E-mail Marketing is Still Effective; Don’t Believe the Naysayers!

Despite what many marketing and web design companies may tell you, e-mail marketing is still effective. Some wrongly consider it outdated and obsolete. But in all honesty, it’s still one of the most effective marketing techniques any small business can employ, even in 2017.

In fact, 59% of B2B marketers consider e-mail marketing the most effective channel for revenue generation.

Still not convinced? Well let us assuage those fears with…

6 reasons why e-mail marketing is still effective

You can create long-lasting relationships with clients

Quite simply, receiving emails that are consistently appealing and relevant will help customers and prospects feel connected to your brand. Therefore a brand with a strong email marketing strategy can potential gain a strong foothold in the industry and attract potential customers away from competitors. Effective email marketing is also far more likely to generate trust between the sender and the reader.

Essentially, the stories you tell in your emails should matter to your audience. There is no point bombarding your audience with emails about every topic under the sun and expecting them to stay hooked! Tailor your emails around the needs of the audience and you’ll keep them. Spam them with nonsense and they’ll unsubscribe faster than you can say ‘here’s my fifth email of the week’.

Giving them a reason to look forward to receiving emails from you will unsurprisingly lead to a better chance of them buying from you! It sounds simple doesn’t it? Well believe it or not, it works!

E-mail marketing keeps your brand fresh in the mind

Let’s face it – every one of us checks their emails at least once a day. Many of us check throughout the day, potentially even when we’re supposed to be working (yes, I’m looking at you!). Jokes aside; if you’re not using an e-mail marketing strategy, you’re missing out on countless opportunities to communicate with prospects and customers.

This is why it’s imperative that they keep receiving emails from you. Your promotional content needs to be where they spend their time, and that includes their email inbox. You can say with utmost confidence that if you have their email address, you know they regularly check it. So make sure you’re there when they do.

If they are kept updated on what you’re doing, what you’re selling and how you can help them, you’ll stick in their mind. When they come to buy products you sell, you’ll be the first company they think of. However, don’t just spam them with emails so often that they begin ignoring them. Similarly, don’t communicate with them so sporadically that they forget all about you. You need to find a fine balance in-between the two. The best way to do that? A strong e-mail marketing strategy devised by specialists that know what they’re doing, like the ones here at Smart Domain Group.

It’s not as expensive as you think

While there is an obvious initial financial investment (you didn’t think it would be free did you?!), it will actually cost less than you think. Plus, after the initial expenditure, the cost will be minimal. Unlike other media, like TV and radio, email marketing doesn’t really require future purchases or postage and print charges like you’d get for direct mail.

In addition to that, if you use marketing automation software (we would recommend that you do), it will not only reduce the cost associated with email marketing, but also the time commitment too. These e-mail programs, such as MailChimp, will allow you to schedule when you send emails out, organise who you send each email to and carry out regular maintenance on your customer database.

This makes e-mail marketing campaigns quick, easy and much more cost effective.

Marketing emails can be targeted and personalised

The beauty of email marketing is that it can be targeted and personalised, even to an individual level. You can’t get that level of personalisation with any other form of media; be it social media or print. Plus, if you give your prospects the chance to sign up to your regular emails, you’ll know exactly what they’re looking for.

When combined with email marketing software, this will allow you to analyse all user data, separate your contacts lists into different levels of prospect and then send relevant and tailored emails addressing the specific needs of different recipients. By sending personalised and tailored emails, your prospects and customers will appreciate this personal touch. Plus, they’ll be more inspired to interact with your brand in the future.

E-mail marketing is testable and measurable

Unlike many other marketing tools, e-mail marketing is fully measurable. If your campaigns aren’t working and aren’t delivering the traffic or sales, the figures will tell you. The delivery rate, open rate and click-through rate, among others, will all be available for investigation and analysis. This gives marketers an invaluable tool with which to evaluate performance and make data-driven decisions about how and where to optimise email campaigns.

Having access to so much data means marketers can also test different approaches. This can include everything from simply changing the subject line or email length or adapting Calls To Action. You can then find out what methods and approaches work and what ones don’t. This will then maximise the potential for greater sales opportunities in the future.

Emails are more action oriented than some other media

Quite simply, emails naturally prompt responses; be it through replying, forwarding or clicking through. By including clear benefits in your messages, backed up by direct calls to action (CTAs), you can take advantage of this human impulse to react and drive traffic to your site.

It’s also worth including more than one CTA in your email. One of the main mistakes many marketers make is stuffing as much content into the email as possible but only using one call-to-action. It is far more effective to provide enough information to garner the reader’s interest and then include links where they can find out more. While it’s important to use more than one CTA, don’t go crazy with them! If you use too many (any more than three), it can overwhelm and confuse the reader, which is the last thing you want to do!

How to make sure your e-mail marketing is still effective

While e-mail marketing is still proven to work, even in 2017, if your messages aren’t crafted properly, your efforts will be for nought. Here are some handy tips to make sure that your e-mail marketing remains effective throughout the campaign;

Make it interesting – It’s a very tricky thing to get right, but once you’ve done it, you’ll strike gold. Make your client feel fortunate to have received something informative, interesting and entertaining from you. That way, it won’t just be more clutter in their ever-expanding inbox!

Make it relevant – If your email isn’t important or relevant to them, the prospects and existing customers will quickly delete it. Worse still, if you continue to send irrelevant content, they will unsubscribe. Make sure that every email you send them gives them relevant information and tells them how you will help provide them with a solution.

Time it right – One of the most important aspects of any e-mail marketing campaign is timing. You should not only consider how early in the buying process they are (i.e. have they just started looking for example), but also what time of day it would be best to send the email. Ideally, you should send the email when they’re likely to be taking a break from work and browsing the internet.

Make it worth their while – All recipients of your email should welcome receiving content from you and actively look forward to finding out what you’ve got to say. If they don’t find the information valuable or worth their while, they’ll quickly lose interest. Hence why call-to-actions and offer promotions are key in all e-mail marketing campaigns.

Hire e-mail marketing experts to take care of it for you

Even in 2017, e-mail marketing is still effective; if utilised correctly. So make sure you’re giving your business the best chance to succeed, with a beautiful new responsive website, expertly written content that’s optimised for search engines and ongoing e-mail marketing to maintain communication with your customers and prospects. At the Smart Domain Group, we specialise in comprehensive web design and marketing packages. Our services incorporate everything from website design and copywriting to search engine optimisation, e-mail marketing and hosting and logo design. Call our expert team today on 01634 810600 to discuss your ongoing marketing needs.