Goal Setting for Email Marketing

Welcome, Today we will be taking cognizance for the evergreen digital marketing module ‘Email Marketing’.

We will first see the basics of this module.

Basics of Email Marketing

To fully understand how email marketing can be used in your online/offline business, and how it can help with achieving your goals, you need to start with the basics.

What is email marketing?

# Email marketing is a part of digital marketing focused on communicating and establishing the connection with online users through emails.

# Regardless if the goal is promotional or informative, regardless if you send weekly or monthly, the core of email marketing is still communication with the recipient.

# The purpose of this communication is to nurture the relationship with the existing or potential customers, and to encourage an action which is the goal of an email marketing campaign.

@ Our email message should include the following characteristics:

• Relevant to the recipient

• With a relevant, yet engaging subject line.

• Concise and spot on.

• Planned.

• Sent at the right moment.

• In the language the recipient understands.

• Without any grammatical or spelling error.

• Without any broken links.

Process of communication for B2B and B2C

 Suppose you have a message that you want to share; then you have certain different options as follows:

# It can be a promotional message about a sale in your online store.

# It may be the news about your latest e-book.

# It may be announcement for the event you will be hosting.

 @ The idea is to send a message that will encourage the recipient to complete an action, such as purchase an item, fill out a form, etc.

@ Now look at the problems that we must avoid while doing email marketing campaign.

One of the first obstacles every marketer faces is getting emails delivered and read.

It is not an easy task, especially if you have in mind that over 200 emails are sent and received per person each day.

As much as getting the attention through email marketing is lucrative (with huge ROI), it is a very difficult job.

There is a true combat over user’s attention and it has become a real art to get under that spotlight.

This is how email deliver-ability was introduced as the process of analyzing and optimizing the performance of an email marketing campaign.

Gradually, this is how the field of email marketing evolved, to become a whole new segment of online marketing, with its own best practices, strategies, and tools to use.

Email marketing as a part of online marketing

# To get the most out of email marketing, we need to combine this strategy with other techniques of online marketing, including content creation, search engine optimization, social media marketing, etc.

# Email marketing on its own has a little chance of succeeding. The true potential of this marketing is seen when it is integrated into the overall online marketing strategy.

@For example, you have a new blog article (content marketing) and you want to share it with lots of online users to get more traffic to your blog (SEO). You send out a newsletter (email marketing) where you feature a summary of the article, inviting your subscribers to visit your blog to read the full article.

This way you combine all your efforts to get the most out of it and to have the best chances for achieving your goals.

@ after knowing about email marketing let us now look forward for how to use email marketing in a business.

How to start with email marketing?

This is a method for achieving goals, a strategy which utilizes your own resources (a mailing list) to boost your online performance.

@ Let us see some points which we should keep in mind while implementing email marketing.

• Set up goals

# If we desire to reach success, we have to know what that success is.

# Goals we want to achieve will dictate the campaign settings, writing style, target audience etc. They will also dictate the way we measure success.

 Sometimes we might have multiple goals. Either way, start by determining some of them.

 Here are a couple of examples to get some ideas:

# I want to drive new signups for the service.

# I need new leads.

# I want to invite people to an event.

# I would like to encourage people to donate.

# I want to sell my product.

# I want to increase my business’s profit.

These goals are a bit too general and vague isn’t it?

In order to measure success, we should try to make them measurable.

For example, avoid “I want to drive new signups for the service”, but add a measurement “I want to drive 100 new signups for the service”. Or, instead of “I want to sell my product” try “I want to increase sales by 20%”.

Having measurable goals will help you determine if what you have achieved through the campaign is really in accordance with what you had planned.

Not only will this determine whether your campaign was a success or not, it will also help you realize what you need to change to upgrade your performance.

• Determine the pace of sending

Now comes how and when we send emails to increase views.

# One of the first things we will need to establish is the pace.

# The schedule of sending is important to keep our self organized, and it also makes users feel more comfortable, as they know when to expect an email from you.

# You should also analyze the performance of the email campaigns in the past, to determine if there was any particular day or period of the day that showed unusual rates, regardless if that was the surprisingly high or low open rate.

# There are also studies that have been analyzing the performance of email marketing campaigns, in order to find out what would be the best time to send an email.

 # Multiple types of research have come to the conclusion that Tuesday is the best day for sending emails, while morning, 10 am, in particular, was highlighted as the best time.

