Email marketing is a vital piece of any business puzzle. Without it, businesses leave money on the table.

So what is the solution?

Get an email marketing software that takes care of all the ins and outs of your email marketing.

In this article, you’ll learn about one of the most popular choices when it comes to an email marketing platform to use, AWeber.

By the end of the article, you’ll have a clear idea of what AWeber can do, it’s pros and cons, and how it can help your business.

What is AWeber?

AWeber is an email marketing software platform that helps business owners create emails, manage leads, and automate their email marketing.

It can help you build your brand, create a following, know and connect with your audience, and take your business to a new level.

AWeber does this by the many features it has to offer to its users.

What Are AWeber Features?

AWeber has various features that make email marketing simple and straightforward. These features enable users to automate and systemize their email marketing.

Here is a list of some of the features AWeber has:

• Email Newsletters – You can automatically create an email newsletter from your blog posts.
• Email Automation – Automate your email marketing by creating email sequences to send out to your subscribers. You can send unlimited emails.
• Drag and Drop Editor – AWeber has over 700 email templates to choose from.
• Tagging – You can tag your subscribers based on the clicks and opens you get.
• HTML Templates – You can create professional newsletters to send to your list.
• Team Hub – You can have more than one user per account to be able to work together.
• Split Testing – You can test various aspects of your email marketing to find what works.
• Integrations – There are various third-party integrations you can use to help automate your email marketing.
• Mobile Apps – There are mobile apps you can download and use to make things even simpler.;
• Customer Service – AWeber has great customer support anytime you need it.
• Subscriber Management – You can easily manage your subscriber list by collecting email addresses and tracking their stats.
• Subscriber Segmenting – You can maximize your list by segmenting it by clicks, opens, purchases, etc.
• Email Tracking – Tracking your numbers will help them grow and email tracking helps you do just that.
• Email Deliverability Rate – Deliverability rate is vital to getting more open rates and sales. AWeber helps get your emails delivered.
• Image Hosting and 6,000+ Stock Photos – With AWeber, you have access to a myriad of photos you can use in your email marketing.

AWeber Pricing

AWeber has a 30-day free trial and unlimited emails for any pricing plan. The pricing plans depend on how many email subscribers you have. Here is the breakdown of the pricing plans:

• Up to 500 email subscribers is only $19 per month.
• 501-2,500 subscribers is $29 per month.
• 2,501-5,000 subscribers is $49 per month.
• 5,001-10,000 subscribers is $69 per month.
• 10,001-25,000 subscribers is $149 per month
• 25,000+ subscribers you’ll need to get a quote.

To be able to send unlimited emails and get all the features when using AWeber, the price is very affordable. Many business owners rely on AWeber for their email marketing needs.

Pros and Cons

With any product, there are going to be pros and cons. AWeber has many pros and a few cons. Here are some pros and cons for it:

Pros

• Affordable price for any business
• Automation options help simplify your email marketing
• It has email tracking to know your subscribers better
• The drag-and-drop feature makes it easy and quick to use
• Various integrations available
• Stock images are available to use
• Get better deliverability
• More than 700 email templates to choose from and use
• List segmenting to target your audience in the right way
• Split testing feature to help find what works
• Great customer support if you need it
• 30-day free trial
• There are no long-term contracts with monthly plans and no setup fees
• And much more

Cons

• The more you grow your list, the higher the price gets for AWeber, though it’s still very reasonable.

If you need an email marketing platform, which every business owner does, AWeber is a great choice. Simple and automated are keys to a smooth-running business, things AWeber delivers to its users.

You can’t go wrong by choosing AWeber for your email marketing needs.

Click here to start your 30-day free trial today.

You know that saying: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”?

Well, it doesn’t get truer than that.

The statement’s valid for every situation in real life. AND in the digital space.

Today, we will be talking about making a good first impression on your prospects and leads through crafting powerful, compelling email subject lines.

So far, we have provided you with detailed guidelines on how to build autoresponders and build sales funnels that convert.

However, those articles were mostly about the “why” and the “how” and not about the “what.”

In other words, you know why you need to incorporate email marketing into your online marketing strategy, what sales funnels are and how you can build them. You also know the type of content that works best for every stage of the customer journey. What we didn’t tell you, however, is the specifics on content.

