You’ve set up your online store, you’re making and selling cool stuff, and, overall, things have been going pretty well for your business. yayy! But now you’re ready to take it to the next level, increase your sales, connect better with your customers, and ultimately grow your business. If this is the case for you, We have good news — you may be ready to create and send your very own newsletter. Read on to see how easy, rewarding (and, dare we say, fun) email marketing can be.
Mail marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses email (generally newsletters) to help you engage with your customers and prospective customers. Preferably, a good email marketing campaign will help drive sales, increase awareness, and build loyalty. MailChimp is one email service provider (ESP), but there are many others out there. Regardless of whom you choose, a good ESP should allow you to build and manage your email lists, provide a variety of templates, send your email, and track analytics to help you refine your messaging.
The first step in creating an email marketing campaign is to build a solid list of subscribers. We all know that everyone gets too much email these days. That’s why you need to ensure that people you’re sending to have chosen to hear from you, which in the email marketing biz is called “opting in.” This means someone signed up for your newsletter either on your website, via your Facebook page, or even by adding their name to a good old-fashioned paper list.
When producing your newsletter, always keep your business goals in mind. Are you running a holiday promotion to increase sales? Consider making the promotion the centerpiece of the newsletter, or at least make sure to prominently feature the promo code. Want to showcase your new products? Mention “new products” in the newsletter subject line, and include lots of cool photos of your new stuff. Your other goals may include growing your connection with your customers, establishing yourself as a subject matter expert in your field, or letting people know about an upcoming event.
When designing a newsletter, you want to make sure it reflects you and your company in a way that’s consistent with your other branding efforts — including your logo, packaging, websites, and, of course, your shop. Most email service providers offer a wide variety of templates that you can use to select certain color palettes and styles. If you can upload and add your existing logo, even better.