What is email marketing?
Email marketing means communicating directly with potential and existing customers by email. The aim is to promote products and services, increase sales and secure customer loyalty. For example, a clothing shop in Baku can increase its sales by up to 15% by sending its customers weekly campaign emails.
The main steps in email marketing
1. Building the list
For local businesses, the first step is to build a customer database. This is done by collecting email addresses both in the physical shop and on online platforms (for example, a Facebook page or Instagram). Azerbaijan has no rules as strict as the GDPR, but the customer's consent is essential.
2. Focusing on content
The emails you send should be useful, clear and short. For example, subject lines such as "Our spring collection is now on sale! Up to 20% off" achieve a higher open rate.
3. Segmentation
Sending the same email to everyone is not the right approach. For example, a focus on social media links may matter to a young audience, while contact details with a phone number may matter to older customers.
4. Automation
With the automation services that Advertol provides, you can, for example, send new subscribers an automatic welcome email.
5. Measuring results
Metrics such as email open rate, link clicks and conversion rates should be tracked. In Azerbaijan, it can be useful to test with bilingual content in Azerbaijani and Russian.
Practical tips for email marketing in Azerbaijan
- Choosing a platform: International platforms such as Mailchimp are popular, but for local businesses Unisender or SendPulse are recommended for their more affordable prices. Prices range from 20 to 100 AZN (manat) a month.
- Mobile-friendliness: The number of mobile users in Azerbaijan is high (around 80%). Making your emails mobile-friendly raises the open rate.
- Choice of language: Messages written in Azerbaijani strengthen customer relationships. Those in Russian, meanwhile, have the edge in some regions.
Common mistakes in email marketing
- Buying a list: Purchased email lists are useless and damage your reputation.
- Sending too often: Sending more than 3 emails a week can cause customer dissatisfaction.
- Getting caught by spam filters: Wording and formatting mistakes send your email to the spam folder.
Frequently asked questions
Which email marketing tools are the best fit in Azerbaijan?
Unisender and SendPulse are a good fit for local businesses. Both offer payment in Azerbaijani manat and have a simple interface.
How much does an email marketing campaign cost?
Depending on the platform and the number of subscribers, it ranges from 20 to 100 AZN a month. For the right strategy with Advertol's services, get in touch with us.
How can you measure the success of email marketing campaigns?
Open rate, click-through rate (CTR) and conversion are the most important metrics.
When do email marketing results show?
Depending on the campaign, results can be measured within 1–2 weeks.
Conclusion
Email marketing is an affordable, measurable tool for small and medium-sized businesses. At Advertol, we are ready to help you prepare a strategy suited to the local market and automate it. For more detailed information, you can look at our services section and get in touch with us.