• Establish a style/template

Let us now consider the characteristics that we must keep in mind while writing a credible and professional e-mail to promote or increase traffic for the business.

     • Consistency

Consistency in styling your emails means that you should choose a style and stick to it.

This refers to both the writing style (formal/informal) and to the visual style (using graphics, logo, adding images, etc.).

As much as the content of the email needs to be fresh, things that work need not be changed.

If you readers are accustomed to the way you write an email, this is what they would expect, so you should not make any drastic changes that would affect your credibility.

    • Accuracy

Speaking of credibility, here is another thing that could help you gain or lose credibility. Your email needs to be accurate. Accuracy refers to both grammatically correct text, and to the accuracy of the actual data.

For example, if you are sharing some statistics or product prices, make sure those are in fact accurate. Otherwise, you are at risk of recipients unsubscribing, or even reporting you as spam.

   • Professionalism

Building credibility and loyal readership is not an easy task, but what will help you along the way is maintaining a professional relationship in your email marketing campaigns.

Professionalism refers to your entire approach, as it combines accuracy, consistency, sending relevant emails and keeping up with the schedule.

After all, you represent your company and you need to think about the kind of image you want to create for your company through this campaign.

    • Usability

Make sure the tool is user-friendly, as you do not want to spend hours studying how to set up and manage a campaign. The interface that allows email campaign management needs to be simplified and most tools use drag-and-drop method for this reason.

    • Features

Determine the features you want and need to have, so that you can focus only on a selection of tools.

For example, you might want to have email automation functionality, as well as social media integration. You might need a simple interface, or you might want an advanced marketing solution.

    • Costs

A lot of tools offer free trial period, which is a great way to test them first.

Most platforms determine their pricing based on the number of contacts you are allowed to have and based on the number of emails you can send per month.

Although you will face a lot of challenges along the way, as with any other strategy, you need to be patient.

You need to be sure you are following the best practices and using the recommended techniques to achieve your goals.

Thank you for reading this entire blog. We appreciate you for being patient as this will surely help you in the upcoming future for taking decisions of your life in every stream. 

For more information or setting up email marketing campaign for your esteemed business go through our Digital Marketing Agency - Digital Rajat

Please hit like button and share it with your family and friends if you find this cognizance useful and stay tuned for more digital marketing erudition and updates.

Blogging Tactics and Types

What is Blogging?

·        What once began as a platform for sharing personal thoughts in online form has now grow into one of the essential and the most effective tools marketers use for online promotion.

·         The way blogging has evolved over the past decade has blown everyone’s mind.

·         During the last couple of years we have been witnessing thousands of blogs around the globe, both businesses, and personal, turning into very profitable activities.

·         It’s safe to say, that blogging has become a “big business”.

@ Now, after understanding about blogging let us shift to know that what is ‘ blog’.

 What is a Blog?

·         A blog is a website or a web page that is regularly updated with new content.

·          Content is displayed as blog articles or posts, which are usually shown in reverse chronological order, so the newest are visible first.

·          When blogging was still new in the online community, blogs were usually run by individuals or a small group.

·         Apart from blogs run by individuals, today we also have joint blogging projects which gather multiple authors.

·         Companies have recognized the importance of blogging as well, so many of them have been implementing blogging as a part of their website.

·          Often companies either have employed a full-time blogger or a team of bloggers that are in charge of content creation and blog promotion.

·         Most blogs allow visitors to leave their comments and to share blog posts on social media.

·         This is what mainly differentiates blog posts from static website pages.

·          It is also one of the reasons why blogging is considered a type of social networking platform.

·         It enables connection with the author and his or her audience.

·         Blog posts provide that social aspect, which is also why they are such an important asset in engaging online visitors.

Types of Blogs

@There are a lot of blog types you can find online, but some of the most popular are the following:

  Personal Blog

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·         The entire concept of blogging evolved from the personal blogs created in the 1990s.

·          This content format is still something that persists to this day as one of the most popular blogging types you can find.

·         The idea with a personal blog is to share your experience and thoughts about a particular topic.

·         Content is published by an individual, who may or may not be an expert on the topic but is certainly someone who has experience and opinions about it.

·          A person could be earning money through this type of blogging, but this is not a general rule.

o   For example, the person could approach blogging as a hobby.

o   A type of a personal blog can be one about playing the guitar or running.

o   Another example would be a parenting blog featuring insights of a parent raising his/her child.

