Email has been around for more than five decades, and its importance is only growing. Not only do we use it extensively at work, but as one marketing channelemail has proven its effectiveness over and over again.

By 2027, Email Marketing Revenue will increase to 17.1 billion dollarspredicts a Statista report. It's no wonder that 69% of traders use email to distribute content, grow brand loyaltyand to increase sales.

As a startup founder, you may be wondering how to achieve the same success. Maybe you're nervous about getting started or haven't seen great results from your first few campaigns. With a clear and solid strategy, you can confidently overcome those jitters and hit send.

Here's how to improve your approach and avoid pitfalls when planning email marketing campaigns for your startup.

1. Define your goal

Before you begin, determine what you want to achieve with yours email marketingg—if it's increasing website traffic, growing brand awareness or making sales. Having a goal gives you more clarity about what steps to take next and how you will measure success.

Related: Boost your brand awareness with these game-changing PR tools

2. Build your email list

It's time to gather your email list and make sure it's ready for outreach. Don't worry if your database is small – many startups see high engagement from smaller databases. What matters more than the size of your list is its quality. Have all your subscribers opted in to receive emails from you? You want to reach an audience waiting to hear from your startup.

3. Double check your contacts

In addition to getting your subscribers' consent to email them, a high-quality list also means that those subscribers are real and the contacts are correct. Getting bounces on your newsletters and campaigns will negatively impact your reputation with inbox providers. To avoid this, use an email verification service to validate your list before your emails go out.

Related: How to manage your email list like a pro

4. Segment, segment, segment

With a choice, healthy email listyou are steps ahead of many of your competitors. Then, to further fine-tune your approach, analyze your customers and prospects to see how you can organize them into distinct groups. Start with one or two filters, such as one-time buyers and repeat buyers, and go from there. for him increases engagementsend these groups emails that gently encourage them to try more of your products.

5. Choose a good email marketing platform

Now that your lists are ready, it's time to choose a service to send your emails. As a startup owner, you may be wary of spending too much, but this is not an area where you should cut corners. Your email marketing platform should allow you to streamline your efforts and, most importantly, ensure high email deliverability so your campaigns reach your audience. Go with a reputable company.

6. Test your emails for mobile

Some emails may look great on desktop, but present errors on mobile devices, which can cause your audience to tune out immediately. To keep people engaged, use a testing tool to point out any issues so you can fix them in advance. Also, test your emails with your team. In addition to spotting errors, their feedback can further help you improve your content.

7. Don't procrastinate – press send

If your list is in good shape, you've found a reliable email platform, and you're proud of your content, it's time to hit Send. Startup owners and marketers often put off taking this big step because they're nervous about customer feedback. But procrastinating and obsessing over the smallest details will only increase your nervousness. Submit your email to get initial feedback and learn how to improve.

8. Show up as promised

This is probably the best email marketing habit you can adopt for your startup. Sending an email here and there won't make much of a difference to your business. It will appear regularly for your subscribers. What's more, sending emails regularly also gives you a chance to see exactly what your audience responds to the most – so you can focus on that in your future campaigns.

Related: 11 Email Marketing Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

9. Make every email better than the last

While consistently emailing your audience is vital to your success, you should also strive to maintain and improve the quality of your content. Here's how you'll continue to grow your metrics: 47% of consumers open a brand email mainly because they always get good email from that brand. So avoid sending an email just because it's the right one. Instead, work with your team to make each email count.

10. Partner with other startups

Partnering with other companies on co-marketing initiatives has been one of the best ways to grow my startup, ZeroBounce. My team and I continue to pursue these types of engagements as they help us gain exposure to new audiences. Contact businesses in your space and suggest a partnership, including an email cross-promotion. It will help you gain awareness and even new subscribers.

11. Stay up-to-date on email rules

The email industry has seen a lot of changes in recent years – from Apple releasing its email privacy protection update to Google and Yahoo implementation of new shipping rules. To enjoy great email marketing results for your startup, stay tuned for any similar updates. For example, major email service providers now require email authentication from senders who reach more than 5,000 subscribers each day. Following the rules ensures you're compliant with these protocols and helps you get your campaigns inboxed and increase sales.