations. To abide by our Conditions of Use, you must adhere to three main guidelines.

• Avoid utilizing third-party lists. This covers email lists that have been bought, rented, or scraped from outside sources, such as open websites.

• Ask for permission. Everyone on your list should have explicitly and independently consented to receiving emails from you. We keep track of this permission for you if you choose one of our signup form alternatives.

• Include a link to unsubscribe. Every campaign you send must provide a means for users to unsubscribe from your list in compliance with federal anti-spam rules. You must utilize our unsubscribe link, per our request.

Now that I'm prepared to use email marketing, which platform should I choose?

Mailchimp delivers the resources and assistance you require, regardless of whether you are beginning your first email marketing campaign or are an email marketing guru. We have you covered from beginning to end with a comprehensive range of capabilities that handle everything from marketing automation to tracking tools to optimizing your emails through split testing.

Okay, but what is the price?

You can choose a free or paid plan when you sign up for a Mailchimp account. This choice enables you to explore with our user-friendly tools and learn how to utilize our all-inclusive marketing platform to its fullest potential. Hence, if your business is just starting out, you can learn to market more effectively so that you can expand more quickly. As long as your audience contains 500 or fewer contacts, you can continue using the Free plan.

As your audience expands, our pricing plans scale to meet your demands; a premium plan is also available for advanced commercial requirements.

Also, we equip you with a ton of helpful suggestions (as well as entertaining email marketing advice!) on how to act on contact data so you can send emails that people actually open. We'll work with you to develop effective email marketing strategies.

I might need some assistance because I'm new to email marketing.

Whenever you need us, just call. To help you make the most of your account during your first 30 days with Mailchimp, we provide free access to world-class support on a 24/7 basis.

Upgrade to our Essentials plan, which starts at $13 per month, if you'd like to communicate with our customer care staff via online chat or email. Help is available at all times, whether you're having trouble drafting an email or need additional details about how something works. Also, we provide strategies for when you're ready to advance your email marketing.

Even if you decide not to subscribe to a paid membership, you can always look through our detailed instructions and information on how our services operate (as well as tips and troubleshooting guides).

Field Handbook for Email Marketing

No matter if your objective is to increase sales or create your brand, email marketing is one of the most affordable ways to advertise your company. Effective email marketing techniques and anything else you need to know to maximize this platform are provided in our field marketing guide. Learn how to build powerful emails that work for every stage of your sales funnel, test them, and raise your deliverability rates. then learn how to measure the effectiveness of your emails and the power of marketing automation.

Guide to Email Design

They say that everything is in the presentation. In keeping with this proverb, we've put our top advice into a convenient email design guide for anyone looking to send emails that subscribers click. Every aspect of design is covered, including calls to action, calls to action, identity, color, graphics, and layout. We remove the guesswork from what could appear to be the most difficult aspect of sending effective emails because design is as much a science as it is an art.

Email Design Examples

You have the option to independently code your emails. Nonetheless, this is a complex skill that needs a considerable deal of technical knowledge. Whether you're just getting started, curious about the fundamentals of HTML emails, or looking for a guide to coding them, here is what you need to make the coding jump. Also, we've compiled a few more tools you could require as you develop into a certified email expert. Before making any selections, look at our comparative guide if you're thinking about using a different platform.

Am I able to test my emails?

You can, of course. You can split test and evaluate up to three campaign versions using A/B testing tools, such as those provided by Mailchimp.

Also, you can test send timings, from names, content, and subject lines. You may assess your reach by counting the number of people who receive your emails. For optimal results, always optimize your email messages.

How should I test my emails?

Pick the element that best describes success for you first. It might involve clicks, opens, or financial gain. We'll compile the results and reveal the winner to you. Also, you may automate it. Simply instruct Mailchimp to send the winning campaign out automatically. It's actually quite simple.

Tips for getting started with email marketing

1. Plan your email marketing strategy.

In order to make the planning process simpler, we've highlighted a few recommended practices you should take into account while creating an email marketing strategy.