·         There are lots of travel blogs run by individuals. As you can see, topics can be quite diverse.

Business Blog

·         Blogging for business has become a predominant type of blogs nowadays, and it includes two major concepts:

o The business blog could be run by an individual blogger who works for a company and promotes this company through a blog.

o The second option is for a company to run a business blog and then include multiple writers who contribute with content for that company’s blog.

·         In this case, they represent a team of bloggers who blog for the company.

·         A business blog is usually focused on a particular topic that is related to the company’s business strategy in some way.

·          An example is a company that sells software to other companies and agencies.

·         This company can create a blog about running a business, increasing sales, as well as how this particular software can be integrated into a business.

Niche Blog

·         The idea with niche blogging is to focus on a single topic.

·         This approach gives an opportunity to specialize in a specific topic and attract highly targeted visitors.

·          When creating a niche blog, it is essential to choose a topic you are passionate about.

·          A topic, which you know a lot about and which is related to your business (if blogging is a part of a business strategy).

·         Different monetisation tactics can be a part of this type of blogging.

·         The greatest advantage of niche blogging is tailored content to the specific target group with better conversion potential.

·         Examples of niche blogs are food blogs, parenting blogs, tech blogs, teacher’s blogs, beauty blogs, etc.

Affiliate Blog

·         With this type of blog, the owner focuses blogging activity on an affiliate marketing strategy.

·         This means that the goal is to recommend products or services through affiliate links, encourage visitors to click on these links, and eventually buy the products.

·          This enables the blogger to earn commission without having to own products or services to sell.

·          Product reviews are typically shared on this type of blog, but other content types such as lists, how-to guides and tutorials can also feature affiliate links.

·         To maximize the efficiency of an affiliate blog, it is recommended to create a niche affiliate blog.

·         This means that you need to choose a topic to write about and then create an affiliate marketing strategy to combine with this blog and its topic.

·          It is necessary to choose affiliate programs that include products related to the blog niche.

·          One example could be a tennis blog, where you would promote gear for tennis players through affiliate links.

·        Knowing what blogging is and being aware of the types of blogs out there is helpful to explore the potential of blogging in your situation.

·       Regardless if this is a hobby for you or a career you want to focus on, blogging offers many opportunities to reach online users.

·          Blogging has been evolving throughout the years, and it will continue to do so in the future.

This means that it is possible to discover even new opportunities to promote and get promoted in the online world through blog.

For more information and digital marketing services contact our Digital Marketing Agency Digital Rajat.

Facts About SEO Digital Marketing

Traditional Marketing Just Doesn’t Work Anymore

·      The consumer buying process has changed (A LOT!)

o   Traditionally speaking, cold calls, direct mail, and elevator pitches ruled the day in sales. Salespeople were regarded as “keepers of knowledge” where the buyer relied almost entirely on their rep to educate them on a particular product or service.

·      Traditional Media Is Interruptive in Nature.

o   Most traditional marketing (TV, Radio, Print) works like this: Company A places an ad with the intention of completely interrupting what the potential customer is doing.

·      It Doesn’t Work on Millennial Buyers

o   Millennials are quickly becoming the largest demographic in the United States, and are thus the largest consumer base in the country as well.

·      Lack of Track-ability of ROI.

o   Clients that I have worked with in the past simply haven’t had the resources to be able to implement the types of tracking mechanisms that a Fortune 500 brand might with traditional media to measure engagement and return. They want every dollar tracked and want a clear understanding of what their marketing dollars are bringing back into their business. Traditional media doesn’t easily allow for this kind of tracking.

Not All Digital Marketing is SEO

·        Many consider search engine optimization (SEO) and digital marketing to be synonymous. However, they have two separate definitions and are entirely separate.

·        There are many ways in which SEO and digital marketing function similarly and today they work in tandem.

·        An SEO company is hired to optimize a website so that its position in search engine results is improved.

·         They will use a wide variety of strategies and SEO best practices to achieve higher rankings in the SERPs.

·        SEO is actually a subset of digital marketing and there are many who would define an SEO specialist as one who integrates  digital marketing and SEO best practices to achieve their goals.

·        We’ve used the phrase ‘SEO digital marketing’ several times so far. But you may remember how we mentioned that digital marketing and SEO are different.

·        Search Engine Optimization is just that — optimizing your content for search engines. Comparatively, digital marketing is simply any form of marketing on the internet.

