Kimberly Portuondo

Getting started with social media for your business can be extremely overwhelming. Besides the multiple choices for social media sites, you also have to decide which content to post. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, it's important to make the right decisions so you can stand our amongst the noise.

You may have noticed that throughout this entire email marketing series I keep mentioning the importance of measuring your email campaigns. If you are spending time and money on any type of marketing, why wouldn't you make sure you are getting the best results?

Email marketing is similar to social media in that you should post at optimal times, and plan your content well-in-advance. Email campaigns need to be sent strategically to give your audience what they want and to get you the best return on your investment.

The first step to begin email marketing is choosing a platform. Most email marketing platforms offer a variety of templates that you can customize for your brand. You should have a guideline for the designs for your emails so that you can schedule them in advance instead of rushing to get them set-up the day they need to go out. (Don't miss out on my email marketing series! Make sure to subscribe.)

Growing your email marketing list is just as important as the email marketing platform that you're using. Since email marketing platforms are cracking down on anti-spam laws and people are sick of receiving spam, it's important that you have an opt-in list. Opt-in lists are not something that appear out of thin air, you will have to grow it over time.

Getting started with email marketing can be overwhelming. Choosing the right email marketing platform is vital since it will be the most important part of your email marketing efforts. Part 3 of my email marketing guide will focus on specifications for some of the more popular email marketing platforms. (If you missed Getting Started with Email Marketing Part 2 make sure to check it out, and don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you won't miss out on the rest of the series!)