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The Consummate Guide to EDM Marketing

Published: xviii/09/2020

Never heard of EDM marketing? You're probably not the only 1. In this blog post, we seek to define how EDM marketing differs from regular email marketing campaigns, and illustrate with existent-life examples.

In 2020, 306.4 billion emails are sent and received every day worldwide. Virtually everyone in the globe has an email accost and email marketing continues to boast the highest ROI, making email marketing strategies essential for your business's marketing efforts.

Email marketing ROI chart
Marketing channel ROI ratings

If you're already using e-mail marketing – and more chiefly if you aren't – EDM marketing is the next logical stride to improving your marketing efforts.

What is EDM marketing? EDM marketing, or Electronic Direct Mail marketing, is a marketing tactic used by companies to target a large grouping of potential customers and focuses on edifice relationships to increase overall sales.

At its core, EDM marketing is all about delivering your offering via e-blasts. But upon closer inspection, we encounter that it is much more complex than a regular email marketing campaign.

Electronic Direct Postal service marketing encompasses multiple media channels including printed marketing materials, social media, text message marketing, and even out-of-home (OOH) advertizement to reinforce and retarget the bulletin of your entrada.

Let's dig into the ins and outs of EDM marketing and how y'all can implement EDM campaigns into your marketing strategy.

First up: What exactly is EDM marketing?

EDM marketing is all near strategically edifice a list of potential customers that you tin can connect with by sending out engaging electronic mail communications to the different segments of your list. It allows you to appoint direct with your customers – both potential and existing – to build relationships, drive conversions, and foster brand loyalty.

As mentioned before, however, EDM marketing is more than than merely email marketing.

An EDM marketing strategy uses various forms of media – email, social media, printed materials, text messages, out-of-home, and more – to help build your list and convert people to customers. By using other forms of marketing communications, you can reach potential customers and reinforce the entrada message. (We'll go into more detail beneath)

The versatility and flexibility of Electronic Direct Mail marketing mean that it tin piece of work for almost any business. Whether y'all are running an eCommerce business, a service-based business or even a non-profit, EDM marketing can assistance you increase your conversions and grow your email listing.

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EDM marketing vs email marketing: What's the difference?

You may nonetheless be asking yourself what the departure is between EDM marketing and email marketing – both utilise emails to build a list and grow conversions so understandably they seem very similar from the showtime.

While an e-mail marketing campaign is just that – sending emails through a 3rd-party provider in hopes that those emails convert customers – an EDM campaign is much more complex.

A fully-fledged EDM marketing campaign starts with e-blasts but follows upwards with retargeting ads to capture those that have seen the electronic mail, a supporting social media campaign, and even billboards or printed ads in magazines.

EDM marketing vs email marketing

These supporting marketing campaigns build on the bulletin that was starting time sent out in the email and each works every bit one of the many needed brand touchpoints that will help to convert prospects into customers, and one-fourth dimension customers into echo customers.

The marketing Dominion of Seven states that a potential customer needs to "meet or hear your marketing bulletin at least seven times before they take action and buy from you."

An EDM marketing campaign helps yous reach those vii touchpoints by creating a comprehensive marketing strategy that goes beyond simple email communication every bit you do with electronic mail marketing.

The benefits of EDM marketing campaigns

While a lot of the benefits of using EDM marketing are similar to those you get when using electronic mail marketing, the main difference is that multi-channel targeted campaigns generally prove improve results than a standard electronic mail campaign.

Saves time and costs

Both EDM and e-mail marketing are extremely cost-constructive – once you have your listing, you can email them at quite a depression cost based on a schedule y'all prepare out for your business. You lot can create beautiful emails using templates or the skills of an in-house blueprint squad at a fraction of the cost of creating a traditional mailer.

Time is also saved because you can do everything in-firm without needing to turn to a printer or delivery service to get your message to your audience.

Builds trust and increases conversions

Existence able to speak directly to your audience is ane of the ways that a business concern tin build trust with its customers – and email marketing is the most effective mode to practice this.

