While quality blog content lays the foundation for success, actively building a loyal audience is essential for long-term growth. This is where tightly integrating email marketing through list building and nurturing enters the picture.
Used strategically, email complements your blog content to tap into new readers and keep existing audiences engaged. But doing this effectively requires planning the right email campaigns and workflows with your blog’s goals in mind.
In this guide, we’ll cover the importance of email marketing for bloggers, steps for planning campaigns that convert, how to technically integrate email capture and flows with your blog site, and analyzing performance to refine your approach.
The Power of Email for Blog Growth
Over 3 billion email users and growing quickly;
281% higher ROI than other marketing channels;
People check email 5-10 times more than social media;
Email converts at nearly 70% higher than social media ads.
Even with newer digital channels, the unmatched open and conversion rates make email a top tier blogger outreach tool. Let’s look at email strategy basics.
Crafting an Email Marketing Plan
Ideal Subscribers
Detail target reader demographics, interests, and informational needs based on your blog’s niche. Understand who you want to connect with.
Email Goals
Set specific objectives like growing overall subscribers, reducing blog bounce rates, promoting new content, elevating engagement metrics etc. Establish key performance indicators.
Email Content Strategy
Map out the types of emails you’ll send – promotional, educational, newsletter style, transactional etc. – and optimal send frequencies and triggers to balance value and volume.
Automation Workflows
Plot multi-touch nurturing sequences that convert cold site visitors into loyal readers then customers by meeting their needs.
Measurement Benchmarks
Define indicators like open, clickthrough, and list growth rates to gauge performance as you scale your programs.
This strategy acts as your email blueprint tailored to integrate with and support your core blog content. Now let’s connect the technology.
Technically Integrating Email Services
The first step is selecting your email marketing platform. Top solutions like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ConvertKit and AWeber integrate seamlessly with blogs. Most offer generous free tiers to start.
👉 Site Bars: Fixed banner/ribbon prompting visitors to join your list to access exclusive content later in their journey.
👉 Slide-ins and Popups: Overlay opt-ins that slide in or popup based on time on site, scroll percentage etc. to reduce exits.
👉 Below Post CTAs: Clear calls-to-action at the bottom of blog posts invite users to subscribe.
👉 Sidebars: Low profile subscription boxes persistently visible alongside blog content.
👉 Lead Magnets: Offer downloads like cheatsheets or ebooks in exchange for an email address right in posts.
👉 Exit Intent: Retarget visitors showing intent to leave by sliding an email prompt just as cursors move to close tab.
Combine multiple opt-in methods to cast a wide subscriber net without being annoying. Make sign-up super smooth via social login with Facebook/Google.
Finally, link email workflows to blog interactions with:
👉 New Post Trigger: Send new blog content right to subscriber inboxes automatically on publishing.
👉 RSS-to-Email: Blast post summaries to list along with clickable headlines linking back to your full article to boost traffic.
👉 Retargeting: Follow up one-time blog visitors later by email, nurturing them towards conversion.
👉 Segmenting: Customize subscriber email streams based on their on-site behaviors and interests.
👉 Surveys: Solicit blog topic suggestions, feedback on new features, testimonials etc.
Set things up technically then analyze data to refine.
Evaluating Email Performance
Total Subscribers: Your overall email list growth tied to blog integration efforts.
Average Open Rates: Readership and attention metrics.
Click-Through Rates (CTR): Engagement levels for your calls to action.
List Growth: The pace of net new sign-ups from various blog email touchpoints.
Bounce Rates: Indicates potential spam trigger points losing subscribers.
Unsubscribe Rates: Need to reassess content or send frequency if rising.
Site Referral Traffic: Visits being driven from email clicks back to your blog.
Continuously A/B test email content, timing, subject lines, and formatting. Try visual designs optimized for mobile and scanability. Personalize where possible. Send behavoirally triggered emails based on obverved reader preferences.
Work email analytics insights back into your editorial planning. Repurpose top performing email content into new blog posts when warranted.
While organic search and social media deserve attention, doubling down on email marketing provides bloggers unmatched relationship-building potential thanks to huge accessibly paired with impressive conversion results.
Map out an integrated email strategy tailored for core blog reader profiles, develop value-packed campaigns, technically connect email services for turnkey execution, and constantly evaluate performance.
Done right, email both supports and extends your blog content’s reach and impact. Spend the time to optimize this channel and subscriber growth, engagement, and sales will thrive.
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