It’s true that there have been significant changes in digital marketing over the last few years. These changes have led some people to believe that email marketing is possibly dead and certainly not as effective as it once was.
This belief couldn’t be further from the truth! Email marketing is still the most powerful way to connect with potential leads and convert them into customers. In fact, it consistently beats out all other marketing channels in many ways, including ROI! (more about this later)
What is Email Marketing?
The extremely effective digital marketing strategy of sending emails to targeted consumers is known as email marketing. You can use it to deliver helpful information, increase sales, and improve brand loyalty.
Like snail mail, it’s also a direct form of marketing, but email marketing is cost-efficient and eco-friendly since it’s completely paperless.
Is Email Marketing Beneficial?
Without question, email remains the most effective way to develop leads and turn them into loyal customers. Remember that email marketing surpasses every other marketing channel!
Besides its affordability, there are many other reasons why email marketing is one of the best digital marketing strategies you should be investing in. Here are three of the top reasons:
1. Most Consumers Prefer Email
One reason consumers prefer communicating with brands through email is that it’s permission-based. People signed up to be on your email list so they can get updates from you. They wouldn’t do that if they weren’t interested in learning more about your brand, discounts, and promotions. One recent study shows that 72% of consumers receiving promotional messages through email compared to only 17% who prefer social media.
Clearly, most people like getting emails from businesses they like, but how often should you email them? Many studies show that sending emails once a week is enough to communicate with your subscribers without overwhelming them.
2. You Can Reach More Mobile Customers with Email
Most consumers today use their smartphones for almost everything, including checking their emails. In fact, one of the most popular activities for smartphone users is reading and sending emails. It even beats scrolling social media and searching the internet
Here’s an important thing to keep in mind - while 48% of emails are opened on mobile devices, 69% of mobile users delete emails if they aren’t optimized. If you aren’t optimizing your marketing emails for mobile devices, you’re missing out on connecting with mobile users.
3. Email is the Best Way to Make Online Sales
The statistics on this are pretty amazing! Studies show that people who purchase products through email spend 138% more than those who don’t receive email offers. It gets even better, though - email marketing has an ROI of 4400% (yep, you read that right!)
But how email compares with social media? Here are a few interesting statistics to answer that question! Social media’s engagement rate is barely over half a percent (0.58% to be exact). Email, however, reaches about 85% of the people you send it to, and it has an open rate of almost 23%.
Email also has the most extensive user base overall AND the largest user base of any age group!
What is Email Retargeting?
Email targeting is an effective way to supplement email marketing with display ads. It’s similar to traditional website targeting, except it allows you to reach email subscribers instead of site visitors. Businesses display personalized pop up ads to leads who’ve already taken an interest in one of your products or services. Email retargeting can also make offers to someone who abandoned their cart before completing the purchase or upsell to customers who previously purchased from you.
Here’s how it works – specific code is placed in the email signature or HTML. When the recipient opens it, they’ll see your brand’s ads on pages they visit online. The ads are personalized based on the information you have about the subscriber. When the targeted lead clicks on the ad, they’re taken to the page on your website that allows them to make a purchase.
Coupled with email marketing, retargeting is a powerful tool that enables you to boost brand awareness and increase conversions.
What Types of Emails Are Most Effective?
There are many types of email marketing you can use to interact with your audience. Let’s take a look at nine of the most important types of emails to use.
1. Welcome Emails
Welcome emails help you market your brand to new leads and show your subscribers that you value them and appreciate their business. One way to show this is to include an offer in your welcome email, like a discount or free trial.
Welcome emails are also the most effective type of email to earn conversions, and they generate more opens and clicks than other emails. Adding an offer will give subscribers even more incentive to convert.
2. Promotional and Special Offer Emails
These are some of the most effective types of email marketing. They are also great for earning conversions because your offers encourage your subscribers to make a purchase. Who doesn’t love getting emails about discounts and sales?
Promotional and special offer emails also help keep your audience subscribed and engaged with your business. When you send promotions that they can only receive through emails, your subscribers feel appreciated and will want to keep hearing from you. They may even get their friends and family to subscribe so they can get the same deals.
3. Newsletter Emails
Newsletters are a successful marketing tool that keeps subscribers in the loop on new products and services, educates them about promotions and updates, and builds brand awareness and loyalty. Since readers sign up to receive these emails, you know they’re interested in learning more about your business.
How often should you send out a newsletter? Studies show that 61% of consumers like to receive at least one email a week from brands they follow. Once a month or bi-monthly also works, just make sure you’re consistent, so subscribers know when to expect your newsletter.
4. Confirmation Emails
This type of email is essential. Your customers want confirmation emails, so they know you received their purchase, whether it’s for a product or booking an appointment. Confirmation emails give customers the information they need, show that you’re reliable, and they allow you to market your brand. They’re a great way to keep engaging with your customers because they’ll continue to refer back to the email for their purchase.
5. Cart Abandonment Emails
This form of email is essential for acquiring additional conversions. People will often put things in their cart and then forget about it or decide not to buy. It doesn’t mean it’s a lost sale though. Cart abandonment emails can help you re-engage those customers, which may still lead to a sale. An email that simply says, “Did you forget something?” or “Still thinking about buying this [product name]?” Most people open this kind of email to see what they left in their cart, and they may decide to purchase.
6. Review Emails
Reviews are vital to your business because they help new customers decide if they want to purchase from you. After an email subscriber buys something from your business, send a follow-up email, and invite them to review their recent purchase. Review emails keep your customers engaged with your brand, help you get honest feedback about your products or services, and encourage more people to purchase from you.
7. Time-Sensitive Emails
Time-sensitive emails are useful because they create a sense of urgency that compels your subscribers to take action soon before the limited time offer expires! People like to take advantage of deals on products they like before time runs out. That’s why this type of email is an effective way to boost engagement and conversions.
8. Thank You Email
A kickback email should automatically get sent after a customer or prospect submits a form from one of your landing pages. These kickback emails are also referred to as thank-you emails, and they’re used to deliver the information you offered into their inbox.
These emails should simply thank the reader for submitting the form and provide what they asked for – the coupon they requested, the link to an ebook or PDF, or directions explaining how to activate their free trial. Keep the email short and simple because users are only looking for the content or offer they requested.
9. Re-Engagement Emails
Re-engagement emails help you reconnect with subscribers who haven’t engaged with your business in a while and get them interested in your brand again. Focus on your subscriber’s previous experience with your brand and ask how you can improve it. The feedback you receive will help you create a better email marketing campaign in the future.
Bottom Line
Email marketing is still alive and well! And even more valuable now than it has ever been. If you aren’t taking advantage of this powerful digital marketing channel with the highest ROI, what are you waiting for?
The only possible drawback to email marketing is that it can be time-consuming. If you need an expert to help you make an impact on email marketing, we’re here to take care of all your email marketing needs!