The world of digital marketing and the technology that drives it is constantly evolving. Often, what worked well a few years ago has already become obsolete. You need to constantly reevaluate and update your marketing strategy. So, how about your email marketing strategy? Should it be part of your overall marketing effort? The answer is yes. It can be one of the most effective tools in your digital marketing arsenal.
Everyone Uses Email
All right, maybe not everyone but according to a 2018 Radicati Group study, there will be more than 3.8 billion email users before the beginning of 2019. That’s over 100 million more than the previous year and nearly half of the worldwide population. In a previous report by ExactTarget, approximately 91% of online consumers use email daily and 58% of those make checking email their first online activity of the day.
This makes creating an email marketing strategy a great opportunity to reach consumers. Not only can you provide them with product information, promotions and discounts, they can forward those emails to share all that with their friends, extending your reach even further.
Email Engages
Around for over 40 years now, email is one of the most popular choices for communication. Whether we reply, click through, forward, make a purchase, or sign up for something, an email almost always makes us take some kind of action. Because email is transactional by nature, an email marketing strategy can allow your business to engage with consumers and encourage the desired call to action.
Budget Friendly
While there are many benefits of an email marketing strategy, this is big. Email is a cost-effective marketing tool with the potential for a significant return on investment. The median ROI in 2016 according to US marketers was 122%, beating out social media, direct mail, paid search and online display. Results will vary depending on your industry, but the statistics are indisputable. Email is a great marketing investment.
Go Mobile
While statistics vary from report to report, it is clear that over half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. In 2017, Statista reported that email was the most popular mobile internet activity on smartphones and the second most popular on tablets. Emails optimized for mobile devices with responsive design are no longer a luxury, they are a necessity. Mobile friendly emails allow you to reach consumers wherever they are, in real time. Every time a consumer checks their email on a mobile device, is another opportunity for your business to engage with them.
Measurable Marketing
Quality email marketing software will provide you with the ability to track and monitor the metrics associated with each campaign. The reports generated by the software include delivery rates, open rates, click through rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates. This information will give a good understanding of how your campaigns are performing and where you need to make adjustments. It will be easier to get to know your consumer’s preferences and providing them with content they find valuable. Many email marketing softwares have advanced features that can even provide information about sales and revenue generated by emails with a sales related call to action.
Get Personal
The trend in marketing these days is all about making it personal. Unlike social media that speaks to your entire audience, an email marketing strategy lets you connect with consumers in a more personal way. With email marketing software, not only can you address the recipient by name, by gathering knowledge over time, you can begin to segment your recipients. This makes it easier to create emails that target a specific segment of consumers. When someone receives a business email that focuses on their personal interests or needs, they feel connected to the brand and are more like to become loyal or even a brand advocate.
Be Unforgettable
Sending out emails regularly creates top of mind awareness for your brand. Even if a consumer hasn’t used your products or services for a while, You want to be their first thought when they need them again. The more often a consumer is exposed to your brand, the more likely it is that they will do business with you. As your expose increases, so does your brand awareness.
So how often should you send out emails? As with ROI, this can vary by industry. The results of a 2015 survey conducted by MarketingSherpa revealed that 86% of consumers surveyed would like to receive promotional emails at least once a month. While you may think that sounds reasonable, the same survey revealed that 15% of those surveyed would like to receive promotional emails every day. Use the information gathered from previous campaigns such as open rates, click through rates, bounce rates, and most importantly, unsubscribe rates to determine which frequency works for your audience. If you are just getting started with an email marketing strategy, experiment with the frequency and monitor the campaign analytics to see what works best.
Email Marketing – Why Not?
With all the benefits of email marketing, why wouldn’t you want to do it? The most common reasons business owners give for not taking advantage of email marketing is they don’t have enough time or they don’t know where to start. That’s where we come in. Creative Click Media offers competitive email marketing services to fit any size business or budget. We understand exactly what it takes to create an effective email marketing campaign. We can unlock the full potential of your email marketing while you get back to business.
