Week 6: Email Marketing & Automation
Week 6 Overview: Email Marketing & Automation
Email is one of the most powerful and profitable channels in digital marketing. This week, you'll learn how to build an email list, nurture it, and turn subscribers into loyal customers.
Email Marketing Strategy
Email marketing is the use of email to promote products or services while developing relationships with potential customers. It is a direct form of marketing, similar to direct mail, but far more efficient and measurable.
Why Email is King
- Direct Access: You have a direct line of communication to your audience, not mediated by a social media algorithm.
- High ROI: Email marketing consistently delivers one of the highest returns on investment of any marketing channel.
- Ownership: You own your email list. Your audience on social media is "rented land" and can disappear if the platform changes.
Email Automation
Automation is the process of sending out targeted, automated email campaigns to your subscribers at specific times or when they take specific actions. It's a "set it and forget it" way to nurture leads.
Types of Automated Emails
- Welcome Series
- A sequence of 3-5 emails automatically sent to new subscribers. It's your chance to introduce your brand, set expectations, and offer initial value.
- Drip Campaigns
- A set of marketing emails that are sent out automatically on a schedule. For example, a 7-day mini-course delivered via email.
- Abandoned Cart Emails
- For e-commerce, these emails are automatically sent to users who added items to their cart but didn't complete the purchase. They are highly effective at recovering lost sales.
Personalization and Segmentation
Sending the same email to everyone on your list is a recipe for low engagement. Smart marketers segment and personalize.
Segmentation
This means dividing your email list into smaller groups (segments) based on specific criteria like purchase history, location, interests, or engagement level. This allows you to send much more relevant and targeted emails.
Personalization
This involves using subscriber data to tailor email content to the individual. It can be as simple as using their first name in the subject line (`Hey, Fiona!`) or as complex as dynamically showing them products based on their past browsing behavior.
Measuring Performance
Tracking your email performance is key to improving your strategy over time.
Essential Email Metrics
- Open Rate: The percentage of subscribers who open a specific email. A good subject line is key to a high open rate.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of email recipients who clicked on one or more links contained in a given email. This measures how compelling your content and call-to-action are.
- Unsubscribe Rate: The percentage of users who opt-out of your email list after receiving an email. A high rate might mean your content isn't relevant or you're sending emails too frequently.