What is email marketing?
Email marketing is the practice of sending targeted messages to a list of people who have given you permission to contact them. Unlike a social media post that goes out to whoever the algorithm decides to show it to, an email goes directly to a specific person’s inbox because they asked to hear from you.
That’s what makes email different from every other marketing channel. You own the relationship. There’s no platform that can change its algorithm overnight and cut your reach in half. Emailing people on your list takes more than hitting send, but the investment is worth it.
It’s not just a newsletter
To many small business owners, email marketing means sending a newsletter, and a newsletter is one type of marketing email. There are several others, so your business doesn’t have to start there.
- Welcome emails are sent automatically when someone joins your list. This list could have been built as part of a newsletter opt-in, from people signing up for an account, or making an online purchase. The welcome email or welcome series asks people to confirm their subscription, introduce your business, and set expectations about what the communication frequency the person can expect from your brand. They’re often the highest-read emails you’ll ever send.
- Promotional emails announce something specific: a sale, a new service, an event, a limited offer. They have a clear call to action and salesier vibe.
- Nurture sequences are a series of emails sent over time to someone who has expressed interest but hasn’t made a purchase yet. These messages help your brand establish trust and expertise over time.
- Re-engagement emails go to contacts who have gone quiet. These messages go to people who joined your list but stopped engaging with your brand. They may no longer be clicking on your calls to action (CTAs) or haven’t made a purchase in 6 months or more. The goal is to remind them you exist and give them a reason to stay.
- Newsletters are regular, scheduled emails that keep your audience informed. They can include updates, articles, tips, or a mix of these. They’re valuable, but they require consistent content and a regular sending cadence.
You may also have heard the term transactional emails. These are things like order confirmations, shipping notifications, and password reset requests. They’re triggered by a specific customer action and are not marketing emails. They fall under a different set of rules and are often handled separately from your marketing platform.
With a little planning, you can build an email marketing strategy that does not rely on a regular newsletter.
Email works across the entire customer relationship
One of the most common misconceptions about email marketing is that it’s a closing tool, something you use at the end of the sales process to push someone toward a purchase. While closely related to your sales messaging, marketing is responsible for raising awareness, educating, and continuing the conversation.
For example, someone finds you through a Google search and downloads your free guide after filling out a short form. As an added bonus to you, they opted in to receiving marketing communications. Next, they receive a message asking them to confirm their email address (also called double opt-in). Once they confirm their email address, you send a welcome email, thanking them for their download. Over the next few weeks, you send a series of nurture emails, where they can learn more about what you have to offer. After some time, they decide they’re ready to buy.
Now, 6 months later, that customer hasn’t been back, but you still want to let them know you value them. You send a re-engagement winback campaign to let them know about a new product, offer a discount, announce an event, or ask for their feedback.
That customer takes you up on your offer and joins your next webinar. Once the event is over, you send them a post-event email thanking them for attending and what they can expect next.
Email is relevant at every stage of the relationship, from the first time someone hears about you to long after they’ve bought.
Is this something you can actually do?
If your hesitation is list size, it shouldn’t be. A small list of people who actually want to hear from you is more valuable than a large list of people who don’t. Permission matters more than volume.
To get started, you need a few things in place: a way to collect email addresses with proper consent, a privacy policy, a marketing strategy (or at least a rough idea of what you want to accomplish), and an email platform to send from.
Are you ready?
Not sure if you have what you need to get started? Take our short quiz to find out.