All About Email Marketing: Why You Need It and How to Get Started
In today’s digitally driven world, it can be really intimidating (and even more overwhelming) to know which marketing tactics to use and how to use them. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, advertisements, paid search, SEO…the list goes on and on and on and on.
But something that’s not talked enough about? Email marketing.
It might not sound as flashy or sexy as Instagram Reels or going viral on TikTok, but it’s one of the best marketing tactics out there. And if you don’t believe us, keep reading to learn about what it is, why you need it, and how to get started.
What is email marketing?
Email marketing is exactly how it sounds: It’s direct marketing to your audiences through emails. They opt in and you show up in their inboxes. Pretty straightforward, right?
But one of the best things about email marketing is that it’s direct B2C (business to consumer) marketing, which means you have complete and total control over what your audiences see and when they see it. You don’t have to tap-dance around frustrating algorithms that decrease your visibility to audiences — you can choose who sees what!
It’s also important to remember that email marketing isn’t just about announcing promotions and pushing sales. That may work for larger retail companies, but for smaller businesses, email marketing is so much more valuable.
You can also use email strategies to share:
- Personal + team updates
- Journal-style thoughts and hot takes on trends
- New blog posts
- New podcast episodes
- Produce or service info
- New launches
- Sales + discounts
- Event announcements
- Promotional updates
- Helpful information
- And so much more!
Why you need email marketing
Email marketing is one of the best marketing tactics for return on investment, also called ROI. For every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can expect to get around $36 back. Yes, seriously.
And if that alone isn’t convincing enough as to why you need email marketing, it also makes it easy to:
- Generate and nurture leads
- Showcase your value
- Build brand recognition and loyalty
- Create runways before launches
Even better, with the right tools and strategies in hand, you can automate virtually everything. That means less time and energy spent on something of super high value. It doesn’t get much better than that.
How to get started with email marketing
We’ll be the first to admit that email marketing can seem intimidating in the beginning. But that’s why we’re here to break it down into simple, achievable steps to help get you started. It’s what [Launch] BFFs are for, right?
Find your email marketing tool
First thing’s first, you want to find the right email marketing tool for your business.
Make a plan (and stick to it)
Next, you want to make a plan for your email marketing tactics – one you can actually stick with. Email marketing is most successful when you’re consistent with it. That’s why we suggest fleshing out details like:
- The types of emails you want to send (newsletters, promotions, announcements, etc.)
- How often you want to send them (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly)
- What kind of value you want to provide (tips + tricks, sharing resources, etc.)
What we don’t recommend is that you send emails sparsely or whenever you feel like it. You never want to ghost your audiences in between emails. That’s because, at some point, you’ll have a big launch or sale coming up – one that you want them to buy into. But if you show only up when you want your audiences’ money, they’ll see right through it.
Create your lead magnets
Now that you have your email marketing tool and a plan of action, it’s time to figure out how you want to capture most of your email addresses. We always recommend that you have a static opt-in form on your website for audiences to subscribe to your weekly newsletters. But if you want to generate more quality leads, it’s time to create a lead magnet.
The best starting place for a lead magnet? Creating a freebie. That’s because you’re providing value and expertise with no strings attached. You’re not asking your audiences for anything right away – just their email in exchange for something valuable (and free, of course).
Not sure where to start? We have Freebie Funnel Kits in the Launch BFF Shop – all designed to help you develop your lead magnet and grow your email lists.
Start sending and keep it simple (for now)
Now, all that’s left for you to do is start sending your emails! In the beginning, your lists will be fairly small. And that’s ok! Whether you’re emailing five people or 5,000, you should always treat your subscribers as if they’re the only ones you’re talking to. A little bit of personalization can go a long way.
In the beginning, we recommend keeping things as simple as possible while you get the hang of everything. Stick to your regular cadence of emails and start creating campaigns ahead of big announcements and launches.
As your list grows and evolves over time, you can start experimenting with things like:
- Sales sequences and email warmups
- Audience segmentation and drip campaigns
- Pre-build campaigns (think welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase thank yous)
- Multi-channel campaigns (with emails, text messages, and website pop-ups)
The amazing thing about email marketing is that you don’t have to do everything all at once right from the jump. You can keep things as simple or complex as you want – for however long you want. And with all the capabilities of email marketing tools, your future possibilities are virtually endless!
Ready to become an email marketing pro?
Now that you know what steps to take, it’s time to put your email marketing plan in motion. The best place to start? Launch University!
It’s our brand-new educational experience that shows you how to conquer every single step of your launch. From initial product creation to full-blown launch execution – complete with an email marketing campaign – Launch University has you covered.
Make sure you join our waitlist and be the first to know about open enrollment!