Email marketing is an essential element of any successful online business. Sure social media is important. However studies have proven that email is the way to go if you want to strengthen your relationships and make sales. The best way to have a strong email marketing campaign is to create a routine that supports success.

Step One: Identify Your Email Messages Goals

What do you want to accomplish with your email marketing? For example, some people use email marketing as a means of letting their subscribers know about the latest industry news. They seek to establish credibility and trust. Others use it to drive traffic to their blog. Establish your email marketing goal.

Step Two: Format and Structure

Now that you know what your goal is for your email messages the next step is to create a template. This template will support your goal. For example, if you’re driving traffic to your blog then your structure might be to include teasers to your top three blog posts over the past week and a top comment of the week. You can then simply cut and paste your weekly email content into the template for efficiency.

Step Three: Brainstorming Content Ideas and Strategy

It’s essential to set aside time to brainstorm your email strategy and content ideas. Many people do this one month at a time. For example, for January you might identify topics in November and create and upload the content in December. Staying at least one month ahead helps provide a little wiggle room if you are inspired to share something big or make a special announcement. This is also the time where you’ll identify the call to action and the specific and measurable goal for each message.

Step Four: Create the Content

Once you’ve identified your goals, created a template and established a list of topics it’s time to start writing those email messages. You might outsource this and that’s fine. It’s still important to make sure your messages are well planned and strategized in advance. If you write the messages yourself, make sure you leave time to complete it. It’s great if you can write, upload, and schedule all of your email messages one month in advance. Again, this gives you time to adapt if anything changes. It also takes the pressure off of you. Last minute emails are often a bit rough around the edges.

Create a system that supports you. One easy way to accomplish this is to innovate and plan on the last day of the month. You can review the prior month’s analytics and topic trends at the same time. It’s a great day to kick back and enjoy a day of brainstorming and creativity. Set aside another day, or a morning if you’re a fast writer, to create your messages and upload them into your autoresponder.

When you take the time to create an email writing routine, it helps ensure that your email marketing goals and strategy stay on track. It makes you more adaptable and allows you the time to respond to analytics, trends, and specific comments made by your prospects and subscribers. A good email marketing campaign usually begins with an effective and consistent routine.