Now that you have the basics down, we’ll be doing precisely that, a little by little.

We decided to start with one of the most overlooked parts of emails: their subject lines.

WHY EMAIL SUBJECT LINES MATTER

There are some people that advocate not judging a book by its covers, but let’s be real: we all do it. We get our first opinion about the world that surrounds us in a split second (Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink” studies this into more detail), and many times we make decisions fueled by that opinion.

This is normal. Judging things based on our first impression and making snap decisions saves us a lot of time. If you think deeply about every small decision you make, you won’t have enough time to assess the really important crossways in life.

So, yeah, the world would be great if first impressions would not matter as much, but dreaming about such a world is for idealists. If you are a realist wanting to prosper both in life and in business, the sooner you accept the reality – the better. Once you do, you will be able to direct your focus on the exact things that you can improve to get better results.

The subject line is your email marketing’s “cover.” It is the first thing that your prospects see when you send them an email. You can craft your content to perfection, but if you don’t “sell” it using a compelling subject line – it will be all in vain.

Just open your inbox. How many emails you have? Chances are, more than 2 or 3. If you’re like me, you have even more than 10. Do you open every one of them? Probably not. You open those that seem interesting or those that promise to deliver you some value. The others go from inbox to trash. Forever gone. Unopened.

So, what can you do to increase your email open rates?

Let’s take a look.

12 STEPS TO CREATING BETTER SUBJECT LINES

#1. Create a Sense of Urgency and Exclusivity

Creating a sense of urgency around your products can be a great tactic that makes readers click and read your email. However, note that the more you use this tactic the more it loses its power. So do it sparingly – only when the offering is genuine. Many companies find this tactic particularly effective when they use it to contact people that have already shown interest in their products and services.

#2. Spark Up Your Readers’ Curiosity

People are wired to be curious and to naturally gravitate towards things that are mysterious. Playing on this trait can help you get your emails to read. We’re not saying that you should be vague – the subject line still needs to be detailed enough to relate to your brand.

Remember that the line between mystery and spam is very thin.

#3. Make them an Offer They Can’t Refuse

Here’s a quiz question for you:

What is the thing that people love the most?

You know it.

Freebies.

When you give away some freebies in your email, make sure to include it in your subject line as well – just this simple change will have a great impact.

#4. Know Your Stuff

Keep up to date with the trending topics in your industry. Usually, people subscribe to newsletters because they want to be informed. So, being among the first that informs people of some industry-related developments will help you establish authority in the eyes of your prospects.

#5. Get Personal

Use the data the internet gifts to you, segment your lists and make your emails as personalized as you can. Remember that no two clients are the same, so learning your prospects’ needs and wishes can help you play on those desires and get yourself some reads (and sales).

Also, consider inserting the recipient’s name in the subject line. That way it feels like you’re talking only to them like they’re special. And everyone wants to feel special.

#6. Throw Around Some Names

… but again, make sure that those names are relevant to your industry. Find a name that your readers will get related to and use it to pique their interest. That doesn’t mean that you have to use just famous names – the key here is familiarity. So, if your readers know you, as a person, use your name in the subject line.

#7. Keep it Short

Remember what we said earlier: time is precious, and people do not have a lot of it, which is why they just scan through their inbox looking for something that looks promising. Keep your subject line short and intriguing, so your readers can quickly take it in and make the decision to open it in a blink.

#11. Keep Your Promises

Tell your people what they can find inside the email. But keep the promises you make. Do not use any tactics just to manipulate people into opening the email. You’ll get one email opened, but you’ll lose them on all the rest. Play fair.

#8. Be Mindful of Your Email Address

The worst mistake you can make is to include the @noreply.com sender’s name in your email address.

Do. Not. Ever.

Please. Make yourself a favor and avoid being seen as a robot that just sends a general email to anyone and everyone.

Moreover, consider getting a legitimate @yourbusinessname.com email address, as it will give off a more professional vibe as opposed to using @gmail or @yahoo in your address.

#9. Find the Right Time

What do you offer? Recommendations for best bars? Well, how about sending the list on Friday during dinner time?

Picking the right time to send your email is everything.