·        It can be a video, a Facebook Ad, or even a Tweet. SEO content tends to focus on the use of keywords and link building, two topics we’ll cover in a bit.

·         For now, all you need to know is that if you’re using digital marketing, you’re not necessarily using SEO.

SEO Focuses on Overall Traffic

·        The entire concept of SEO digital marketing is predicated on the standard internet sales funnel. The first step in driving up your sales, as you may expect, is getting people to your site in the first place.

·         While digital marketing is all about the bottom line — the sale — SEO has a smaller approach. The aim is to get users to your content in the first place and draw them in.

·        By creating engaging content adhering to SEO standards, the hope is to drive users to your site, leading them to purchase what you offer.

Yes, there are Standards

·        While many regard the web as the Wild West, if you want to run a successful business you’ll need to adhere to the rules.

·        With millions of hits per day, Google has begun to set the golden standard for what is and isn’t SEO appropriate. Be sure to stop by the Google Webmasters page to make sure your site stacks up.

·        It may seem odd to you that it’s Google setting the standards when there are dozens of other search engines available. But let’s face it, Google is king for a reason.

·        If the web is the Wild West, Google is the guns linging sheriff restoring order.

You don’t have to be a Big Business to Invest in SEO Digital Marketing

·        You may think of SEO as something only businesses with thousands of visitors per month need to concern themselves with. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

·        SEO is pertinent to any and all businesses that want to get ahead in the digital market. Whether you’re a blogger or a small business owner, you need to put in place SEO digital marketing.

·        Your aim in utilizing these SEO digital marketing strategies is to get those big hits. It doesn’t matter if your business employs 1 or 1,000, you can’t afford to miss out.

The Faster Your Site, the Better

·        So far we’ve talked a lot about what SEO digital marketing is and how it differs from digital marketing. What we haven’t discussed yet is how much your website itself matters. The slower your website is, the more traffic you’ll miss out on. And the more traffic you’re missing, the more dollars you’re losing.

·        On average, expect a visitor to leave your site just 1-2 seconds after waiting. You can’t afford to miss out on any eyes. Make your website as fast as possible.

·        If you’re not sure how fast your website is right now, find out. There are tons of tools online to help you see your loading speed, including one put out by Google. Compress images, and prioritize text for the best results.

Speak With Authority

·        On a similar note, you’ll want to keep your posts relevant to your business. For instance, if you run a blog about the most popular music, you wouldn’t want to write about global warming.

·        Staying on topic and building your presence can help you gain what’s referred to as an authority. What makes someone an authority in the SEO digital marketing sense?

·        They’re someone who can be trusted in his or her area of knowledge. The easiest way to build up authority is to include links within your posts.

·        For good measure, make sure you’re including both internal and external links. When used correctly, both can give you brownie points in the eyes of Google’s algorithm.

SEO is More Than Just Content

·        We’ve only focused on the content side of SEO so far, so let’s talk about other ways you can get your site on the first page. One of the smartest moves you can make is to get yourself listed on Google My Business.

·        It’s a free service that shows users info like contact information, location, and hours. This isn’t just a smart SEO move, it’s an important business move as well.

·        You’ll also want to keep a strong social media presence. Think of your social media accounts as an extension of your business site. Both matter tremendously. Even implementing a simple ‘share’ button on your site can boost your ranking.

Google Wants to Teach You

·        While the SEO digital marketing world may seem a bit dog-eat-dog, Google has made learning easy.

·        The truth is they don’t want to penalize sites for failing to adhere to guidelines. That’s why they’ve offered a complete suite of tools from site speed to keyword analysis.

·        Nobody comes to digital marketing as an expert on SEO digital marketing. Learning takes time and practice. So be patient, and be resourceful.

Your UX is Important

·        Even how your website looks plays a part in your search engine ranking. Google checks for ease of use in addition to loading speed.

·        Everything on your website should serve a purpose. If you have extra pages that don’t have a real function, get rid of them. The simpler and more streamlined your design, the better.

·        A user-friendly experience is an absolute must. Keep your design clean, your menus simple, and your content strong.

@ A Few Closing Words on SEO Digital Marketing

·          There’s no debating that SEO is a fickle, fickle beast. But for better or worse, it’s here to stay. Make sure you’re focusing on high quality content with plenty of links and keywords.

·          With some intellect, research, and creativity, you’ll take the digital world by storm in no time.