Email is one of the oldest channels of marketing, when it comes to digital marketing, dating long before any of social media channels popped up. Email marketing can return very lucrative ROI (Return on investment) and can be your flagship method of marketing strategy.
Some amazing stats about Email marketing:
There are 3.9 billion daily email users
Mobile opens account for 46 percent of all email opens.
35% of business professionals check email on a mobile device.
73% of millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email.
Marketers who use segmented campaigns note as much as a 760% increase in revenue.
35% of marketers send their customers 3-5 emails per week.
78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months
80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention.
59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.
Marketers who use segmented campaigns note as much as a 760% increase in revenue.
(Source: HubSpot)
As an inbound marketing professional, you must be sending emails daily, even hourly. Below are a few things you should engrave permanently in your mind before sending out an email.
NEVER BUY AN EMAIL LIST
Email marketing is about building a relationship with your current customers and your future customers. And every good relationship is based on TRUST. Your contacts need to have granted you verifiable permission to send them an email. If you buy an email list, there is a high chance that the same list is bought by other companies, perhaps your competitors. So you will just be lost in someone’s spam folder with the rest of them. It is also legally required, but even if you think you can bend some laws, trust cannot be bought, so DON’T ever buy email lists.
“Reaching the inbox is not your goal - engaging people is” - Matt Blumberg
CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION
Targeted marketing is a common term when it comes to digital advertising on platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram and other social media channels. But we ignore this term largely, when it comes to Email marketing. We just assume that everyone reads their emails. But that is not true. If you treat email marketing as your other marketing funnels, then you need to reach Inbox (not spam), then the contact needs to Open (not directly archive /trash), then the contact needs to Click and Convert.
Segmenting your contact will enable you to send the Right Email at the Right time. As per HubSpot, segmented campaigns receive 9.37% less unsubscribes (you inbound marketing professionals know, that is a huge number).
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” - Seth Godin
SET A GOAL
When you are sending a personal email, to your friends, family members or even at work to your colleagues and boss, you have a goal in mind to achieve something. Same applies to your Email Marketing strategy. Select the right goal for each and every campaign. When a contact signs up (or gives you a verifiable permission) to your email communications, they have certain expectations. Your goal should be aligned with your contact’s expectations. For example, a live concert production company’s contact is expecting emails regarding new tour announcements, or discounts on tickets. An email from any ecommerce business should be about new products, new offers. If there is no alignment within your contact’s expectations and your email content, then you risk losing that contact’s interest, and maybe even trust.
The Five Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why) will help you narrow down the goal you are setting for any email campaign.
“People don’t buy what you do but why you do it.” - Simon Sinek
DESIGN A GREAT EMAIL
There is never a perfect design, so we call it a great design. There are two things to keep in mind about the design process - clear communication and consistent experience. The email content should flow and guide your contacts to your goal and eventually be tied to call to action. Keep in mind that your emails are just one part of communication your customers are having with your business. Consistency across multiple platforms of marketing is very important.
Designing your emails for multiple devices will add significant value to your brand identity. As per HubSpot, 46% of the emails are opened on mobile devices. If your design is not optimized for mobile and the content is cut-off on the device, your contacts would not see value in your email, thus losing interest and / or trust.
“Tell me and I will forget, Show me and I may remember, Involve me and I will understand.” - Confucius
This is literally the strategy we use at The Buzzster for our decisions, involve your customers as much as possible.
ANALYZE YOUR EMAIL
We have seen a lot of people happy about a 20% open rate or 8% click rate. To keep growing your business, you need to ask why are 80% of my contacts not even opening my emails? Analyzing the negatives and positives of your email marketing will help you grow your relationship with your customers. Asking questions like - why are you successful and what actions are leading to that success? Or what can you do to improve on that success is very important to keep growing your email database. Statistics show that your email database will decay around 22% yearly (source: HubSpot). Analyzing your email will help you contain the decay and actually grow.
“Nothing comes merely by thinking about it” - John Wannamaker
Hope this article finds some value to you. For more information, your feedback, send us an email or schedule a free call with us. We are always available to help you.