What Are The Fundamentals of Email Marketing? [The Ultimate Guide]

Do you want to learn the fundamentals of email marketing?

According to the data, email marketing revenue is expected to be 12.33 billion US dollars globally by the end of 2024.

Email marketing is the foundation of all online businesses due to its 3 proven advantages.

1. High Return on Investment

2. Complete Ownership

3. Direct Communication

First, email marketing generates $36 for a $1 investment, and it's backed by multiple research studies.

Secondly, an email list is a real digital asset that no one can take from you; you have complete ownership.

Suppose you have 10,000 Facebook followers, but suddenly Facebook bans your account due to some policy violations, and you lose the followers that you built for years.

That's why big companies and digital marketers focus more on building email lists as real assets.

Third, email marketing allows you to communicate with your customers directly by addressing their names and sending them email content according to their needs and interests.

In this article, I show you the 5 fundamentals of email marketing that you must know.

The first fundamental principle of email marketing is to choose a niche market or target audience.

A niche market is a specific part of a larger market that focuses on a particular group of people with unique needs or interests.

Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, businesses targeting a niche market cater to a select group of customers who are looking for specialized products or services.

5 Examples of A Niche Market:

1. Stock investing

2. Skin care for women

3. Credit Repair

4. Parenting

5. Weight Loss

Before starting an email marketing business, try to select a profitable niche to make money out of it.

Market research tools like Google Trends can help you find a profitable target market to promote products and services through your email business.

Just enter your topic in Google Trends, and it will show you if it's popular or not.

Moreover, you can discover the popularity of two or more niche markets simultaneously.

See the popularity of two niches on Google Trends in the example below:

As you see above, diabetes is a more popular niche than weight loss; therefore, if you select it as an email marketing niche, you can make money because there's demand for diabetes products and solutions.

If you don't know which niche is lucrative, take an email marketing course to learn step-by-step how to choose a profitable niche to make money online.

What is an autoresponder?

Autoresponder is an email marketing software that manages your email list, automates your email campaigns, and allows you to segment your contacts based on interests, behavior, and demographics.

Additionally, it helps you create a high-converting landing page and thank-you pages for lead generation purposes.

Another term for autoresponder is called email automation or email list management software.

My favorite email marketing software is Systeme.io due to its beginner-friendly and easy-to-use features.

In addition, Systeme.io is free for managing 2,000 email contacts and unlimited email sending.

After selecting your autoresponder, now it's time to build your email list, which I explained below in detail.

What is an e-mail list?

An email list is a group of people who subscribe to your email list to receive your newsletters, offers, and products.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to build your email list to start an email marketing business.

There are two ways to build your email list:

1. Free Ways

2. Paid Ways

You can build your email list for free by creating an opt-in form on your website or blog.

Make sure to offer incentives like ebooks, discounts, or exclusive content to motivate visitors to subscribe.

See the sample opt-in form below:

Secondly, you can run paid ads to build your email list. But it requires technical skills and investment.

You can run Facebook ads, Google ads, or other advertising methods to drive traffic to your landing page and build a high-quality email list.

If you don't have the technical skills to run paid ads on Facebook or Google, you can use solo ads to build your list quickly, even in 24 hours or less.

See a sample landing page for lead generation below:

I built my email list with solo ads for the first time because Facebook banned me twice due to policy violations.

Facebook ad policy is very strict and complex for making money online and weight loss ads, and if you violate it, your Facebook ad account will be permanently banned.

So before running ads on Facebook and Google, make sure to check their advertising guidelines.

The fourth fundamental of email marketing is creating email content and campaigns.

There are 4 types of emails:

1. Promotional Email

2. Informational Email

3. Story Email

4. Hybrid Email (Promo + Info or Story + Promo)

1. What is a promotional email?

Promotional email is used to promote a specific product, service, or special offer.

See an example of a promotional email below:

2. What is an informational email?

An informational email is a type of email sent to provide valuable information to the reader without directly selling a product or service.

Its primary goal is to educate, inform, or engage the recipient, building trust and keeping them interested in what you have to offer.

See an example of an informational email below:

3. What is a story email?

A story email is a type of email that uses a narrative to engage the reader, often sharing a personal story, a customer success story, or a hypothetical situation.

The goal is to connect with the reader on an emotional level, making the message more memorable and relatable.

This type of email often subtly incorporates a lesson, tip, or call to action without being overly promotional.

See an example of a story email below:

4. What is a hybrid email?

Hybrid email can be a combination of promotion plus informational or promotion plus story email.

Mixing promotional content with useful information or a story keeps your audience interested and provides value beyond just selling something.

This approach makes your emails more engaging and helps your audience learn something new.

For example, an email promoting a new fitness product might include tips on staying healthy or a story about someone’s fitness journey. This way, the reader feels they’re gaining something valuable while also learning about the product.

If you're not good at content creation, a good email marketing course can teach you how to write engaging email copy that converts into sales.

The fifth fundamental of email marketing is to track the most important metrics.

There are 3 important metrics to track:

1. Open Rate

2. Click-Through Rate

3. Deliverability

Let's explain each one...

1. Open rate: open rate shows how many people open your email campaign and read it.

Here's how to calculate the open rate:

Number of opens/number of emails sent = open rate

A healthy open rate is between 15% and 25%, and if it's below that range, you need to fix your subject line or improve your email deliverability.

2. Click-Through Rate: CTR shows how many people clicked on links in your email. It can be an affiliate link, a website link, or your own product link.

Here's how to calculate the click-through rate:

Number of Clicks/Number of Opens=CTR

A healthy click-through rate is between 10% and 20%, and if it's below that range, it's because of weak email copy or people's not interested in what your talking about.

3. Deliverability: Deliverability shows how well your emails get delivered without being blocked or marked as spam.

It's an important concept in email marketing because if your emails don't make it to the inbox, your subscribers won't see them, and your marketing efforts will be wasted.

Here are 5 tips to improve your email deliverability:

According to the CAN-SPAM Act, every email marketer should use a domain-based email address to send email.

If you use a Gamil, Yahoo, or Hotmail related email address, your email campaign would be marketed as spam and will never get to your subscribers inboxes.

Mastering the basics of email marketing can significantly enhance your business's reach and engagement.

By choosing the right niche, building a strong email list, and crafting compelling content, you create valuable connections with your audience.

Remember to regularly analyze your metrics and adjust your campaign for continuous improvement.

Start applying these fundamental strategies today, and watch how email marketing can transform your business into a thriving success.

For a deeper dive into these principles, download the full guide on email marketing here...