Email Marketing
What is Email Marketing?
Email is one of the oldest forms of digital communication—but it’s also one of the most effective digital marketing strategies out there.
Sure, there are newer methods of communicating with your audience and customers like social media and live chat. However, with a user base of over 4.5 billion people, email is the king of marketing channels.
Additionally, email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every dollar spent, meaning it deserves a place in every marketer’s toolbox.
Email marketing is still ranked as the most effective marketing channel, beating out social media, SEO, and affiliate marketing.
Is Email Marketing Outdated?
Despite the rise of social, people use email more than other platforms. After all, what’s the good of marketing to someone if they’re not there? Data shows that most people are on email—and the number increases every year.
In addition, with email marketing you own the connections—you don’t have to worry about algorithm changes tanking your reach. Still not convinced? According to HubSpot, four out of five marketers say they’d rather give up social media than email marketing.
The Fundamentals of Email Marketing
Before diving into the strategies you’ll use to build and leverage email marketing, let’s cover the fundamentals. These tips will help you maximize your email marketing campaign, which we’ll dive into next.
- Stay Human: Email marketing is popular—which also means it is competitive. Use email to speak directly to your users, use their name, and let them see the human side of your brand.
- Use Engaging Titles, But Don’t Bait And Switch: Using interesting subject titles is crucial to increasing email open rates, but keep them on topic and non-spammy. If users feel duped, they’re likely to unsubscribe or mark your message as spam, which impacts deliverability.
- Keep Messages Short: Most email is read on a mobile device, so keep your copy concise and to the point. Direct users to a blog post or landing page if you need to share a ton of information.
- Include CTAs at the Top and Bottom: On landing pages, CTAs are always included above the fold—use the same strategy with email by including strong CTAs after the first paragraph and again at the end.
- Ask Permission and Deliver On Your Promises: Never buy email lists—that is illegal in most cases and won’t deliver ROI. If you offer a deal or great content, make sure to deliver high-quality content or offers.
Remember: You’re a Guest in Their Inbox
People are inundated with interruptions, pitches, and ads everywhere they look. You might think your email is special, but to the reader, your email is one in a million—and not in a good way. This is why it’s important to use good manners.Getting into someone’s inbox is like being invited to their home for dinner. If they ask you to take your shoes off, you respectfully do so. Treat their email inbox with the same respect. You’re a guest they’ve invited into their lives and they can ask you to leave at any point. So be on your best behavior and remember… “You’re a guest in their inbox. Now, let’s talk about how to build your strategy from the ground up.”
Email Service Providers (ESP)
One of the most critical email tools you need is an ESP. Top ESPs include:
- Constant Contact: This is best for e-commerce email marketing campaigns, thanks to features like automated product recommendations and shoppable emails. Plans start at $36 per month.
- Sendinblue: Sendinblue is best for small businesses running simple email campaigns. It has a rich feature set with a CRM, live chat, and SMS, among others. Paid plans start at $25 per month, though they do offer a free version.
- Pardot (Salesforce): B2B email campaigns require a platform specifically designed for the B2B buyer journey. Pardot fits the bill perfectly. However, to build high-growth email campaigns with Pardot, be prepared to part with at least $1,250 per month for up to 10,000 contacts.
Email marketing success metrics
Metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates and unsubscribe rates, help marketers monitor the success of their campaigns and gauge which content is the most effective in conveying their message and drawing conversions.
Additionally, tracking codes allow businesses to monitor which recipients of their email marketing material ultimately convert – and which online conversions come from email. Tracking codes are typically very small and often invisible graphics written into email newsletters that alert the sender when the message is opened.
Many marketers consider email an underused channel in terms of generating leads, with more than 20 percent of marketers saying their companies do not use email effectively, according to Advertise.com. Many marketers believe effective integration of email marketing with other campaigns is key to maximizing email ROI, with research from eMarketer showing that 68 percent of businesses using both email marketing and social media marketing plan to integrate the campaigns to create more interaction opportunities with prospects.