A Beginner’s Guide To Email Marketing in Kenya

Last updated on June 24th, 2023 at 05:10 am

Are you looking for a guide on email marketing in Kenya?

You are in the right place.

Most people think that email marketing is a thing from the past. 

But an article in Forbes says “Email is still one of the most valuable tools for reaching your customers and prospects.” 

So what does this mean? 

It means you have to include it in your digital marketing strategy in Kenya. 

Digital marketers use email as a way to promote their products, stay top-of-mind with current clients, and build relationships with new prospects by providing timely content they like or request. 

And there are so many different ways to do all three of these things!

How does email marketing work in Kenya?

An email marketing campaign is a series of emails sent to your subscribers to acquire new customers or engage those who already have purchased from you. 

Email marketing campaigns can be segmented by time, location, and other criteria in order to target potential leads for conversion better.

Why should you care about email marketing in Kenya?

Email marketing is one of the most effective types of digital advertising. 

Think about it, you don’t have to pay for ad space on a website or in print – instead, email marketers opt into your messages when they sign up to receive them. 

And because people like getting emails (especially if they provide something useful), recipients are more likely to open and read what you send. 

The best thing? 

Email marketing offers incredible conversion rates, meaning that companies can get their message across with very little effort!

Other benefits include;

-Email marketing allows you to target specific demographics and interests. 

-It’s easy for email marketers to measure the success of their campaigns through open rates, clickthroughs, links clicked on, etc. 

-Inbox providers like Gmail automatically sort emails based on users’ preferences – so people can focus on what they want to see without being bombarded with unwanted messages they don’t care about! 

-You’re able to track which customers are most engaged by sending them offers personalized just for them. 

This means that if you have a customer who always buys your products in bulk from your site but also signs up for ebooks or newsletters via text message, you’ll know where best to send her sales ads next time.

-You can also use email marketing to build your list and provide value through free or deeply discounted offers, member benefits, etc. 

-It’s easy for businesses to target specific demographics and interests with their emails. These techniques make it possible to segment out a customer base by region, age group, gender, or other factors.

-Email campaigns are measurable in terms of open rates (to see how many people actually saw the message), clickthrough rate (which tells you how often someone clicked on something they read) links clicked on….and more! 

Now that you know why, how about I show you how to get started?

How to Build Your Email List: 

Start by creating a signup form on your website that visitors can fill out in exchange for an incentive, like a free download or coupon code. 

Make it easy for customers to opt-in with their name and contact information so they don’t have to enter it again when they make purchases online or request more info from you about products and services. 

This is called “opt-in” because people are giving permission (opting in) before receiving emails as opposed to having someone else add them without asking first (called spam). 

Sign-up forms also come in handy when you want to contact your customers, like asking them for feedback on a new product or marketing campaign.

How Many Emails Should I Send? 

The number of emails you send will depend on the type of content in each email and how often those messages are sent: 

A single-message drip is an automated series of prewritten emails that are automatically delivered at specific intervals over a set period of time. 

For example, if your goal with this suite of messages is to grow an engaged customer base, then it might make sense to schedule these messages every week for four weeks. 

Or if they’re intended as reminders about upcoming sales events, they could be spaced out by one per week leading up until the event date. 

Drip sequences can also be used to deliver customer service messages, such as delayed shipment notifications or refund.

How Long Should Emails Be? 

A good email length is about one paragraph (or around three sentences) and should take no more than two minutes to read in full. 

The shorter the better – if it’s too long readers will get bored quickly and stop reading which may lead them to unsubscribe from your list. 

You want each message you send out to provide enough information that recipients have a clear understanding of what they’re being asked for without feeling like an avalanche of text has bombarded them.

What Topics Can I Email My Audience About? 

You can write emails about anything! But before you hit ‘send’ on that next email campaign, ask yourself “What do my subscribers care about?” 

For example:

1. Do they want to be updated with new blog posts? 
2. Have they been asking you questions in the comments section of your blog and need more information? 
3. Would it make sense for them to receive a discount code just before making a purchase decision from your site?
4. Is there an upcoming event or sale you want them to know about?

Tip:

Maybe you’re starting up a membership program – how would they like reminders at this time each month so they don’t forget to renew their subscription when the billing date comes around again. 

These are all great reasons why someone might subscribe to updates from you, but only you know your audience and their information needs.

Email marketing tools you will

Here are the tools you will need to start;

1. Mailing list
2. A professional email marketing service that can send out the emails for you and offer tracking and analytics
3. An autoresponder to help you continue to build relationships with your audience over time
4. Customer segmentation tools to help you target your customers
5. A good email content strategy

Lucky for you, numbers 2, 3, and 4 can be found within one tool!

Yes, all you have to do is get a service like Mailchimp and you have all the three things.

And I have shown you how to build an email list.

Let us cover the strategies you can use.

