Does email marketing work?
Ray Tomlinson, when he first introduced the electronic mail in 1971 sent a mail that likely said “Test123” or “QWERTYUIOP.” He was a programmer working on applications for MIT’s Arpanet project (essentially the start of what we know today as the internet.) In 1978, Gary Thuerk, a Marketing Manager at Digital Equipment Corp, set the stage for commercial email by sending the first bulk email. Often referred to as “Father of Spam” he generated $13 million in sales!
Today, we are bombarded with email marketing campaigns and although some of it still feels spammy, there is no doubting the impact a well-crafted message can have on your customers.
Email marketing allows you to communicate with your target audience to promote your business and improve sales. Emails may be used to promote items, communicate news, reduce cart abandonment, or tell a story.
In reality, with a well-planned campaign, your brand can easily select the best email templates depending on the message you want to convey. Whether you are welcoming new subscribers, notifying customers of a sale, or wishing someone Happy Birthday, email outreach is a medium that can offer personalized human connection.
The age of social engagement has opened up a plethora of online opportunities. While you may question the utility of email campaigns in a social-first world, the general consensus remains that strategic emails can foster recognition and connection with your target customers.
In this blog, we will read about the idea of email marketing, different types of marketing emails, and the brand messages they convey. Read the rest of this blog to see how we went about exploring the best email marketing tricks on the market.
What is email marketing?
Email marketing is the practice of sending a commercial email message to contacts who have signed up for your email list and given express consent to receive email communications from you. Email marketing is used to inform, increase sales and create a brand community (e.g. with a newsletter). Modern email marketing has evolved from one-size-fits-all bulk mails to gaining permission, segmentation, and personalization.
We recently came across an interesting article by Smart Insights and would like to take this opportunity to quote Tim to present his thoughts on email marketing. He is the founder of email marketing consultancy Zettasphere and EOS Implementer at Traction Six.
“The fundamental principle behind email marketing will never change. Send the right message, to the right person at the right time. No brand marketer sets out to send an unwanted email. The difficulty is; to know what the right message is, for whom, and when.”
‘Right message, right person, right time’. This short phrase is an effective theoretical concept. It is understandable that humans are unpredictable and the yardstick is difficult to achieve. But technology is continuing to help edge us closer.
Email marketing helps promote your company’s products & services, incentivize client loyalty and educate your audience. Information is provided on the value of the brand to keep your audience involved in between purchases. A digital marketing expert can assist you with designing, building, and optimizing your email marketing to maximize the ROI of your marketing campaign.
Different types of marketing emails
Email marketing is a strong marketing channel that uses email to advertise the products or services of a brand. With the help of promotional or informational emails, you can incorporate your marketing automation efforts. This will assist in making your consumers aware of your latest goods or offers. It also plays an important part in the marketing strategy by generating leads, increasing brand recognition, establishing connections, and keeping customers engaged between transactions via various sorts of marketing emails. Emails can either be promotional or informational and fulfill a specific purpose in the buyer’s journey.
Promotional emails
Promotional emails are an excellent method for your small business to increase sales, signups, and new product offers. Email marketing campaigns are used to advertise anything, whether it’s a special deal, a new product launch, an ebook, or a webinar. A campaign might consist of three to ten emails sent over the course of many days or weeks.
Promotional emails include a clear call-to-action or CTA. The call to action (CTA) reflects the exact action you want the reader to do, such as visiting a website or making a purchase. Use promotional emails to reward engaged subscribers with unique offers, introduce new goods or services to your customer base, and cross-sell products to your customer base. This sort of marketing email is delivered when needed, according to the rhythm of your organization.
Informational emails
Edutainment emails are a strong tool for acquiring, engaging, and retaining consumers. Informational emails are one-to-many emails you can send to folks to bring them up to speed in regards to your latest content, product announcements, and more. Unlike promotional emails containing offers to persuade the target audience to purchase a new product or service, informational emails are to update your loyal customers with regards to newsletters and announcements.
Newsletters
Newsletters convey business-related news (new milestones met, new product features) or showcase a product use case. Newsletters, which are sent on a regular basis (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly), help you establish a continuous relationship with your readers. Assume you are writing a one-on-one letter to each of your subscribers about something that piques their interest. Simply said, a newsletter is an opportunity to provide insights, ideas, and recommendations.
