Small businesses have limited resources, and they can’t afford to squander them on purposeless marketing endeavors. But, with the large number of options that modern-day businesses have when it comes to reaching out to customers, it’s almost impossible not to make mistakes. That’s why the best marketing agencies always recommend smaller businesses to opt for tried and tested marketing methods. One of the most consistent and common marketing methods is email marketing. Many businesses consider email marketing to be obsolete or ineffective. But, they’re wrong, and here’s why –
Understanding Email Marketing
Email marketing involves sending emails to a large set of target customers to promote products, services, and the company brand.
That’s just one aspect of email marketing. Top marketers also use email marketing to respond to existing customers. Some marketing emails also aim to inform customers about industry trends, latest offers, specific products, etc.
Overall, email marketing is very conversation-friendly. When drafted carefully, marketing emails can be persuasive and redirect customers to business websites.
Since email marketing has been around for so long, many marketing ‘gurus’ view it negatively. They assume that modern-day customers don’t read marketing emails. However, the best marketing agency in Phoenix will always recommend businesses (especially the ones that are operating on small budgets) to invest in email marketing because –
- In 2019, a Statista survey revealed that receiving promotional emails from companies is the most preferred way of client-business communication for customers. 25% of the respondents preferred brand contact via social media, whereas over 50% chose marketing emails as the main way businesses should reach out to them.
- By 2024, the number of email users across the world is expected to reach 4.48 billion users, up by almost a billion from 2018, when the figure was close to 3.8 billion.
These statistics demonstrate that email marketing is an unavoidable opportunity. Customers of most businesses in western societies use email. Irrespective of the size of a company, email marketing involves less effort and resources. The leading marketing agencies can also create intricate email marketing strategies that almost guarantee instant connections with audiences.
Here are the types of email marketing campaigns that are most successful –
Emails Welcoming Clients to a New Business
Email open rate is a good determiner of how effective/ineffective email marketing is. This ratio demonstrates the number of people who open marketing emails. Emails welcoming target customers to new businesses and offers have a very high open-rate.
The average consumer appreciates businesses reaching out to them about new offers or deals in a welcoming manner. Companies can aptly exploit this inherent response to such emails. They can leverage high open rates for welcoming emails to grow their customer base. Other information about the business, such as discount deals or industry news, can be added to these emails to keep the customers better informed.
Personalized Emails
Even though the average open rate for marketing emails is less than 20%, personalized emails have much higher email rates. An ideal personalized email would contain –
- Straightforward questions about the customer, encouraging them to share insightful data.
- Target specific customer personas; marketing agencies can assess target customers’ website behavior or download history to create highly-customized emails.
- Location and time-based emails are highly effective; for instance, businesses can target Catholic Christians by wishing them on Catholic holidays.
- Emails that humanize the business; add content to the mail that creates some degree of human connection between the business and the customer.
The click-through rate for personalized emails is fantastic. Chances of lead generation improve when personalized emails are complimented with personalized landing pages.
Response Mails
Response or follow-up emails are sent to customers who, for some reason, didn’t make a purchase after browsing the eCommerce store. A lot of consumers window-shop or add items to their online carts without actually ordering anything. Responding to such customers with queries about why they decided against making an order can help businesses come off as empathetic and eager to earn the customer’s trust. Sending timely response mails is one of the most efficient ways of boosting eCommerce revenue in the long run.
Interactive Emails
Email marketing is wrongly viewed as a ‘one-way’ communication channel. In reality, interactive emails can generate amazing customer engagement. Customers are always on the lookout for interactive content. So, typical newsletter-format emails are not as effective anymore. On the other hand, interactive emails have much higher click-through rates.
Typically, interactive emails contain –
- The target customer’s name
- Sliders
- High-quality images, GIFs, or other design elements
- Collapsible menus
As long as the interactive emails are mobile-optimized, people are guaranteed to open, read, and interact with them.
The widespread use of email, coupled with the Return on Investment that sensibly planned email marketing campaigns promise, make it impossible to avoid email marketing as a serious marketing tactic. From sharing valuable content to generating leads – email marketing programs allow smaller businesses to do a lot for little cost. Email marketing campaigns created by leading marketing agencies are still just as relevant and effective as five years ago.