#10. Write Simply

Don’t try to be smart. You know that saying by Einstein: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”? Well, that sums up what I’m trying to say. You want to be an authority? Talk in a way that everyone understands. Make things clearer, not more confusing.

#11. Take Your Time to Write a Compelling First Line

The first line is not a part of your subject line, but it does appear next to it and can be previewed. Write a compelling preview to reinforce your subject line.

#12. Test and Optimize

Think of a couple of subject lines and test them to see which one of them works the best for you. Success is a matter of trial and error.

PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER

Okay, now you know what you need to do in order to craft a compelling subject line that will boost your open rates.

Next, let’s take a look at a couple of examples and how they relate to the elements above.

Deadlines and Limited Time Offers

Use words like “alert,” “new,” “limited,” “breaking,” “Important” and similar words that create the sense of urgency and scarcity, and thus make people feel like they would miss a chance to get an awesome offer.

• Uh-oh, your (what kind of offer?) is almost gone.
• [URGENT] You’ve got (how much time?) to (take what action?)
• [LIMITED TIME ONLY] Get (what?) (until when?) only.
• Sale alert!
• Hey, (Name). We’re deleting your account tonight.

Be a Storyteller, Craft a Hook

Use the storyteller’s technique: end your subject line with a cliffhanger. Or, be completely unexpected. Let’s take a look at how you can achieve this.

• Are you sure you want to open this email?
• The ultimate money-making secret that (who?) wants to keep from the world.

Also, if you’re adding media to your email, make sure you mention it in the subject line as well.

• The DIY gift girls dye to get [VIDEO]

Freebies and Solutions to Pain Points

• Grow your email list 10x by following these foolproof ideas.
• 112 email subject lines that will get your open rates through the roof
• 9 ways to get everything you want in life
• 10 unexpected ways to save more money
• 200 content ideas that will put an end to your creative block

Straightforward Subject Lines

Unlike what many people think, simple and straightforward subject lines are not boring – on the contrary, they work quite well, which is why most of the emails in your inbox are of this type.

Here are some examples:

• [Brand Name] Monthly Newsletter
• Invitation to (what?) by [Brand Name]

FINAL WORDS

Crafting compelling emails is not as hard as you think. The only thing you need to do is to put yourself in your readers’ shoes.

Open up your inbox and take a look at the emails you have received. Write down the ones that resonate with you, and try to customize them to your offerings.

Then, analyze the results. Optimize. Send new emails. Analyze again. Optimize again. In no time you will what works best for your audience.

Finally, don’t get too comfortable once you succeed to reach your target open rate. Continually mix things up. Create a schedule on the type of emails you send to your customers, and find a way to say the same things (sales, promotions, weekly updates) differently.

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SUBJECT LINES: JAZZ UP YOUR EMAIL MARKETING GAME
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Just some time ago, email marketing was the talk of the town.

And, as it happens with all things that are proven, free, and effective, every single company started incorporating email into their online marketing strategy. Marketing companies and experts started including it in their offerings. Moreover, since the nature of emails allows for sales funnels to be implemented quite easily, entire businesses specializing in email marketing services popped up as well.

Soon, however, the raving fans of email marketing faced a problem – the fact that everyone used emails as a marketing channel, made the space too cluttered.

So, they started looking for an alternative.

Well, it looks like they found it. If you haven’t figured it out by now – we are talking about messaging apps.

And so is everyone else.

But are messaging apps the holy grail of marketing?

You want a relevant conclusion? Then, let’s check out both sides of the story.

FIRST THINGS FIRST…

In some of our previous articles we covered both chatbots and email marketing, so you if you follow us regularly, you should have the basics down by now.

If you are not acquainted with the topics, check the “beginner basics” articles on email marketing by clicking here, or the Chatbot for Dummies “crash course” article by clicking here.

There you can find everything there is to know about them in detail. To understand this article better, we’ll briefly go over the basics below as well.

Now, it’s time to answer the question that everyone’s been asking.

EMAIL MARKETING AND ITS BENEFITS

In one of our previous articles, we said:

Although you might think that (…) social media is the next big thing, email has never lost (and will probably never lose) its leading status for making sales.

Statistical data shows that emails are, indeed, one of the most effective channels when it comes to customer acquisition and ROI. With an open rate of almost 22 percent, email marketing brings more than half of the companies’ conversions.

