Email marketing is unfashionable. With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Blogging, and Vlogging, it seems to have fallen by the wayside. However, like that old pair of comfy shoes you keep for painting, just because it is unfashionable does not mean that it is not useful.

There are literally millions of blogs (a simple Google search shows over 4 million) on whether email marketing is 'dead'. This isn't one of those, instead, it is rather a simple piece on what email marketing is and how to ensure your campaigns are optimized for the best results.

So, what is it?

In the simplest way possible, Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses Emails as a means of communicating a commercial or fundraising message to a wide audience at once. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing.

Now that we know what it is, how do we ensure that ours is optimized? An easy way is to follow these 3 simple steps.

1) Continued List Growth

Without continued growth your contact list will not stay the same, it will shrink. Why? People pay for your service so don't need your emails anymore, they change email address, or they simply unsubscribe. There is a multitude of reasons but the main takeaway is that continuing list growth is the most crucial part of ensuring a successful email marketing campaign.

An easy way to ensure this is not by spamming people on your website for their email address, but instead a few well placed call-to-action buttons leading to tempting landing pages. Although it may not seem like it, less can sometimes be more when requesting information on your website.

However, that is not a rule to follow throughout your marketing campaign. Do not hesitate to use every available means to gather someones email address and add them to your list. If people buy something in-store or eat at your restaurant, be sure to ask if they mind offering their email address in exchange for the latest offers. Similarly, use social media to request emails, again offering loyalty bonuses for those lucky enough to be part of your 'premium' audience.

2) Automation

Email automation is the optimal way to ensure that you don't just keep your new subscribers, but you offer them value. Once a prospective customer gives you their email, the first thing they should receive is a personalized email welcoming them to your company.

Personalization combined with automation is the key to making the most of your resources and promoting your content. It will both save you time and allow you the chance to re-purpose content. Similarly, as the emails are trigger based on activity, they’ll be both the most relevant and timely messages possible to send.

3) List Segmentation

Finally, to truly make the most of the first two points it is vital that you segment your ever-growing contact list whenever possible. This offers benefits to both your company and the prospective customers.

One shared benefit for your company is that it allows you to target your email campaign to the specific group that will be most likely to find it valuable and takes advantage of the content offered. Similarly, as it offers such value you are far less likely to lose subscribers due to a lack of interest, or even worse, being considered spam.

Lists can be segmented by anything, from how they signed up, to their purchase history, or even their birthdays.

For more information on how to increase your email list, click here.