Define your target market.

Whatever you sell, you need to know who your target is in order to engage with them successfully. You may segment individuals within your audience using Mailchimp, which enables you to send them customised emails that will enhance engagement, foster trustworthy relationships, and boost ROI.

Registrant sources

How and where users subscribe to your list are some of the most important pieces of information your signup form has to offer. Knowing where your consumers joined your list might help you better understand how to communicate with them and where you might want to concentrate your future marketing efforts if you run an e-commerce firm with a store linked to Mailchimp.

Groups and segments

Once you've determined smaller groups of people within your bigger audience, you may establish groups and segments to send your receivers more pertinent and individualized emails. The more relevant the campaign, the more successful the campaign will be. Even though there will be instances when you wish to send to your full list, segmenting users and utilizing Mailchimp's segmentation features can greatly improve the click-through rates and e-commerce orders your campaigns create.

Choose your writing topic.

It's time to consider your content now that you are aware of your audience. What message do you wish to convey to your audience? What kind of content marketing plan do you have? Always keep in mind why your subscribers signed up for your emails so that you can send them with purpose and in a way that resonates with them.

Decide on your sending schedule and objectives.

There is no fixed rule for how frequently you should email your consumers, but if you do so excessively, your subscribers may stop reading your emails completely. In order to keep their subscribers interested in their emails, some users who run blogs or news websites may choose to provide daily updates, while other users may only send emails twice a month. Select to deliver your email campaign at your own pace. If necessary, change the frequency by checking the click-through and unsubscribe rates.

Set up a schedule.

Using a content calendar to schedule your campaigns, blog pieces, social media posts, and other tasks is one approach to ensure that you stay on course.

Your content marketing strategy, industry, and frequency of sending will all have an impact on your email marketing schedule.

2. Create emails.

design advice

Keep your design simple and concentrate on your message while creating email marketing. We advise organizing all the components of your campaign in a hierarchy, with the most crucial details or the main message at the top so that recipients can scan it quickly if they only have a few seconds.

Create custom template code

Want more control over the look of your emails? It is possible to create your own HTML template using code and import it into Mailchimp.

3. Examine your email.

Try out various email clients and ISPs.

Because every email client is made differently, the campaign you built in Mailchimp may appear slightly different in the inboxes of your subscribers. Check the emails on mobile devices as well because responsive designs can cause them to appear differently.

Friend and coworkers to whom you send test emails

You can send a test email to friends or coworkers so they can see the campaign right in their inbox and proofread the email for errors and provide input on the layout.

Through A/B Testing campaigns, discover the best version.

Uncertain of the subject line that will get the most opens and clicks? Do you believe there may be a specific time of day when your clients are most likely to buy something from you as a result of your campaign? You can experiment with various versions of your emails by running an A/B test to see how the changes you make affect your results.

4. What marketing automation can be used for

An automation is a targeted email or series of emails that you can set and forget, unlike ordinary campaigns. Automation streamlines your contacts with consumers so you have more time to concentrate on developing content and boosting return on investment, from a welcome email series to follow-up emails after a purchase to awarding your clients with a particular incentive (ROI). To keep customers informed about purchases they made from your store, you can also design, send, and track order notifications.

5. Evaluate your effectiveness

Your Mailchimp reports' marketing analytics information will enable you to improve your marketing approach moving forward.

opens with a click

These metrics show how effectively your subject lines and campaign content resonate with a certain list, making them the most clear metrics for gauging campaign engagement. To avoid looking at your statistics in a vacuum, it's crucial to take into account how your open and click through rates compare to those of other businesses in your field.

data on e-commerce

In campaign reports, subscriber profiles, and on the account dashboard, you may examine purchase information for your subscribers if you've linked your store to Mailchimp and enabled e-commerce link tracking for your campaigns.

website visitors

You may drive more visitors to your website or online store with the aid of the campaigns you send out. After you send a campaign, you can track any patterns in website traffic or e-commerce activity using a few connections that you may sync with Mailchimp.