So, it’s safe to say that the statement above is still valid.

Every marketing channel consists of different elements that work together to ignite interest, grab attention, and push the prospect towards the moment of making a sale. And so, email campaigns have four main components:

Copy. Content is everything. Period. Even if you somehow manage to lure your customers into opening your emails using an inviting subject line, if you fail to provide them with value when they take a peek inside, you can consider them gone. How do you provide value? With an informative, well-written copy. Emails written using a friendly, conversational tone have a much higher chance of making users act since it doesn’t look like making a sale is their only purpose.

Creative is the design of the email and the structure of the copy. Using concise headings, short paragraphs and unambiguous language, will improve the readability and increase the open rate of the copy.

Relevance and Incentive. Okay, time to be honest. How relevant is your content to the receiver? What kind of value do you provide? Remember to take advantage of the power that the internet gifts to you, and play on the data you have about your customers to create more personalized offerings. Personalization is known to increase customer satisfaction and bring better results.

To sum it up, when used right, and by “right” we mean making sure that your copy is well written, clearly organized, delivers value and includes a great subject line, email marketing can yield amazing results.

But, why would you choose it over another channel? That is, what are the benefits?

IT IS FAMILIAR

If you ask us, this one is the most significant benefit of them all.

Why do we say that?

Because people hate change.

We know it. You know it. Everyone in this world knows it.

There is no stronger “lock-in” than the sense of familiarity. That is, no one is willing to change unless something makes change an unavoidable affair.

And, if you think about it, there’s no reason for emails to lose their prime. Sure, the space might be cluttered, but that’s just like saying that there are too many blogs nowadays. Which, by the way, is true. And yet, with every passing day, companies continue blogging and continue climbing the SERP ladder.

Your customers are used to using their emails daily. They open their inbox, and they expect to see something there. When you send a promotional email, it is normal. You are not intruding.

Messaging apps, on the other hand, not a while ago were just a place where people kept in touch with their acquaintances and chatted with their friends. And, now, suddenly, they have to get used to the fact that this private space can be imposed by a brand.

CAN BE USED IN ANY STAGE OF THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

Email allows you to reach out to your prospects easily. Social media ads and PPC will raise the interest and attention of your users, but emails are the ones that will guide them through the customer journey and after they convert – nurture the leads.

CAN INCLUDE POWERFUL CTAs TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE

Having a strong call to action immensely increases the odds of your users converting. So, the fact that emails allow you to incorporate a specific call to action that drives traffic back to your website and make sales is invaluable.

Many people argue that this is an invalid point since CTAs can be found in social media posts as well, but the CTAs present in emails are much more powerful, owing to the fact that people use emails primarily to acquire information about brands and various kinds of offerings.

MESSENGER MARKETING AND ITS BENEFITS

Messaging apps have become a huge deal over the course of the past couple of years. Everyone realized that the messenger is going to be the next big thing once Facebook allowed for brands to send messages to their users. Facebook messenger is the most widely used messaging app around the world. Of course, there are some local preferred apps like WeChat in China or KakaoTalk in Korea, but all messaging apps share the same benefits when they are used for marketing.

The next milestone in the messaging apps’ development was the introduction of chatbots, which allowed companies to create conversation scripts and automate their interaction with the clients. Messenger bots are software programs that appear in the standard interface of messenger conversations and chat with users, the same way that humans would.

Some bots react to keywords, and others offer a choice of preset phrases. Then, depending on the preferences and answers of the users, they take them down different paths, sending them more and more personalized messages.

Generally speaking, there are two types of chatbots: informational bots and utility bots.

Informational bots provide users with content in a different format. So, if you are reading the news every day, you can subscribe to get alerts through messenger.

Utility bots, on the other hand, help users throughout the customer’s journey, solving their problems. For example, you could get a bot’s help while you are looking for an item to buy online, when you are making a reservation, or when you are ordering a cab. Utility bots can also access your calendar and manage your meetings or remind you of unpaid bills and subscriptions. The possibilities are truly limitless.

But, that does not answer the question: what are the exact benefits of messenger marketing?

Okay, let’s take a look.

BETTER OPEN RATES

Although email open rates are quite high, at times, emails don’t get opened.

