5 things to consider when building a website
Getting a website created and launched is a complex process, but easier with a plan.
An effective email marketing strategy drives engagement, revenue and delivers a highly effective ROI compared with other channels. As highlighted by Smart Insights, email marketing has a return on Investment (ROI) of around 3,800%, which has got to be worth a try!
My love of mailing lists re-established after reading a blog from Leonie Dawson, which highlighted how much organic social media reach is continually falling with less and less of our followers actually seeing our posts.
Also, we do not ‘own’ our followers, therefore we would not be able to find them again if something happened to our accounts, then we would not be able to contact them again.
The main aim of your mailing list should be to nurture leads, build trust and grow strong customer relationships.
If you have an online store or booking system, you can also drive sales without the reader having to search around your site for them.
You don’t need to create fresh content for each, as I recommend creating a strong content strategy that works across your social media and email marketing.
A great tip is to perhaps hold back on some details and information, encouraging readers to join your mailing list as a hook to find out more.
There are many different systems out there, but my favourite one is MailChimp. I run a group training on this twice a year which you can see here.
I love Mailchimp for many reasons, here are some:
I find Mailchimp is fairly straight-forward to once the account has been set up and templates have been formed.
Creating the contact lists, implementing the GDPR settings, designing the landing pages and creating the workflow of welcome email and newsletter template are the trickiest parts, but can be completed by yourself.
If you find this frustrating, I offer full account set-up and mentoring to help you get up to speed too.
How often should I send a mailout?
Email marketing strategy needs to be part of your content strategy and would recommend creating a mailout at least once per month, which of course, needs to be monitored and analysed to establish the best days, times and frequency to contact your list.
The best way to encourage people to join your list is with a ‘lead magnet’ which gives them the incentive to sign up.
Within this lead magnet, you need to include some information that will provide value and is of interest to them, but ensure that you don’t overdeliver – though there is a fine balance!
What is a lead magnet?
Lead magnets vary depending on your product, service, industry and target audience.
They are often workbooks, ebooks, and audios designed to demonstrate your services, provide value and supply some information that your audience is looking for.
Your lead magnet should be released as part of a strategic promotional campaign in order to gain maximum impact and boost the number of signups
For example, I created a Marketing Workbook as my lead magnet, which provides strategic questions that allow readers to highlight what areas of their marketing they want to improve, samples some processes in how Pink Flamingo works and provides a template to create an action plan.
Get your list set up with the basic (free) Mailchimp account where we cover:
Group workshop held twice over year and also available 1:1 (get in touch)
Getting a website created and launched is a complex process, but easier with a plan.
Top tips on creative marketing planning and download your free marketing planning workbook!
