On the Importance of Email Marketing.

Email marketing is one of the best ways to make your business known. But before you can get started, you need to have a basic understanding of the tools and best practices of it.

The first step in starting an email marketing campaign is to collect a list of email addresses. This can be done by asking customers to sign up for your emails during checkout or by manually adding contacts through a form on your website.

You may also have the option to upload an existing contact list into your email platform, which lets you send emails to new customers and existing ones alike.

Once you've collected a list of contacts, it's time to segment it using criteria such as purchase history, past engagement or other demographics. Segmenting your contact list will help ensure that you're sending relevant messages and improve open rates.

Sending mass emails without segmenting them can lead to high unsubscribe rates and spam complaints, so try not to send anything that would not be applicable to all recipients.

Here are some tips to get you on your way:

Set goals: Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable and relevant to your business goals. For example, if one of your business goals is to increase revenue by 20 percent, set an email goal that supports that objective — like getting 500 more leads from email this year.

Choose your tools: There are multiple email marketing platforms available that offer different features and pricing plans. Choose a platform that meets your current needs.

Build your list: You want people who have opted-in to receive emails from you because you provide something they value. You’ll need to collect subscribers’ names, email addresses and consent to send them messages in order to send them emails about your products or services.

Email marketing is a powerful tool for driving leads, retaining customers and boosting sales. In fact, 86% of professionals surveyed by Outlook said that email is their preferred method of business communication. We know that the best emails are ones that come at exactly the right time and in the right context. We know that the number-one most important thing is to build an email list and keep it growing. And we know that the best way to make sure people want to get your emails is to offer something of value — whether it's a discount code, content, or just a warm feeling inside.

Follow this advice on email marketing, and you will do just fine.