Email Marketing
Email marketing is the use of email to promote products or services, as well as incentivize customer loyalty. It is a form of marketing that can make the customers on your email list aware of new products, discounts, and other services. Email marketing is one of the most effective and popular marketing tools. Email marketing revenue is projected to grow 287 percent worldwide from 2024 to 2032.
History of email marketing
Email marketing has evolved rapidly alongside the technological growth of the 21st century. Before this growth, when emails were novelties to most customers, email marketing was not as effective. In 1978, Gary Thuerk of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) sent out the first mass email to approximately 400 potential clients via the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). He claimed that this resulted in $13 million worth of sales of DEC products, and highlighted the potential of marketing through mass emails.
However, as email marketing developed as an effective means of direct communication, in the 1990s, users increasingly began referring to it as “spam” and began blocking out content from emails with filters and blocking programs. To effectively communicate a message through email, marketers had to develop a way of pushing content through to the end user without being cut out by automatic filters and spam removing software.
Historically, it has not been easy to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns because target markets cannot be adequately defined. Email marketing carries the benefit of allowing marketers to identify returns on investment and measure and improve efficiency. Email marketing allows marketers to see users’ feedback in real-time and monitor how effective their campaign is in achieving market penetration, revealing a communication channel’s scope. At the same time, however, it also means that the more personal nature of specific advertising methods, such as television advertisements, cannot be captured.
Disadvantages of email marketing
- As of mid-2016 email deliverability is still an issue for legitimate marketers. According to the report, legitimate email servers averaged a delivery rate of 73% in the U.S.; six percent were filtered as spam, and 22% were missing. This lags behind other countries: Australia delivers at 90%, Canada at 89%, Britain at 88%, France at 84%, Germany at 80% and Brazil at 79%.
- Companies considering the use of an email marketing program must make sure that their program does not violate spam laws such as the United States’ Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM), the European Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, or their Internet service provider’s acceptable use policy.
- An overwhelming amount of commercial email or untargeted emails can be irritating to consumers. This irritation can lead to consumers unsubscribing from all messages or building a negative brand association. Untargeted emails lead to low click through rate, hindering marketing campaign performance.
Advantages of email marketing
Email marketing is popular with companies for several reasons:
- Email marketing is significantly cheaper and faster than traditional mail, mainly because with email, most of the cost falls on the recipient.
- Email marketing platforms provide detailed analytics, allowing businesses to track open rates, click-through rates, and other important metrics to evaluate campaign performance.
- Automation tools make it easier to schedule and send emails at specific times or based on user actions, saving time and effort.
- Businesses and organizations who send a high volume of emails can use an ESP (email service provider) to gather information about the behavior of the recipients. The insights provided by consumer response to email marketing help businesses and organizations understand and make use of consumer behavior.
- Almost half of American Internet users check or send email on a typical day, with emails delivered between 1 am and 5 am local time outperforming those sent at other times in open and click rates.
Email marketing types and examples
There are many different types of email marketing. Each one serves a different purpose and takes a different avenue to engage with your audience. We are going to look at some of the many different types, so you can create the best email marketing campaign for your company.
Welcome emails
This type of email welcomes customers and encourages them to learn more about your product or service. They often offer a trial or other bonus. It is used to introduce a potential new customer to the business.
Newsletter emails
Newsletter emails are very popular, and they often highlight new products and services. They may also include articles, blogs, and customer reviews. Usually, there will be a call to action to move the reader to do something, whether that is reading a new blog post or checking out a new product.
Lead nurturing emails
This type of email targets a specific audience through a series of emails in the hope of eventually converting them. Typically, lead nurturing emails focus on a group that is interested in a specific product or service and then build their interest through more emails that offer additional information or relevant promotions. The goal is to push users from the consideration stage to the purchasing stage.
Confirmation emails
Those that have recently signed up for emails or newsletters, or have purchased an item online for the first time may get a confirmation email. This ensures the prospect that the information has been received and they are on the list to receive additional information. These are also a way to let users know that their purchase has been received or that their sign-up was successful and can include more actions for them to take.
Dedicated emails
If you want to reach out to only a portion of your email list, this is called a dedicated email. Its list may be based on recent purchases, inactive clients, new members, and other specific types of criteria.
Invite emails
These types of emails often announce upcoming events, new product launches, and seminars. Most companies use these types of emails when there is something special going on to gain attention and increase awareness about special events.
Promotional emails
These types of marketing emails are very common and tend to be generic and go out to a large audience. They are usually used to maintain awareness and may tease new products and services.
Survey email
Feedback from customers is one of the best tools for a business. Sending out these emails communicates to your customers that you value their opinion and want to create an experience, product, or whatever you’re offering that they’ll enjoy. Businesses can also take the feedback from these surveys and apply them to their offerings, creating what is hopefully a better product.
Seasonal marketing emails
Many companies take advantage of the holiday season or special occasions to reach out to their customers and prospects with information on upcoming sales and promotions. They are often tied to holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s, and Father’s Day.
- Don’t buy email lists. Many email marketing companies have a strict, permission-based policy when it comes to email addresses, which means that sending to purchased lists is prohibited. Instead, concentrate on encouraging folks to opt into receiving messages from you by using lead magnets. You could offer a discount on your customers’ first orders when they sign up for your email list via a custom signup form. Or maybe you can offer new subscribers free shipping on their next order—or give them a chance to win a prize when they join your list. Here are some more tips to help you build an email list.
- Be aware of national (and international) email regulations. Make sure you adhere to any legal requirements and applicable laws in your area when sending automated emails, like the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States, the Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL), or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union for the treatment of personal information. The regulations are based on both your location and the location of your subscribers, and it’s your responsibility to know which laws apply to you.
- Use email to have a conversation with your customers. Email is a great marketing tool, but it can help your business in other ways, too. Consider taking the occasional break from your regular marketing content to send out surveys, tell you customers how much you appreciate them after buying from you, following up after an abandoned cart, or just say hello. Not only does it give your audience a chance to provide you with valuable feedback, but it also allows them to get more insight into the person behind the business.
- Only send when you really need to. Once someone has trusted you with their email address, don’t abuse that trust. Flooding your audience’s inbox with superfluous emails will cause them to lose interest or unsubscribe entirely. Focus on sending them relevant, engaging messages about the stuff they like, and they’ll be loyal for a long time to come.
