Long Live Email Marketing

There is a solid argument to be made for the role of email marketing as a core tactic within the marketing mix. Deemed as some to be a tool of the past it still has the ability to connect with and reach consumers in ways most important to businesses. In fact, according to eMarketer, 73 percent of media, entertainment and telecom companies use email marketing to connect with consumers. This is followed by 68 percent of financial services companies and 62 percent of retail companies.

With changes to algorithms, there is now an increased risk of consumers not seeing your social media posts and missing out on potential deals and updates to your company. In this era where customers are attached to their mobile phones, email marketing can still resonate and has the ability to keep up with social media as a tool to engage and excite.

In fact, it has long been a tool for businesses across a variety of industries to help customers stay up to date on daily trends and weekly specials. This helps keep customers in the know and can make them feel as though they’re receiving insider information. It is crucial to make customers feel important. Businesses can do this by using email marketing to share important company news that would not normally be posted on its website or across social media. This helps create exclusivity for those customers who have signed up for company newsletters.

Personalization might seem daunting but it’s imperative. This means going beyond simply personalizing the subject line and first name, using data to create a unique and personal experience for each customer. According to results from a recent survey of marketers by Campaign Monitor, 96 percent of respondents believe personalization can improve email marketing performance and conversion. It is shocking to hear that only 39 percent of those respondents said they do not personalize emails. It is time for businesses to utilize the vast amounts of data available and make emails personal for each individual customer.

Data can also be used to segment key customers. A recent survey by the leaders in email marketing, Constant Contact, showed that 39 percent of marketers who used segmentation in email marketing had higher open rates. Customers do not want generic emails, rather, they want to be told about events and deals relevant to their unique interests. Segmenting customer bases ensures relevant information is sent to the right customer at the right time.

If used correctly, email marketing has the ability to help drive business results. It is up to business owners to determine how they utilize data, segment and personalize emails and ultimately deliver fresh insights into their customers' inboxes on a daily or weekly basis.