In fact, BCG written report constitute that, for millennials, trusting a brand is 2nd only to loyalty discounts in importance when choosing which companies to back up. And a 2019 study past Edelman found that 62% of consumers are loyal to brands they trust, with another 51% stating that they would abet for brands they trust.

Brand loyalty chart

I of the greatest elements of EDM marketing is that you are working with a list of people who have given you their direct permission to contact them via email. They take opted-in to receive your communications, so y'all know that they are interested in hearing from y'all.

Because of this, they are more likely to engage with the content that your business organisation sends. This allows y'all to build trust with your audience by sending them timely and engaging emails. And by edifice trust, you volition be able to convert them into a paying customer.

Enables advanced personalization

EDM marketing campaigns give you the opportunity to highly personalize your electronic mail strategies based on how y'all segment your audition – more on that later!

Considering of this, your business will exist able to connect with your audience on a more authentic level, offering them information that is actually useful to them. No more than sending out an email to a global audition promoting gratis shipping within the United states – with proper audience sectionalisation y'all can accurately address the unlike sections of your audition.

Email marketing is all about gathering leads and trying to build a relationship with them. EDM marketing takes it one footstep further and tries to leverage the valuable information you have already collected to improve how yous marketplace to your listing of leads.

Lead capture solution for eCommerce - Book a Yieldify demo now!

7 steps to building a foolproof EDM marketing entrada

If yous're ready to implement an EDM marketing campaign, you're in luck – they outset quite merely, and so expand as time goes on. At that place are seven steps to implement EDM marketing in your concern, and the process starts much like a simple email marketing entrada.

Footstep i: Cull an email service provider

If you already take an email service provider (ESP) of pick, then you're set to motility to Footstep 2 – congrats! If this is the showtime time you are implementing any kind of electronic mail marketing in your business organization, y'all're going to need to notice an electronic mail platform that works for you.

ESP integrations

If you are implementing EDM marketing, we advise moving away from a simple spreadsheet and investing in an e-mail marketing software – features like listing segmentation, autoresponders, automated workflows, and analytics alone brand information technology worthwhile.

There are a lot of great options out there, and you will need to practice a scrap of testing to see what works all-time for you. Thankfully, most email marketing platforms offer you lot some kind of free trial – VerticalResponse gives you 60 days, while ActiveCampagin gives you xiv days and Constant Contact has a 30-day trial. Both MailChimp and Sendinblue have "gratis forever" plans with limited features for smaller list sizes.

You'll want to ensure that whatever platform you lot choose, you accept the ability to segment your listing and to transport automated email campaigns that are triggered past parameters that you institute.

Step 2: Build your listing

The success of any e-mail or EDM marketing entrada lies with your list of leads. Yous desire to ensure that the names on your database are legitimate and that you are consistently cleaning your list (most software can assist you with this!).

If you've been in business for some time, you should consolidate all of your contacts into ane list. Pull contacts from email accounts, your eCommerce and CRM platforms, and your existing email listing.

If your business organization is new and y'all are building your list from scratch, you lot'll need to spend some time coming upward with an e-mail listing building strategy.

  • Create a atomic number 82 magnet – A 30-twenty-four hour period trial, a ten% discount lawmaking, an interactive quiz – all of these work well in enticing your audition to sign up.
  • Offer multiple means for your audience to sign upward – Use atomic number 82 capture forms, embed forms in your content, implement floating activeness buttons, and more to effectively collect electronic mail addresses on your website.
  • Take a dedicated page for lead capture – Create a stiff lead capture page and link to information technology from your social media profiles, ads, marketing collateral, etc.
  • Don't forget offline – You can use your physical stores and other physical presence to get people's emails into your database.
Lead capture page | Yieldify

When edifice an email list at calibration, in that location are some best practices you can follow to help improve the effectiveness of your strategies. Here are the central ones:

  1. Laser-focus your targeting – If you are an eCommerce store that sells cookware to gorging bakers, it doesn't brand sense to target people who but prove involvement in dining out.
  2. Cull your triggers carefully – Consider the dissimilar times that your lead capture form can trigger: In exit, on timer, on scroll, on inactivity, etc. Make up one's mind how you can layer them to effectively capture the most leads.
  3. Personalize when you can – This is an opportunity to segment your list even further and deliver a personalized experience that will resonate with your audition. Utilize dropdown menus and radio buttons to gather additional information on your subscribers.
  4. Limit the use of CTAs – Instead of overwhelming visitors with too many calls-to-action, limit how many CTAs y'all take on a page or on a form. This will definitely atomic number 82 to more than conversions.
  5. Be transparent nigh your intentions – Be articulate about what data you lot are asking for, why y'all're asking for it, and how it will be used.
  6. Keep your forms uncomplicated – In general, the longer the course, the fewer submissions you'll receive. And then keep your forms as short and uncomplicated as possible.
Lead capture form - Dropdown menu

Step 3: Segment your list

In one case you've built your listing, information technology'south fourth dimension to outset segmenting. To exist able to send your subscribers the most targeted, applicable content for them, you demand to segment your list accordingly. If you lot are having a sale on women's dresses, it doesn't brand sense to inform your male person subscribers.

How you segment your list volition depend on your objectives and the information that you have collected from your audition. At that place are 4 types of segmentation you tin can employ:

  1. Demographic
  2. Psychographic
  3. Geographical
  4. Behavioral
4 types of market segmentation

Demographic segmentation is the "who" of market segmentation. Information technology looks at identifiable not-character traits similar Age, Gender, Ethnicity, and more. For case, demographic division might target customers based on their income, and then your marketing upkeep is wasted on targeting people who cannot likely afford your products.

Psychographic segmentation is the "why" of market segmentation. It looks at your customers' personalities and interests like Hobbies, Life goals, etc. It can be harder to identify this set of demographics, but they tin can be incredibly valuable in your marketing efforts.

Geographic segmentation is the "where" of market partition. It is incredibly easy to group your customers via physical location and information technology tin can be done in several ways: Country, Region, Metropolis, Postal code.

Behavioral sectionalization is the "how" of marketplace segmentation. Information technology may be the most useful of all for eCommerce businesses. Information technology does demand some information to back up it simply virtually of this can be institute on your website. The segments available include Spending habits, Browsing habits, Loyalty to brand, and more.

Behavioral segmentation benefits - Messaging accuracy

Segmenting your list lets you address your customers' needs, market directly to them, and ship effective emails every fourth dimension. It'due south integral to an EDM marketing strategy.

Pace 4: Create your email entrada

This is information technology! Yous're gear up to create your campaign and ship an email to your listing. Depending on which email platform yous went with, the steps to create your campaign volition differ slightly. But there are some key email marketing tips you tin use when edifice your campaign:

  • Ditch the technical jargon – Speak directly to your audience in a language they tin can relate to.
  • Brand your emails popular with visuals – Interruption up large blocks of texts with images.
  • Write a catchy bailiwick line – Your field of study line is the well-nigh important part of your email because it determines whether or not people come across your e-mail.
  • Stick to your make – Exist consistent in your email design, tone of vox, sending intervals, etc.
  • Don't go sneaky with your unsubscribe button – Anti-spam laws are no joke, so be sure to have a visible unsubscribe button or link in the footer.

If yous aren't sure where to start when it comes to the types of e-mail campaigns to ship, these are great options for eCommerce businesses:

  • Special offer announcements
  • New arrivals / Product launches
  • "Nosotros miss you" type emails to lapsed customers
  • Holiday specials
  • Re-orders / Back-in stock notifications
  • Sale reminders
  • Introduction to your make and USPs
Ecommerce email marketing examples - The Bakerista and Quip

Step five: Set up up your autoresponders

Take advantage of autoresponders to help you automate your electronic mail communications. Autoresponders are emails that are sent automatically to your list based on the triggers y'all set within your e-mail platform. Triggers can be:

  • A specific action, like when someone opts into your listing and a welcome email is sent.
  • Timed release, like a week later on signing up to your list, a discount code is sent.