Chatbot messages, on the other hand, rarely face this problem. They take the interaction to the place where users already spend their time: messaging apps.

Moreover, since the messages are instant, short, and don’t sound like they are trying to get to the point of making a sale at all times, users actually read the messages they receive. Sadly, that does not always mean that the users will go past the interest phase, and reach the bottom of the funnel (conversion).

RAPID GROWTH

According to statistics, more than 80% of business will have adopted chatbots in their experience very soon.

MORE PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE

Being connected to Facebook, or other platforms, messaging apps collect a lot of data for users, like the location, the used devices, past personal info, and can even learn the customer and buying habits. This allows them to offer an enhanced experience. The personalization they provide is far greater than that of advertisements. Moreover, they share information far away from the clutter that shows up on the user’s social media feed.

SO… THE CONCLUSION?

Okay, we have to give it to bots – they are easy to use on every kind of device, get rid of the clutter and save time. Moreover, they create a sense of closeness with your customers and allow for two way communication. With chatbots, you are chatting with your prospects instead of talking TO them. Taking all of this into consideration, it seems that switching to messenger marketing is the way to go.

Um… Not so fast.

Just like in most instances in life, even when it comes to bots, expectations and the reality are two very different things.

Many times, the bots are built poorly. They don’t learn as you go, and rely on previously programmed scripts, giving you only limited options and thus limited information. Although they should know everything, in some instances they don’t understand the questions they have been asked and forget what they or the user said just a couple of minutes before. All of this takes away the illusion of humanity they should create, and make them inefficient.

So, yeah, when done right, they offer a lot of benefits.

But so do emails.

Also, although messaging apps and chatbots are in the spotlight right now, with 2.7 billion users worldwide, email is too big to fail.

Emails are better at getting long points across, which is why it remains the favorite for sharing lengthy messages. Furthermore, as we already mentioned, the habit factor plays a huge role as well. People are used to using emails for establishing direct communication with their brands of interest.

Another thing to consider is the demographics. The younger generation might be more comfortable with using messenger, but some senior email users do not own an account on a social media platform or a messaging app. So, excluding email from your strategy would mean missing out on the chance to market to a broader audience.

So, we have only one question for you.

Who told you that you have to choose?

Giving up what already works just to keep up with the developments in the business world is not a smart move. We are not saying that you should not make any changes, but that you should keep at your proven approach, while exploring new possibilities at the same time.

Instead of jumping the gun, and focusing all your efforts on making messanger your leading marketing strategy, set clear goals and rationally evaluate which channel would fit the needs of your current campaign.

The bottom line is that every channel has its target group. Including both into your integrated marketing strategy is your best bet if you want to reap all the possible benefits.

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Email vs. Messenger Marketing: How to Win the Battle for Customer Attention
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 this world of constant change if businesses want to have even the slightest chance of getting ahead of their competitors, they have to keep up with all the latest trends.

Knowing how hard finding the right information must be, we make it our mission to share valuable and detailed insights, which can be implemented immediately.

 

Today, we are offering you a crash course to yet another topic, fundamental for successful daily operations of modern businesses: Email Marketing and Automation.

 

 

By the end of reading this article, you will know what email marketing is, how it works, and how you can use it to attract new customers and maintain your current userbase.

 

Sounds good, right?

 

Then, let’s hit the books.

 

What is E Marketing and Why it is Essential for Your Business

 

Explained in simple words, email marketing is marketing your products and services to your customers – through email.

 

It is entirely possible that when you read the short definition, you confused the term with spam messages that fill up your inbox.

 

However, note that between email marketing and spam there is one fundamental difference: the former is not unsolicited, and it actually converts your page’s visitors or one time customers into leads that, if you do things right, will stay with you a long, long time.

 

Okay, now that we covered the basics and you have some idea about what we will be talking about – it’s time for the fun part!

 

Email Marketing 101: How to Build Your Email List from Scratch

 

 

 

 

In this section, we will cover everything you need to know in order to build a successful email list.

 

Note that we will be talking about building your own lists. Another option is buying email lists, and many people consider this a “smart” shortcut as it saves time and effort, but it actually does not add value to your business and just wastes your money.

 

People who have not specifically given you permission to email them, will see your messages as spam anyway – which means that they will most probably not even open your emails, much less buy from you. So, instead of taking the easy way out, we recommend putting in the effort to find your own customers.

