Content Marketing
What Is a Content Calendar? How to Build One That Works
What a content calendar is, what it should include, a simple sample you can copy into Google Sheets or Excel, and how to plan social media content with one.
The most useful email marketing tips are simple: email people who asked to hear from you, send something worth opening on a regular schedule, write a clear subject line, keep each email to one main message with one button, make sure it reads well on a phone, and measure clicks and sales rather than just opens. Do those consistently and your email marketing campaigns will usually beat sporadic, sales-only blasts.
Why is email marketing important?
Email reaches people directly in their inbox, and you own the list. Social media platforms decide who sees your posts and can change the rules at any time; an email list stays yours. It's also one of the lowest-cost ways to keep in touch with past customers, who are often the easiest people to sell to again.
How do you create an email marketing strategy?
An email marketing strategy answers five questions:
- Goal: what should email do: repeat sales, bookings, event attendance, referrals?
- Audience: who is on your list, and are there groups that need different emails?
- Content: what will you send that people value: tips, news, offers, stories?
- Frequency: how often can you send something worthwhile?
- Measurement: how will you know it's working?
Write the answers on one page. That's your strategy, and it keeps every campaign pointed the same way.
What are the best practices for email marketing?
These email marketing best practices apply to almost every business:
1. Build your list with permission
Use sign-up forms on your website, at checkout and in store, and record consent. Australia's Spam Act requires it.
2. Send a welcome email
Thank new subscribers straight away and tell them what to expect. Welcome emails are often among the most opened emails a business sends.
3. Segment your list
Split customers from enquiries, or locals from visitors, so each group gets emails that fit.
4. Write subject lines that say what's inside
Clear beats clever. Keep subject lines short so they don't get cut off on a phone, and use the preview text as a second line.
5. Use one main message and one button
Every email should have a single purpose. Extra links are fine, but one call to action should stand out.
6. Design for mobile first
Use a single column, large text and buttons that are easy to tap. Don't send emails that are one big image: they're hard to read and more likely to land in spam.
7. Send consistently
Pick a rhythm you can keep, such as monthly, and stick to it. Long gaps make subscribers forget who you are.
8. Test before you send
Send a test to yourself, check links, images and spelling on a phone and a computer, and check it doesn't look like spam.
9. Personalise where it helps
A first name in the greeting is easy. Better is sending content based on what people bought or asked about.
10. Automate the repeatable
Set up automated emails for welcomes, follow-ups after a purchase, reminders and birthdays, so they go out without extra work.
11. Clean your list
Remove addresses that bounce and people who haven't opened in a long time. A smaller, engaged list performs better.
12. Measure what matters
Opens are a rough guide. Clicks, replies, bookings and sales tell you whether email marketing is effective for your business.
How do you create an email campaign?
To create an email marketing campaign: choose the goal and audience, write the subject line and content, design it in your email platform using a tested template, send a test, schedule it for a time your audience reads email, then review the results a few days later and note what to change next time.
What are some email marketing ideas?
- A monthly tip related to your product or service
- A customer story or before-and-after
- Behind the scenes: new staff, equipment or premises
- Seasonal reminders, such as servicing before summer
- Early access to offers for subscribers
- Invitations to local events or open days
What we see when regional businesses run email campaigns
The most successful email marketing we see from regional businesses is personal and local: a short note from the owner, a useful seasonal tip, a local story and one clear offer. The least effective is a generic template with stock photos, sent only when sales are slow. Customers in smaller communities often know the business personally, so a human tone matters.
Our EDM design service creates branded email templates that work on phones, and our Mailchimp team sets up lists, segments and automations. Our article on using your email list to drive sales has more ideas.
Frequently asked questions
How do you do email marketing?
Build a list of people who've agreed to hear from you, choose an email platform, plan regular content with a clear goal, send well-designed emails, and track clicks and sales to improve each campaign.
Is email marketing effective?
For most businesses, yes, especially for staying in touch with past customers. Its effectiveness depends on list quality, relevant content and consistency.
How often should I send marketing emails?
Monthly is a good starting point for small businesses. Send more often only if you have genuinely useful content or offers.
What is a good email open rate?
It varies by industry and list, and privacy features in some email apps now make open rates less reliable. Compare your own campaigns over time and focus on clicks and sales.
When should I send marketing emails?
There's no single right time. Test a few days and times with your own audience and keep the one that gets the most clicks.
Want help planning your next campaign? Contact Rock Solid Marketing to talk about email marketing.