Announcements
Email is an excellent tool to notify consumers about corporate news, new releases, service updates, and so on. Email offers the required formality as a conduit for sending important communications. This would explain why, during COVID-19, email was the preferred medium for brands issuing crisis messages.
Note: You should only send them to people who have opted in to receive emails from you.
What Makes Email a Good Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is a free resource that entices potential consumers to click on your link. Visitors are more likely to join up for your email list and eventually become paying clients if you use it accurately. This is why lead magnets are such a crucial element of your email marketing approach. However, if you want your lead magnet to be really effective, consider the following five conditions.
Easily consumed
To gain traction, instead of a 1000 page novel, aim for something that the audience can use and consume.
Actionable
Provide an actionable tool, skillset, or a piece of beneficial information that the audience can apply or share.
Noticeable improvement
If your lead magnet is as useful as your products and services, people will continue to buy it.
Relevant
Be clear with your prospects and you will have no trouble coming up with a lead magnet subject that solves problems.
Immediately available
Your customers love instant gratification and recognition. Make them feel valuable by replying to them right then and there.
Does email marketing work in 2022?
Over the years, we have been tracking and indulging in conversations with the industry experts to explore how the email marketing trends impacted marketing strategies in 2022 and how the upcoming years will undergo a transformation.
Emails continue to play an important role in nurturing, gaining, and maintaining consumers. Email marketers have reacted to the digital landscape in a variety of inventive and inspirational ways to handle significant changes in how customers view businesses and make purchasing decisions.
Sometimes, we hear the phrase ‘Email is dead, but don’t believe it. Just take a look at these statistics curated in an article in the Main Street ROI.
- 77% of your consumers prefer email.
- 7 of 10 consumers redeem email promotions.
- In 2019, there were 3.9 billion global email users.
- 80% of Americans check their email at least once per day.
Given the statistics, it’s no surprise that email is regarded as the most successful channel for B2B marketing. Without an email marketing plan, you will miss out on sales possibilities as well as the opportunity to develop client relationships.
Further in the article by Smart Insights Chad S. White also presented his thoughts. He is the Head of Research at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting and author of “Email Marketing Rules”.
“Email marketing trends in 2022 will be driven by the K-shaped recovery from the pandemic that has seen some companies excel while others struggle.
Grocers, e-tailers, digital entertainment providers, tech providers, and other companies that have done well will focus on better personalization, segmentation, and automation as they inch closer to achieving the 1-to-1 marketing paradigm.
Meanwhile, airlines, hotels, cruise lines, traditional retailers, and other companies that have been hurt by the pandemic will focus on improvements to efficiency, essential optimizations, and A/B testing and analytics to try to adapt to the changing customer behaviors.”
The above statements by Chad throw light on the fact that email is an excellent marketing tool to benefit brands in every industry. Keeping the above factors in mind, you can also consider taking a break from your usual marketing material. Send out surveys, express your gratitude to clients when they purchase from you, follow up on an abandoned cart or simply say hi. It not only allows your audience to feel included, but it also helps them to have a better understanding of the person behind the business.
Can I test my emails?
Before we conclude, we would like to put forth the validity of our remarks. Split testing as many as three campaign variations are possible using A/B testing techniques. Subject lines, content, and mailing times can be tested. You may also test your reach to see how many people get your emails to optimize emails for maximum impact.
Choose the criterion for success that is most important to you. It might be in the form of clicks, opens, or money generated. The digital marketing expert will compile the results and reveal the winner. It is actually rather simple and this is just a start. With a digital marketing expert, you can do the following activities.
- Create an email marketing plan.
- Design your emails
- Test your emails
- What you can do with marketing automation
- Measure your performance
At the beginning of this blog, we set out to find if email marketing is still valid in 2022 or not. We got a basic understanding of email marketing campaigns and what makes an email a good lead magnet. We also saw the different types of mails that can be used for promoting, providing information, and establishing connections. All in all, we can safely conclude, email marketing is here to stay. If you are not considering emails for your marketing campaigns, you are missing out on a large segment of potential customers.
Sold on the benefits of email marketing but too lazy to do it yourself?
‘Mail us’ and we’ll take it from there to help you convert clients.