Email marketing is the rusty old hammer of the online marketer’s toolbox.
But rusty old hammers never go out of style — search through any garage or tool box, and you’re likely to find one.
Email isn’t new or exciting and people don’t typically sit at coffee shops chatting about the day’s coolest emails. But just because email isn’t on the cutting edge of technology doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. In fact, researchers have found time and time again that email marketing improves ROI.
So ignore the rust and focus on utility. Email marketing is a great tool that you should definitely be using in your online marketing strategy.
Here we’ll review the top 10 reasons to keep swinging that old hammer.
Reason #1: Emails Cast a Huge Net
Did you know more people use email than Facebook and Twitter combined? According to a study by The Radicati Group, an estimated 3.8 billion people are using email in 2018. By comparison, Facebook had 2.23 billion active users and Twitter had just 336 million active users in the second quarter of 2018.
Social media may be sexier, but email wins the size battle, and with marketing size definitely matters. :)
Reason #2: Guaranteed Delivery
Even the best Facebook and Twitter posts are like candles in the wind. One minute, they’re all the rage. The next, completely forgotten. And you never know whether they’ll actually reach their targets.
Emails are far more likely to reach their predetermined destinations. An estimated 22 percent of emails get blocked or sent to spam folders, according to research by email analyst Return Path. Still, 78 percent is a fantastic delivery rate that other forms of marketing can’t match.
Reason #3: Better Staying Power
An email message doesn’t just disappear. Unlike social media posts or PPC ads, an email message stays in your account until you actively delete it.
This is significant because, according to BlueHornet, 33.8 percent of Americans check their emails throughout the day and 39 percent check emails one to three times per day. Most of the remaining respondents said they checked emails more than four times per day. 4.2 percent said more than 10 times per day.
All that adds up to a ton of exposure for email marketing messages.
Reason #4: Proven to Generate ROI
Research continues to show that email marketing actually works.
A report by Campaign Monitor found that for every $1 spent on email marketing, $44 is made in return. Where else can you turn $1 into $44? That is an incredible return on investment (ROI)!
Reason #5: Easy to Gauge Effectiveness
Determining whether your email campaigns are successful is not too difficult and most people are familiar with the basic metrics like Opens, Clicks, Unsubscribes, and Spam Complaints.
Plus, when you combine Google Analytics and tracking links, then it’s possible to measure leads and sales generated from your email campaigns.
Reason #6: Human Engagement
Email marketing creates opportunities for you to communicate directly with your customers. Yes, customers can get personal on Facebook by sending private messages, but the culture of Facebook is being open and public. Customers are much more likely to leave comments or tag your business in their posts.
If someone responds to one of your email messages, they’ll most likely do so by hitting the reply button. This chance at private, one-on-one communication is invaluable. A person who is interested enough to join your email list and engage you in conversation is highly likely to become a customer.
Reason #7: Email and Other Digital Marketing is Symbiotic
Email marketing can and should be combined with other digital marketing tactics.
For example, not only should you be using email marketing alongside of Facebook, but your email and Facebook marketing efforts should work hand-in-hand. Including email sign-ups on your Facebook page is a great way to build your email subscribers, allowing you to lock in on people who are interested in your business. Conversely, you should include social media buttons on your email campaigns to build your audiences on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.
Beyond that, you can launch email campaigns to promote your Facebook page, or hold a Facebook contest to drive email signups. You can even run marketing campaigns that leverage both your email and social media audiences.
Reason #8: The Channel You Own
With email marketing, you are in complete control. You determine when to contact your audience, exactly who in your audience to contact, and what message to send. With other marketing channels, you simply do not have that kind of control.
Plus, your email list can be divided up however you’d like. You can launch email marketing campaigns aimed at either returning customers or potential buyers. The possibilities are endless depending on the information collected when people sign up for your emails.
Reason #9: Increasing Website Traffic
Want to bring customers back to your website? Dedicate an email campaign for that very purpose. For example, you can do this when you want your customers to check out a big sale.
You can also use email marketing to advertise blog posts, do-it-yourself guides and other interesting content on your website. People who click through might share your content and provide backlinks, bringing even more value to email campaigns.
Reason #10: Lead Generation
Not everyone who signs up for your emails will be ready to make purchases, and that’s fine.
Email marketing can help you build a relationship with your leads that convert into sales down the road. Sometimes, weeks or months may pass before someone responds to an email with an online purchase or a phone call. In the meantime, you can continue to build your relationship with your audience by presenting them with compelling and helpful email content.
Conclusion
Email marketing is anything but obsolete.
While it may never be the focal point of online marketing, email offers a direct conduit between you and your customers through which you can boost your brand and your sales. It’s a different dynamic than social media with an undeniably immense reach. For those reasons, email marketing is still incredibly valuable.
And like that old rusty hammer in the toolbox, email marketing will have its purpose for years to come.
Want More Help with Email Marketing?
Would you like to see some real life examples of how you can generate ROI with email marketing?
Watch this video with 2 case studies of how we helped 2 different small businesses profit with email marketing.
The first is a chiropractor who generated more than $1,000 in sales from a tiny list of only 50 prospects.
The second is an e-commerce business who we helped generate more than $20,000 in sales in just 4 days by running a sale to their email list.
Click here to watch the video now
