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How to Run an Email Marketing Campaign

A step-by-step guide to planning, building and sending an email marketing campaign that gets opened, clicked and converts.
  • The six steps of a campaign that converts
  • How to pick a goal, audience and offer
  • When to send and how to follow up
  • A pre-send checklist so nothing breaks
An email marketing campaign being planned and scheduled

An email campaign is just a focused message sent to the right people to drive one action. The difference between a campaign that converts and one that flops is rarely the design — it’s the planning. Here are the six steps, in order.

6 steps to a campaign that converts

1. Set one goal. Sales, bookings, sign-ups or replies — pick one. The whole campaign points at it.

2. Choose the audience. Your whole list, or a segment that’s most likely to care. Relevant beats broad.

3. Craft the offer and message. One clear benefit, one reason to act now, and one call to action. Cut everything that competes with it.

4. Build the email. A subject line worth opening, a skimmable single-column layout, and a button above the fold.

5. Pick the send time and schedule it. Send when your audience is active, then queue it — don’t rely on being at your desk.

6. Follow up. Resend to non-openers with a new subject line, and send a “last chance” before the offer ends. The follow-up often beats the original.

Pre-send checklist

  • Subject line under ~50 characters and specific
  • One clear call to action, repeated at the end
  • Every link tested and pointing where it should
  • Looks right on mobile
  • From name and reply-to are correct
  • Sent yourself a test first
A campaign email being built and scheduled
Email Marketing

Build, schedule and send in one place

BrandBits takes you from plan to send: build the email, choose your list or segment, schedule it for the right time, and follow up with non-openers — then see exactly how it performed.

  • Build on-brand emails with no code.
  • Target your whole list or a segment.
  • Schedule sends and follow-ups.
  • Track opens, clicks and conversions.

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Plan it, build it, schedule it — free.

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