 

And, in order to do that, you need two things: an opt-in form and an email marketing service.

 

When it comes to opt-in forms, you can either hire a developer or use a program such as OptinMonster to create them yourself.

 

The variety of email marketing services, on the other hand, is huge.

 

To make things easier, let’s take a look at our top three choices according to the features they offer, and the prices of the plans.

 

GetResponse

 

 

We start with GetResponse for a reason – it’s an all in one email marketing software that is by far the most affordable. It offers email marketing, landing pages, CRM, and webinar hosting features. One of its key selling points is the autoresponder functionality. For all of this, you pay as little as $15 per month for a basic email plan for 1000 subscribers – a price which increases along with the functionalities you wish to add to your daily operations. The good thing about GetReposnse is that it is fully functional both for small email lists, as well as for enterprises that have lists that exceed 100,000 subscribers. Also, when you take into consideration both the number of subscribers on your list and the number of emails you can send out, this solution is far cheaper than the competitors’. If you pay up front, then you can take advantage of the 12 or 24 months up-front discounts this software offers.

 

MailChimp

 

 

MailChimp is one of the most popular email marketing services available on the market. Its simple design and intuitive interface make it the most frequent choice of email marketing beginners. As far as the pricing goes, it has both free and paid versions. For up to 2000 subscribers, you can get a free plan. However, the bigger your list grows, you will have to start paying more and more – with plans starting from $10 per month. The problem here is that you get quite a limited number of functionalities for the price you pay. Another feature that asks for a paid plan is using autoresponders (we will discuss autoresponders more in detail later in the article). Lastly if you need to get priority support, the MailChimp Pro version can give it to you – as opposed to the ordinary support through the contact form (one of the most negative features of the service) that the users of the free plan get.

 

HubSpot

 

 

HubSpot is anything but just an email marketing software – it offers a wide range of options for medium and large businesses, and with its tracking and analytics capabilities, helps them with optimizing their content to attract and maintain leads and increase their conversion rates. That, of course, comes at a price. The cheapest plan is $800 per month and includes 1000 subscribers, after which, users have to pay an extra $50 per month for every additional 1000 subscribers. Apart from the monthly rates, new users have to pay a one-time setup and training fee, which costs $3000.

 

After you choose the email marketing service that fits your needs and budget, the next step is growing your email list.

 

This is where marketing rookies make the biggest mistake they could ever make: they just create an opt-in form, put it on their site, and hope for the best.

 

Sorry to break it to you, but that’s not how things work around here.

 

How to Get People to Subscribe

 

If you want people to give you the permission to fill up their inbox with your content, you have to give them something in return. You have to create “an offer they cannot refuse,” an offer that, in the marketing world, is called a lead magnet.

 

Now, what is something that people would never refuse?

 

The answer is simple, people like freebies.

 

You can offer whatever comes to mind (a free trial, case study, a list of tips, a free consultation, an eBook, a free webinar, etc.), as long as it meets the basic vital criteria: it has to bring value.

 

Other than that, keep in mind a couple of other things, as well.

 

First, keep it short and sweet. Your consumers want something that is easily readable and immediately receivable and applicable.

 

Next, what you are offering needs to actually work and create improvement in your consumers’ lives.

 

And finally, although it can be packed in any form possible, the content has to be relevant to your consumers.

 

How to Make Sure Your Opt-in Form Converts

 

Now that you have everything in place, you need to work on the appearance of your opt-in form. No matter how great your content is if you do not know how to “sell it” you will not notice any results.

 

So, how you can make sure that your opt-in form is the best it can be?

 

Think simple!

 

• Add the biggest benefit of your lead magnet in the headline, followed by a short and clear description.
• Do not ask for a lot of information, as people do not have the patience to fill in long opt-in forms.
• Include a photo of your lead magnet as well, as visuals attract people.
• Make sure your subscribe button stands out.
• Consider the placement of your opt-in form. There are many places you can add it at, but an exit-intent popup opt-in form is vital if you want to get as many subscribers as you can get. Its name is pretty self-explanatory – it is an opt-in form that pops up just as the consumer is about to leave the page.

 

Personalize Your Offerings

 

Let’s say you did everything we told you to do so far. Is that the end of it?

