In the age of social media and video, it’s easy to write off email marketing but that would be short-sighted.
Email as a social medium may have been trumped, but email marketing is thriving. In fact, when used correctly, email remains one of the most powerful marketing tools in your inbox.
Why email is here to stay
Three of the biggest advantages of email are price, ease of use and insight into your customer.
Think about this: any time you receive an email in your inbox that isn’t purely professional, it’s a form of marketing. I’m willing to bet you get a lot of those each day. I’m also willing to bet that while you don’t read the all, you still open a fair amount.
Technology is also making email more effective by the day. Email software streamline all communication efforts, and some can even integrate with your online store, social channels and more.
Moreover, they often possess powerful features such automation, notifications, monitoring, workflows, analytics and integration with other marketing, sales or software.
While these features depend on the service, it’s clear that failure to include emails in your digital marketing strategy in some way is unwise given the potential ROI at stake.
Types of email marketing and when to use them
Email is a great way to build relationships with your customers, clients or community. How you go about it greatly depends on what your goal is.
Marketing communication most commonly involves newsletters, surveys, company updates or promotions and advertisements.
It can also serve as a means to deliver important messages, such as potential recalls, responses to health or natural emergencies, and even holiday greetings.
When choosing a type of email communication, remember to mix it up. Not only do humans love variety, but experimentation and creativity often lead to impressive marketing.
How to get the most of your email marketing
I won’t lie, it’s getting tougher to get noticed in our busy inboxes. So what separates those from the pack?
In order to do so, it takes effort. Here are a few tips to improve your email strategy and start boosting closing rates:
- Tune your strategy: understand your goals and the value you bring to your audience. Before writing a word, think through what is the reason for sending your emails and to whom. This will help you define your message, tactics and frequency. It will also help you understand if emails are meeting your objectives.
- Create compelling content: if you build it, they may won’t come unless you give them a reason to open the door and stay awhile. Reward readers from the moment they open the email. While you’re at it — write in a conversational tone and give them a little personality.
- Promote action: while were’ speaking of content, don’t forget a clear call to action for every email.
- Evaluate, evolve and evaluate again: Your audience evolves, as so should you.
- Embrace data: the wonderful thing about email marketing solutions is the powerful analytics they provide. Become one with the data and what it tells you — from best subject lines and times to email to your most loyal customers and most impactful messages. Look beyond specific campaigns to lifetime wins.
While email is an affordable marketing tool, if you want to win (and not just play) the game, don’t leave things up to chance.
Now that you understand the different types of emails, what to measure, and why it’s important to evaluate and evolve, it’s time to apply this newfound knowledge. Get your email campaign strategy off and running, and start conquering those inboxes!
