The first email was sent in 1971 by computer engineer Ray Tomlinson. Since that very simple test message, email marketing has become an ubiquitous part of our digital landscape and daily life.
Despite the rise of social media and other methods of real-time communication, email is still a crucial sales and marketing channel for businesses. Below, Kayleigh Alexandra explain why email is not dead, as well as giving you seven tangible ways email marketing benefits your business.
Recommended reading: Emojis once again drive engagement in marketing after being dropped in 2017
1. Email Is Not A Fad — It Has Longevity
Since its development nearly 40 years ago, email has become an essential method of communication for many individuals around the world. Unlike other technologies which have come and gone — such as cassette tapes and dial-up modem — email still exists, proving itself a pillar of the digital world.
And whilst many other technologies have since been re-invented — think back to social networking platforms such as Myspace — sending and receiving email has been left largely untouched. The basic principles of email communication have remained the same, allowing brands and businesses to build on a massive archive of email history. It’s a channel with weight and gravitas, and it’s still often seen as the most direct (and official) form of communication.
Consumers actually actively prefer to be contacted by brands via email over other methods: Salesforce reports that 95% of those who choose to receive emails from brands find them useful. It’s now more important than ever that brands and businesses continue to add value with their emails.
2. Email Is Fast And Cost-Effective — It’s Scalable
Email is one of the most cost-effective forms of communication. Your business can use a free or low-cost email service from a range of different providers, and email designs and content are easy to create in-house, even for small solopreneurs.
Not only is email often free for your business to use, it is one of the fastest ways for your business to send or receive correspondence. Email is almost instantaneous, allowing you to react to the world around you with timely content and advice. Whether going to events or meeting with clients, email is an easy and scalable storytelling tool for any small business.
3. Email Is Mobile Ready — It’s Accessible
From smartphones to tablets, more and more of us are walking around permanently connected to the digital world.
Mobile-friendly emails are easy to create and send-. They provide your business with a great opportunity to catch customers on-the-go during more spontaneous moments.
Many consumers are consistently turning to mobile to make buying decisions online, so putting your emails in the pocket of your potential customers is a great way to reach your audience. Depending on your market segment, mobile email could account for up to 77% of opens! As a channel, email is always moving with the times.
4. Email Seamlessly Integrates — It’s Agile
Email is not a stand-alone marketing platform — in fact, it’s the conmessurate integrator.
Marketers can use email as a way to seamlessly integrate other elements of their business’s marketing strategy. Email is a great way to bring all your content together in one central place.
For example, you can use email to highlight blog posts, social media messages, events, offers, products etc. Whether you choose to gather all these elements together in one email newsletter, or send out shorter mailshots highlighting one-off activities, email has the potential to support a holistic marketing strategy for your business.
Use email as a tool to summarise all of your brand activity and promote it to the right audience.
5. Segmentation & Targeting Makes Email Marketing Compelling
Sending the right message to the right audience is important for any business. By using marketing tool such as Moosend to implement email segmentation and subscriber lists, businesses can use email to its full targeting potential. The fact that email gives you this level of control is one of the main reasons it remains such a profitable marketing channel.
For example, recruitment agencies can maintain separate email lists for jobseekers and employers. Manufacturers can create different emails for retailers and wholesalers. Consultants can divide their list into potential and current clients. The options (and opportunities) are endless.
6. Email Is Personal — It Creates Connections
Whilst email has a strong B2B image, it also has the potential to be a personalised communications channel that really tells the story behind your business. It’s often this human element in emails which wins people over.
From including a name in the subject, to signing off as yourself, you can make the most of email to tell a personal story and communicate with your audience on a person-to-person level.
Including elements of personalisation in your emails is a common tactic used by marketers — 50% of companies believe they can increase email interaction via increasing personalisation. Time to join them.
7. Email Has A Great ROI — It Makes You More Money
Need one more reason to convince you that email is not dead? With tracking pixels and mailing tools such as Drip that give you in-depth reports on every email campaign you send out, email is an easy channel to optimise for profitability.
Recent stats show that for every $1 spent on email marketing, businesses can expect to see an ROI of $44. That is 4400% — more than enough for us.
The future of email looks strong — as long as brands continue to respect the inbox and find ways to offer genuine value over email. How will you use email marketing to benefit your business?
Author
Kayleigh Alexandra is a content writer for Micro Startups — a site dedicated to giving through growth hacking. Visit the blog for your latest dose of startup, entrepreneur, and charity insights from top experts around the globe. You’ll also find articles that cover marketing, social media, and editorial strategies. Follow us on Twitter @getmicrostarted.