 

Not even close.

 

The next thing you should do, once you collect all the email addresses from the consumers interested in your products and services, is to segment your list.

 

In other words, you should make sure that your emails are sent to the right people, so you can boost your email open rates and click rates, and avoid unsubscribers. Not everything you offer will be valuable for everyone on your list, and if people who are not interested in a particular offering keep getting emails related to it, they will start considering your messages as spam, and probably unsubscribe.

 

Conversely, when you segment your list, your emails will be more powerful, and you will no longer struggle to pick the correct subject line and content that will ensure that the users engage with your emails.

 

Email Marketing Automation and Autoresponders

 

So far, we taught you how to grow your list, explained why you should consider segmenting it, and suggested you a couple of email marketing services. In order to combine all of this information and techniques and to create an optimal process that will create money for you by itself, next you need to learn about email automation and autoresponders.

 

Defining Autoresponders

 

An autoresponder is every sequence of emails which is created in advance and sent automatically to subscribers when triggered by a particular event: subscribing to your newsletter, downloading your eBook, buying a product, etc.

 

Autoresponders are extremely powerful as they automate the process of nurturing your leads and turning your prospects into repeating customers by sending them the right info at the right time. As you create them beforehand, once you are done with writing your series, you are done for the time being and can focus on other aspects of your business and daily operations.

 

How To Create a Powerful Autoresponder Series

 

Automating the process only works if you manage to write a compelling series that you would send out at the correct time. How can you make sure that your series converts?

 

Follow the steps below:

 

#1. Focus Your Actions

 

What is it that you want to accomplish with your autoresponder series? Generally, there are many goals that an autoresponder could have, but a couple of them are more frequent than others. Such is the “welcome” email sequence sent to new subscribers, an email that acts as a lead magnet, promising to deliver information in a series of emails, the sales funnel sequence, and the promotional email sequence which is sent to buyers whom you want to turn into returning customers.

 

#2. Plan Your Course of Action

 

After you have decided what kind of autoresponder you will create, it is time that you outline and draft your sequence. Decide on the number of emails you will send out and on their frequency.

 

If we tell you that there is a general rule about how long a sequence should be – we would be lying to you. A good rule of thumb is to follow your goal: a sequence, after all, is created to accomplish something. Once you achieve what you wanted, the series should end as well.

 

As far as the frequency of sending out the emails goes, it depends on your goal too. Usually, businesses send educational emails every two to three days. Sometimes, if there is an offer that your users would not want to miss, the number of emails may go up to several a day.

 

What matters is not the number or the frequency, but the value you provide. Which is why it is crucial that you find a good balance between your educational and value-adding emails and your sales emails. The former should outnumber the latter.

 

#3. Write the Sequence

 

Next comes the hardest part of creating an email sequence: the actual writing. This is the part where everything we taught you about building an email list comes together.

 

Good emails are highly “you” focused and always address the problems of the customers and their needs, instead of boasting about the greatness of the offered products. Not all customers will be interested in the same things, so personalized emails are the way to go. This is, as we already mentioned, accomplished through email list segmentation. Finally, even if the content of your email is great, if you do not get the subject line right, it all goes down the drain. Compelling, smart headlines will entice curiosity and skyrocket your email open rates.

 

#4. Evaluate the Results

 

The last step is the same as with every project – after you set up the process, if you want to reap the benefits, you need to monitor the results, and tweak your content according to it. Generally, you should look out for the open rates; the unsubscribe rates and the click-through rates of your emails. If the numbers are not as you wish them to be, go back to the previous steps and check if you have done your best creating a high converting series.

 

Final Notes

 

Statistical data shows that more than 90% of consumers use or check their emails daily and that those who receive email offers spend around 140% more than people that don’t. Although you might think that the past years, social media is the big thing, email has never (and will probably never) lost its leading status for making sales.

 

As email automation simplifies the process and decreases the effort you have to put into nurturing your contacts, personalizing your offerings and creating new leads, there no reason not to start working more on creating your list and learning how to write emails that convert.

 

Lastly, make sure you choose the right email marketing automation software that fits your subscription numbers and the features that you need, as well as the size of your business.

 

There is no need to pay more, if a cheaper plan cuts it.