A simple way to build your email marketing plan

We know you're busy making your New Year's Resolutions for yourself or maybe your business, but this year, we want you to consider not making any resolutions at all. While the idea of resolutions is basically rooted in positivity, the outcome can leave the average person feeling like they have failed when they aren't able to follow through.

Instead, this year we encourage you to simply make a plan. You may have heard the saying "A goal without a plan is just a wish" (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) and instead of just declaring a resolution, shooting it out into the universe and hoping it works out - we want to help you focus on the actions that can make a goal or resolution become reality. Taking small actionable steps is something you can do right away and leads to greater success.

Steps for your email marketing strategy

Begin by breaking up the year into months. It's easier to approach the entire year when you've got just 12 categories in front of you. Then you can focus on just one month at a time, filling in details.

Start by taking note of holiday dates and celebrated days - including the less well known ones that might be relevant to your business or organization. If you sell sweaters or run a dating sight, then a celebrated day like Cuddle Up Day Jan. 6th might be a date you'll want to note on your email marketing calendar.

Now, take a moment to consider your own business or group's significant dates. Maybe you always have a sale or promotion, or send out a general newsletter at the same time each month (or maybe that is something you should start) and mark this on your calendar as well using the same date each month.

So now you've got a year's worth of interesting dates to help frame your email marketing strategy.

You'll want to ensure that you're reaching out to your list of contacts at least once per month. Chances are, however, that you're looking to create a more abundant schedule of email campaigns to support your business. Now is when you can decide what type of email you're going to send out each week or at another frequency that works for you.

For example, week one might include a helpful informational campaign that shares news about your organization, products or services.

Week two might include a promotional offer or sale notice. Week three might be a combination email that reminds them of your promotion and also includes a survey question or two that asks your contacts if what you're offering is relevant to them. This information may shape the last email you send them during the month.

As a month goes by and you send your campaigns, use your results to influence what you send next and to whom. If one of your contacts made a purchase, you can send them another offer that is similar. If a contact did not engage with your mail, you may want to connect with them using a holiday based email to catch their attention. This is a basic framework for building and maintaining a simple email marketing strategy.

You have a plan now! That means your chances of reaching any goals you did have in mind are much greater because you can see the actions you need to take laid out clearly. Just do one step at the time and you'll see results, no resolutions required.

If you have questions, need help (or even inspiration!) - contact our friendly support team.

Anna Wybieralska