Understanding Your Business’s Email Marketing System

Online email marketing systems and platforms offer features that automate many tasks. But they only play a supporting role in your business’s email system. They're not the business system itself.

A business system is a "standard operating procedure" unique to your business. It outlines all the tasks, workflows, tools, or processes needed to execute goals.

In this article, we're getting into email system basics.

You'll learn:

• What an email system is
• What distinguishes it from online email marketing tools and platforms
• Typical tasks that go into it
• Two of the most effective types of marketing emails
• How automating tasks keeps things consistent and routine
• How to discover the frequency and type of content your audience prefers
• About evergreen sales funnels
• And the importance of using templates for email marketing

Online Email Systems vs. Your Business’s Email System: What's the Difference?

Your Business’s System Maps Out All Aspects of Your Marketing Emails

• Your email system encompasses much more than an online platform. 

• It includes all the tasks, timelines, workflows, and tools you use for emails.

• Only you can create an email system that evolves with your business.
• It’s about business strategy, marketing goals, essential lifestyle considerations, and personal preferences.

• It's confined to emails and doesn't include other types of marketing like social media.

• The use of email templates for email marketing is a form of automation that increases productivity. Email templates can include graphics, buttons, images, text, and formatting.

An Online Email Marketing System is an Administrative Tool

• Online marketing systems are communication tools that automate tasks. But it can only automate some of them. For example, it can’t plan or write emails for you, despite the promises of AI. AI falls short in many aspects, including nailing your brand voice and including all the elements you need in the ways you want to include them. 

• It often integrates with other types of marketing, like social media.

• Examples are Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Zoho, Brevo, and Hubspot.

Common Tasks in Your Business’s Email System

Creating a master task list helps you plan, strategize, manage time, delegate, and execute.

Let's look at an example of a list and the thinking behind it.

Say your goal is to increase your newsletters from once a month to once a week. Each one is about 250 words and includes a promotion or invitation. While this sounds straightforward, many less "visible" tasks go into it. 

Here's a breakdown of this project's tasks (or parts). 

• Figuring out how your emails will support a business goal
• Deciding the frequency and type of content to include and if it matches audience preference
• Time blocking and deadlines for email production and delivery
• Creating, editing, uploading, formatting, and scheduling emails
• Creating or finding templates for email marketing templates
• Deciding email sequences and funnels
• Monitoring and analyzing metrics
• Creating branded graphics or images 

• Deciding how far in advance to plan content
• Deciding how newsletter content will tap into content marketing (like blogs or podcasts)
• Deciding what you can or should delegate + starting the process

A "Task Blueprint" Helps You Create Your List

A Task Blueprint can help you get started on your task list and many other important considerations.

The Blueprint outlines everything (and I mean everything!) that needs to happen, in what order, when to do it, and whether to delegate it. It even encourages you to consider how your Blueprint may impact you or your life.

Two Essential Marketing Emails: Newsletters and Funnels

The best emails have the highest conversion rates for leads, opt-ins, shares, clickthroughs, or sales.

Let's discuss two email basics: newsletters and funnels. 

(I'm going into more types of emails in my next blog, so stay tuned!)

Newsletters

Newsletters remain one of the most effective ways to nurture relationships with loyal leads and buyers.

According to MarketingSherpa,

• 99% of people check their emails at least once daily
• Over 60% of people want weekly newsletters
• Almost 90% want monthly newsletters
• Newsletters remain one of the top ways to produce sales.

Since newsletters are about relationships, they rely on high-quality content and a clear brand. Consistency is essential in achieving both of these, like in any relationship.

Using automated marketing emails is also vital to keep things consistent. Greater consistency leads to increases in open and reply rates.

Evergreen Funnels

An evergreen email funnel is a sequence of automated marketing emails that leverage content marketing. They use content that stays relevant over time to turn potential buyers into paying buyers. 

The evergreen content is high-quality, informative, and strategic. It often has a "reference" quality that readers may return to. It builds authority and helps make you the "go-to" person on your topic. 

Identifying Audience Preferences: Content and Frequency

Although most customers want promotional emails, every audience is different. You need to learn what makes yours tick.

One way to hone in on the type of content your audience wants, you can use feedback in the form of email replies and requests. You should also track open rates closely. The more your content resonates, the higher the rates will be. 

You can also reverse engineer emails with higher-than-average open or reply rates. What problem is it helping people solve? Are they looking for education, inspiration, or encouragement? Are they looking for reviews, fresh takes, personal updates, etc?

Once you've got your ideas together, you can create a poll to verify or get more data.

Learning what your audience wants takes time. There's trial and error involved, but if they stay engaged, strong patterns will emerge.

When you poll, you can also ask about the email frequency they prefer. Polls on socials work, too! 

This article on determining email cadence discusses more ways of assessing frequency preferences.

Get Started with Email Marketing Templates that Keep You on Brand

When it comes to your email marketing system, there's a lot to think about and do! Good systems, time management, and automation of routine tasks make it all doable. 

Keys to automation and routines are:

• Having a robust email platform to schedule and automate marketing emails
• Creating deadlines and time-blocking for all tasks related to your emails
• Merging evergreen content with evergreen funnels
• Using a variety of email marketing templates to automate content creation

Here’s an Ultimate Template Bundle of 41 business templates. It includes 7 email templates and ensures that your emails match your brand.

It includes thumbnails, social media, ebook templates, and an editable marketing calendar template.

And if you just need email support, grab the Email Template Bundle that offers 10 different essential email templates for your business work flow. 

I really wish someone had given me this bundle. I hope it helps you!