Have you ever read a blog post and thought to yourself, “Man, that blog post really needs a follow-up email campaign”? Or, “I wish that I could get in touch with that journalist to give them some feedback on their recent article”?
You’ve probably thought about doing this, or maybe even have already done it, but didn’t know what it was called. Or maybe you’ve even gone above and beyond what was asked of you in the first place – no, it’s not OK to do that. You’ve got to know when to stop.
It’s one thing to want to pitch a story or an idea. It’s another to just copy and paste something that you’ve seen before and not even give it your best shot. Remember, if it’s been done before, it’s not worth doing again. It’s not what you’re there for. Find the originality in your own voice and push everything else to the wayside. You’ll be happier in the long run.
The Definition
This type of writing is also known as “direct mail copywriting,” or “email marketing copy.” Essentially, it’s the copy that comes with a direct mail piece (i.e., a mailchimp template with your content in it).
You write the copy, and then you send it out via email. Whether you’re doing the email marketing for someone else or it’s in support of a sales process you’re running on your own, direct mail copywriting is the act of generating email marketing copy.
Why Use Email For Marketing?
The answer to this question is actually pretty simple: The more channels you have to reach your audience, the more likely you are to reach them all. Think about it – if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re already aware of the power of email marketing. Even if you’re not quite sure how it works, you know that it does. You may have even been a part of an email marketing campaign before, whether you pitched in yourself or worked for someone else. Email marketing is a proven way to get the word out about your product or service – whether you’re a business, blog, or brand – and grow your reach. If you’ve never tried email marketing, now’s the right time to start. You can get easy to follow instructions on how to set up your own email marketing campaign in just a few minutes.
What Is The Difference Between Email Marketing And Digital Marketing?
In order to answer this question, we need to first establish what exactly email marketing is. Although email marketing is a type of digital marketing, it’s not quite the same as everything else within the digital marketing umbrella.
Email marketing is a type of digital marketing that involves email. When we say “email marketing” we’re talking about the process of producing and sending out emails to attract customers. So, in a nutshell, email marketing is the practice of using email to attract, engage, and convert website visitors into paying customers. We’ll go into more detail below.
The Major Difference
The first and most obvious difference between traditional email marketing and digital marketing is that digital marketing allows for a greater degree of targeting and tracking. Once you’ve established your email list, you can use a tool like drip marketing to send out emails with personalized messages. You can set automated email campaigns based on date and time, or you can target individuals on your email list with customized email campaigns. With digital marketing you have much more flexibility in terms of the messages and materials you use. You can create as many different variations as you want and track the results of each campaign.
Another major difference between digital marketing and email marketing is that with the latter you’re essentially limited to email. While with the former you can use any type of digital marketing channel, including social media, to spread the word about your product or service. Essentially, email marketing is a sub-branch of digital marketing. It’s often seen as a way to reach people that have already shown interest in your product or service, but it can also be a way to reach people that you’d never dreamt of contacting before. Thanks to tools like email marketing software, it’s easy to target the right audience and create marketing plans full of ideas.
Key Takeaways
If you’re looking to get started with email marketing or to continue expanding your reach, then you need to make sure that you’re using a tool that supports the way you want to work. Choosing the right tool for the job can be difficult, especially since there are so many options available. While there’s no exact science to choosing the right tool for the job, these tips can help you narrow down your options:
- Make sure that the tool you choose has a feature-rich, all-in-one platform. Not only does this make your life simpler, but it also means that you can go back and alter marketing campaigns easily if you decide that this is the best tool to use. (For instance, if you decide to try a dedicated tool for website content, you won’t have to worry about your blog being hosted separately and the two platforms not talking to each other.)
- Pick a tool that is easy to use. Even if you’re technologically-inclined, these tools can be more challenging to set up and use than more traditional marketing platforms. The last thing you need is to spend more time trying to learn how to use a tool than actually doing your job. (Hint: Look no further than HubSpot, which we’ll discuss below.)
- Look for a blogging or content tool that has native export functionality. This way, when your content is finished, you can easily send it out into the world. (Hint: Try Content Samurai)
- For sales-oriented email marketing, look for a tool that has built-in sales funnels. With these tools, you don’t need to worry about building your own sales funnels. You simply need to populate a predefined list of contacts and send out your email campaign. (Check out MailChimp’s free account for this type of use.)
- Try to find a tool that is as easy to use as possible. If you’ve never done email marketing before, it can be tricky to find the right tool to help you. (Hint: Look for tutorials or video instructions to help you get started.)
- Do your research about the pricing plans before committing. You don’t want to get caught with a $200 a month plan after all. (Hint: Start with a free plan and then move up as your needs grow.)
- Make sure to keep up with the latest news and changes in your chosen tool’s ecosystem. This way, you’ll be sure to get the most out of your investment and avoid any unforeseen conflicts or difficulties. (Hint: Check out the tool’s website and social media platforms for news and updates.)
- As we mentioned above, a huge benefit of using an all-in-one tool for email marketing is that it makes it much easier to get started. Even if you’re technologically inclined, setting up and using multiple email marketing platforms can be a challenge. If you’re looking to get started with email marketing, but don’t want to go the DIY route, then try out a tool like MailChimp, which we’ll discuss below.
The Evolution Of Email Marketing
As we mentioned above, email marketing is a form of digital marketing, but that doesn’t mean it’s always been around, or that every little detail about the platform has stayed the same. Take a look at how email marketing evolved over the past few years:
- In 2003, email marketing was used mainly for transactional communications –– sending out automated emails to people that have shown interest in a product or service. (Think: receipts, order confirmations, and transactional messages.)
- Around this time, email marketers began experimenting with using the platform for more content-based communications. This is most likely because people were realizing that they could use email to reach a larger audience than just their customers. (Think: Newsletters, marketing material, etc.)
- Over the next few years, email marketing evolved –– primarily as a result of technological advancements –– and the platform is now used for a variety of communications. (Think: Marketing emails, automated emails, etc.)
- In 2018, email marketing grew by 14% year-over-year.
Keep in mind that the above stats only look at email marketing in terms of sheer numbers. (i.e., how many people are using the platform to do email marketing – not how effective it is.) If you want to see how email marketing has evolved as a medium, check out the the visual representation below: