Digital marketing has advanced considerably over the last few years, and there are still ongoing innovations afoot daily. It begs the question: Does something as tried-and-true as email marketing still have any place in your digital strategy? After all, email has been around for decades now—an eternity, compared with the short lifespans of social media sites—and it’s hardly seen as flashy or exciting.
To determine whether email marketing still has merit, let’s take a quick look at some facts and statistics—and spoiler alert: These stats make it pretty clear that email marketing remains a potent tool for reaching your customers and clients.
What the Stats Say About Email Marketing
The first thing to understand about email is that it’s a part of all of our daily lives. Yes, many of us like to complain about how stressful our inboxes can be, but studies confirm that 74 trillion emails were sent last year alone. And, in 2017, there were actually millions more emails sent than in 2016, which is simply to say that email use is increasing—not tapering off.
Incidentally, not everyone in the world has their own email account—but it’s expected that there will be 3.8 billion email users across the world by the time the year winds down. That may not be everyone, but it’s certainly a big chunk of the population. And here in the United States, about 85 percent of adults use email.
Also note that email use is prevalent among all age groups—including teens, the majority of whom say email is part of their everyday life. The bottom line: If you’re looking for a medium that allows you to reach a wide audience and connect with as many people as possible, email remains unmatched. Even Facebook doesn’t really come close to meeting email’s reach.
But Will Your Emails Actually Be Delivered?
One of the most common objections to email marketing is the worry that marketing emails won’t actually get delivered—that they’ll be bounced away by spam filters.
That’s definitely a legitimate concern, but let’s look again at some statistics, which show that the average deliverability of emails is 98.3 percent. In other words, the overwhelming majority of emails make it to their target destination. And, with the right email marketing platform and strategy, you can minimize the risk that your messages will be bounced back to you.
As a point of comparison, simply ask yourself how many of your social media posts fade into obscurity, or are never seen by the target audience. Again, email may not be foolproof, but it’s certainly the most dependable medium available.
What If Your Audience Doesn’t Like Your Emails?
Another big misgiving about email marketing is this: What if the recipients of the email don’t like the content, don’t want to read it, or think it’s just annoying spam?
This, too, is a compelling concern, and here the statistics paint a less rosy picture. More than half of all consumers say that they receive too many irrelevant marketing emails from businesses and brands.
Realistically, there are always going to be people who trash your emails without reading them, or who wish to unsubscribe—yet again, the right strategy can minimize this risk. A lot of it boils down to the content of your emails; providing meaningful information, promotions, special offers, etc. really helps to enhance your email’s value. Timing can also be key. If you can’t add value to your weekly email blast, maybe it’s better to just send one out monthly.
Also worth noting: You’ll always have better responses to your email marketing if you allow your recipients to opt in, choosing to subscribe to your emails (and giving them a clear option to unsubscribe when they wish). In other words, avoid buying email lists, which is an ineffective strategy for a number of reasons.
Finally, email personalization can help your messages get open and read, as opposed to just tossed into the spam folder—and personalization goes beyond just using the recipient’s first name! Crafting emails with your buyer personas in mind, addressing real pain points that your readers face, is hugely important.
Email Marketing Isn’t Going Anywhere
The long and short of it is that email marketing may seem old-hat, but actually, it remains one of the most robust marketing methods there is—just so long as you approach it with the right strategic bent.
That’s something our team would love to discuss with you. At enCOMPASS, we’ve helped many of our clients adopt smart, data-driven, automated email campaigns that get real results. To learn more or just to chat with us about some of the options, we encourage you to call the enCOMPASS team at any time.
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