Email marketing… not dead yet

Did you know that traffic is generated not only through such well-known platforms as Facebook, Google Ads, and TikTok? There are also lesser-known methods, one of which is email marketing. This method allows you to create an effective sales scheme that can provide a stable income for a long time. In this article, we will discuss the essence of email marketing, provide specific examples, and explain how to collect a database for newsletters.

What is email marketing?

Email marketing relies on the use of emails to disseminate information about products. It requires prior consent from recipients on web pages or landing pages, who then confirm their participation via a message. Sending emails without confirming consent falls under the category of spam.

Methods for implementing funnels in email marketing

Traditional sales funnels involve displaying ads, and then selling through websites, landing pages, personal interactions, or chatbots, to sell the product immediately. However, email marketing funnels are different in that they allow you to make sales not only immediately, but also over a long period – from a few days to many years, which expands the strategic marketing opportunities.

An example of a marketing funnel component:

• An advertising message. It can include a creative about offering a book as a gift or a news subscription.
  
• Landing page with a free product.
  
• The ability to subscribe to the product.
• After entering personal data (name, email), the visitor agrees to receive emails, which is confirmed through a sent letter with an active link.
• Emails with materials provided free of charge.
• A sales process that may include one or more products offered simultaneously with or after newsletters.
• A properly organized sales funnel eliminates the division into spam or useful content. For example, webmasters subscribe to newsletters from affiliate networks that send announcements of offers, product news, notifications of increased rates, etc., which ultimately contributes to mutual benefit: webmasters are informed about new products in time and launch advertising campaigns, affiliate networks reconnect with old partners, and advertisers receive increased traffic and leads.

Another example is casino newsletters. Users are informed about available bonuses, free spins, and contests, which bring them nice bonuses, while casinos retain their customers, and webmasters and affiliates earn additional funds without investments.

How to get a mailing list

Email marketing can be effective in various fields of activity, the main thing is to arouse interest in the audience. The question arises: how to get the necessary contacts? Here are two commonly used approaches.

Buying a ready-made database: pros and cons

There are many resources available online, and if something is missing, you can always order it. This opens up the possibility of buying an email list. This method has certain advantages, but it also hides significant risks.

Profiles:

• Low cost;
• High volume of electronic contacts;
• Available specialized contact directories, including data of entrepreneurs, and top managers, as well as categories of people who are difficult to convert without premium offers;
• The ability to organize complex marketing campaigns and direct them to premium products, in particular in the B2B segment with a high transaction value.

Cons:

• Uncoordinated sending of emails to users is essentially spam;
• Large-scale campaigns entail significant distribution costs, and with a low-quality database, these costs are unlikely to justify themselves;
• There is a risk of buying a worn-out database that has already been used by many marketers;
• Messaging platforms are often critical of the origin of the database and can block an account for spamming;
• When working with large data sets, it is difficult to work out a detailed marketing strategy.
  
• Purchasing a ready-made database of email addresses is not difficult, for example, you can use the Kwork platform to select offers from different performers.

It is important to understand that email databases are formed from available data: discussions on forums, websites, message boards, comments, and other resources. Often, only the email address is known, less often – the name or nickname of the user.

Parsing and everything related to it

Database vendors parse email addresses, and you can do the same – collect a database yourself from sites or forums. One of the advantages of parsing is that you can use various parameters to select data. For example, you can organize data collection from regional forums or spam from thematic sites and forums.

The disadvantage of parsers is that they collect everything. The final list may include the mailboxes of technical support, developers, and media representatives. For example, when searching for parents’ contact information, you may accidentally come across email addresses belonging to children’s stores, private medical institutions, etc. This requires careful cleaning.

How to collect your database for newsletters

Your database ensures a high level of quality and long-term cooperation. First, you regulate the funnel mechanism and are aware of who becomes your subscribers. Secondly, if the product is of interest to consumers, the unsubscribe rate remains low, even if you send advertising messages. Let’s take a look at the key methods of building a database.

With the help of your website. Visitors are allowed to subscribe to news both during the registration process and through a special pop-up window or form.

Paid advertising and landing page with a bonus from the product. Site managers actively form a list of contacts for further sending. They create, for example, a guide to economic awareness, organize promotions, and distribute digital versions of books without charging a fee. In exchange, visitors agree to receive newsletters.

Once the webmaster has a large enough database of visitors, he will start advertising financial services: offers for debit and credit cards, deposits, investment opportunities, loans, etc.

Collection when traffic is flooded. This is an additional benefit and the sale of similar products. However, there is a risk of lower conversion to the main product, which requires careful planning of the potential customer’s route.

Conclusion

We’ve discussed the key elements of email marketing: from creating funnels to building subscriber lists. To achieve optimal results in terms of profit and ROI, it’s crucial to think through each step in detail. Instead of purchasing a list of a million subscribers and sending standard messages, it is recommended to segment the audience, run tests, and analyze the data obtained.