If you're looking for means to include autoresponders in your EDM marketing campaign, try some of the following:

  • A birthday greeting
  • Bills, receipts, shipping confirmations, and other transactional emails
  • Production recommendations
  • Content built around visitor behavior on your eCommerce website
  • Abandoned cart reminders
Ecommerce email marketing examples - Aerie and Everlane

Step 6: Enable tracking

If you are running a marketing campaign of any kind, you must exist tracking your results. Without analytics, y'all can't fully sympathise how your campaigns are impacting your marketing objectives. Hither are some of the cardinal metrics you should be tracking for your EDM marketing campaign:

  • Open rate – How many people open your email.
  • Clickthrough charge per unit (CTR) – How many people click on a link in your email.
  • Click-to-open rate – Compares the number of unique clicks to unique opens.
  • List growth charge per unit – How many new people subscribe from your list.
  • E-mail sharing rate – How many people are sharing your electronic mail.
  • Unsubscribe charge per unit – How many people unsubscribe from your list.

About email platforms volition be able to give you this information – coupled with Google Analytics, y'all should be able to track all the metrics you demand to measure the success of your EDM marketing campaigns.

Step vii: Run complementary marketing campaigns

Depending on your goals, complement your electronic directly mail campaign with campaigns on other media channels, such equally remarketing pay-per-click ads, social media posts, SMS remarketing, web push button notifications, print ad, or other offline strategies.

For example, if you're promoting a new product launch and you've sent an email blast to your list, you can follow it upward with targeted social media ads, SMS reminders on launch twenty-four hours, as well an advertisement in a magazine.

Let's look at the "Back in Stock" e-mail case from Blanqi, a nursing and maternity make. Blanqi sent a promotional electronic mail to let their customers know that their popular Daughter Shorts were back in stock.

EDM marketing campaign example - Blanqi

From there, Blanqi continued to accommodate its eCommerce merchandising strategy and used a website hero image that promotes the Girl Shorts. It also served a "Welcome" lead capture overlay with radio buttons to be able to segment subscribers based on their needs.

EDM marketing campaign example - Blanqi

The brand also ran paid social media campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, also as social media influencer sharing to get the discussion out.

EDM marketing campaign example - Blanqi

And finally, Blanqi sent out another email to subscribers who had shown involvement in both postpartum and motherhood habiliment that highlighted some of the ways you tin can style the Daughter Shorts.

EDM marketing campaign example - Blanqi

By creating these multiple touchpoints and segmenting their list so they are reaching their target audience, Blanqi ensures that their customers and potential customers are enlightened that the Girl Shorts are restocked and on sale.

You are creating multiple touchpoints where you lot know your audience will be so that you can reach them more than than in one case. The email is simply the starting point.

In decision

EDM marketing is a continuous effort to build a personalized brand experience through your marketing. It is all almost creating trust and building relationships that catechumen with your customers.

If you're unsure of how to get started, feel free to connect with our squad and we'll be able to offer you tailored atomic number 82 capture and e-mail remarketing strategies to heave your revenue and customer loyalty. Also, cheque out our Daily Steals example written report where nosotros managed to become over 125,000 additional e-mail subscribers and increment conversions past iv%.

Daily Steals case study | Yieldify

EDM marketing FAQ

? What is EDM marketing?

EDM marketing is an acronym for Electronic Direct Postal service marketing. It'southward a marketing tactic used by companies to target a large grouping of potential customers and focuses on building relationships to increase overall sales.

? What are the benefits of e-mail marketing?

Email marketing is a low-cost, high-ROI marketing solution that helps you to build trust with your audience. This trust leads to increased conversions and repeat customers.

? How can email marketing be more effective?

Email marketing has an ROI of 4400% – it is undoubtedly one of the nearly constructive marketing strategies. By utilizing strategies like EDM marketing, y'all can make it even more effective by using strategic targeting, sectionalisation, and the addition of other marketing channels.