Email marketing strategies in Kenya that work

Here are some of the best email marketing strategies in Kenya.

Email Marketing Strategy #01: Build Your List

The most important component of an effective email campaign is having a healthy list size.

This means more people will receive your message. 

There are several ways that you can build up your subscriber base including offers, contests, signing up on social media sites (Facebook), using opt-in forms, and making it easy for users to subscribe via a web browser. 

The key here is consistency – don’t bombard them with offers and then go radio silent.

Email Marketing Strategy #02: Create a Compelling Offer

In order to convert customers, you need something that they can’t refuse – which is where your offer comes in! 

The goal here is not only to provide them with value (making it worth their time) but also to make sure the email looks appealing so they open the message and read it. 

An attractive subject line will increase open rates by up to 20%. 

You should also include an enticing call-to-action like “subscribe now for more information” or “click on this link for exclusive deals today only!” 

A strong call-to-action increases the response rate by 50% compared to those who don’t include one.

How to create a compelling offer

One of the best ways to create a compelling offer is by using scarcity – make your customers feel like they need to act now or else they’ll miss out on something special (a limited-time promotion, for instance). 

This increases response rates by 25%! 

You can also use social proof in order to encourage people into taking action.

This will work even better if you include testimonials from other satisfied customers and mention how many others have already taken advantage of the offer.

Email Marketing Strategy #03: Create a sense of urgency

Create a sense of urgency by mentioning how time is running out to take advantage of an offer. 

This has been shown to increase response rates by 25%. 

For example, you could say “Get your hands on our limited-time bundle now!” 

Or 

“We have less than 50 units left in stock so act fast if you want one for yourself!”

Email Marketing Strategy #04: Use scarcity and social proof

As mentioned earlier, if there’s something that will be gone soon (e.g., only 15 more people can buy this product!) make sure to mention it.

Also, include testimonials from other satisfied customers who’ve taken the action already. 

You’ll see even better results if you mention how many others are taking the same action as you.

For example, “Only 15 spots left!” and “99% of people who purchase this product are happy with their decision.”

Email Marketing Strategy #05: Be personal in your email copywriting

Using first-person language is a great way to make the content seem more sincere and genuine.

It also makes readers feel like they’re not being sold to so much as spoken to directly by someone genuinely trying to help them out. 

It’s important that if there is any information required on the reader’s end (e.g., “enter these details below”) that it be placed strategically before asking for anything else from the user.

This way, they don’t have to scroll through an entire page only to find out they need to provide more information before they can use the product.

Why is this important?

Personalizing copy is also a great way to connect with customers on an emotional level, and establish credibility for your business or service. 

For example, if you’re writing about how one of your products helped someone overcome depression, it’s important that you mention this in personal terms rather than just stating what people are likely feeling after taking medication: “This article will show you why overcoming depression is possible.” 

Email Marketing Strategy #06: Use social media as a customer support tool

Use social media pages as customer support tools in order to get feedback from them about your product. 

This will allow you to find out what consumers like best about it while also giving those who had a bad experience something they can tell their friends about that may make them want it enough so they buy it again later when there are no issues whatsoever with how well made the product is.

Email Marketing in Kenya Strategy #07: Send newsletter

Send a newsletter to your customer base, but make sure it’s not too often or they might unsubscribe from the list. 

If you send them emails more than once per day they will get fed up with being bombarded by messages that are just advertisements for other products and services.

Only do this if there is something important about what you’re selling like how long an item has been on sale before it goes back up in price again as well as when new items have gone live during clearance sales.

Email Marketing Strategy #08: Keep it short

Keep your marketing messages to one page in order to avoid losing their attention. 

People are bombarded with hundreds of emails during an average workweek.

If they need more information about what you’re selling, there’s a good chance that they’ll either forget or not bother opening up any subsequent email.

Email Marketing Strategy #11: Be likable! 

It can be difficult sometimes when trying to sell something because people don’t want to feel pressured.

But by being friendly you’ll have much better luck getting them interested and curious enough o click on links for more info. 

You should also try offering freebies for signing up now instead of waiting until someone has bought from you.

Email Marketing Strategy #12: Use segmentation

A strategy we recommend using when running any type of email campaign is segmenting your list down into specific groups based on things like buying habits, age, gender, location, etc.

This allows you to communicate more specifically with different audiences who may be interested in certain products or content pieces over others.

“Segmenting Your List” helps keep your email marketing campaigns relevant and interesting to your audience. 

Remember, the goal is not only about generating revenue but also developing customer loyalty through the use of emails with high open rates and click-throughs.

Segmenting Your List helps you communicate more specifically with different audiences who may be interested in certain content pieces over others. 

In Conclusion: 

There are many email marketing strategies to consider, but the key is knowing which ones will work in your specific industry and for whom you’re trying to reach with your message. These 11 tips should get you started on a successful email marketing in Kenya campaign!