Welcome to Part 6 of my series and today, we’ll be looking at WordPress + Email implementation for optimal success. This is important because WordPress has so many plugins that integrate with email service providers easily. For example, with the click of a mouse, I can install Aweber, MailChimp, and ConstantContact so I can start collecting email addresses from day one. When I want to represent the power of email marketing, I always tell people about what Neil Patel says about having an email list. He stated that it’s impossible to get 100,000 visitors to your blog without having a solid email newsletter in place. It’s a great way to push for recurring visitors and increase engagement at the same time.
For all of you unaware of some of the perks associated with email marketing, then consider this:
- Great way to increase brand
- Great way to increase conversions and profits
- Great way to increase leads and visitors
- Great way to promote new content
There are many more benefits to having a solid email landing page in place to collect subscribers.
Choose the Right Provider
You already have a WordPress website and it’s important to figure out what ESP you will be setting up your interface with. The reason this is important is once you have a plan, you can easily go into WordPress and install the appropriate plugin. However, you have many choices and it can be very confusing choosing the right provider. Many of these email service providers have the same functionality, but have different designs, interface, and applications. I’ve been using Aweber.com for over 7 years and love the overall application. It’s very easy to use and setup, and NOT too pricy at the same time. However, I’m a strong believer that the one you choose will depend on preference. Either way, here are a few things to keep an eye on when choosing:
- The price for the ESP
- Application integration
- Automation
- Simplicity in forms
- Simplicity in customization
Once you’ve narrowed it down, you can head over to WordPress and install the compatible plug-in. Keep in mind, many of these ESP’s will provide you with a FREE trial so try them out before making a final decision.
Setting up ESP
As mentioned, you should be collecting email addresses from day one because they are valuable for recurring traffic and brand awareness. Once you’re done installing the plug-in, it’s time to get to work and customize the forms and placements. Here are some things to keep in mind when customizing your forms:
- Always split test when building forms (headlines, colors, required information)
- Try different locations and track the results looking for optimal conversion rate
- Use applications available to you offered by the ESP. This will depend on niche of blog.
- Read FREE resources available to you to better understand email marketing
Now What?
You’ve selected the best ESP and had a chance to go through the resources and interface. You’ve installed the forms and tested until you’ve achieved optimal conversions. It’s time to setup the ideal follow-up sequence to drive traffic back to your website. Here’s “3” things you should focus on going forward…
First, always provide high quality content when sending messages out to your subscribers. It’s a great way to keep loyalty through content your subscribers love and have grown to read on your blog. Secondly, always research before sending content and a great way to do this is by looking for what they’ve shared in the past. If you can create a list of content with the highest shares, then you’ll have a better idea of the type of content they would like to read and receive. Third, don’t over send emails because it can get annoying so tweak depending on your publishing schedule. If you publish content every day, then send them an email once a week with a breakdown of content. If you publish less, then you can send it on the day you publish content. However, over time, you learn what works and can stick to that schedule moving forward.