For years, skeptics have declared the death of email marketing, claiming that social media, digital advertising, and other, newer platforms now dominate digital communication. However, the data tells a different story. Email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for reaching and engaging audiences, boasting an average return on investment (ROI) of $36 for every $1 spent, according to a recent report from HubSpot. Few, if any, other marketing platforms can boast that sort of return, something I’ve learned as managing partner of a digital marketing agency.
Email marketing is experiencing a resurgence, with the help of marketing automation and platform advancements that help business owners create more engaging and relevant content.
THE ENDURING POWER OF EMAIL
Email remains a cornerstone of digital marketing because it offers a direct line of communication to consumers that social media and paid ads cannot. You own your well-maintained email list and control unfiltered access to that audience. You’re not relying, like other communication tools do, on a mysterious algorithm to display your messages.
Also, email is a personalized medium. Today’s email marketing platforms offer a range of options to help you craft personalized messages for each contact’s interests and experiences. These customizations, combined with audience segmentation tools, allow specific messaging for specific groups, which increases engagement with your content and, ultimately, improves your conversion rates.
Additionally, email marketing is both cost-effective and measurable. If you put in the work up front to build a reliable, vetted email list of interested contacts, you can reap the benefits for years for little additional investment. Ads cost money every time you run them. Emails are essentially free to send once you’ve paid your subscription to your email marketing platform, and every modern email platform provides a treasure trove of analytics to help you measure the success of your campaigns. It’s easy to compare messages and approaches to see what resonates. With that information, you can refine future campaigns for maximum effect.
CONVERSION COMPARISON
Conversion rate is the metric most marketers lean on when evaluating the effectiveness of an email campaign. The conversion rate is the percentage of your audience who completed the desired action. That action doesn’t necessarily mean a sale or a booking. It could be any trackable action, such as clicking a “learn more” button or filling out an interest form.
For example, if you send a marketing email with a “book now” button to 100 people, and five of them open your QR code, your conversion rate is 5%. The average conversion rate for email marketing ranges from 2% to 5%, similar to other digital marketing methods such as social media and digital advertising (pay-per-click, display ads, search ads). Traditional advertising (TV, radio, print) typically yields conversion rates closer to 1%. When evaluating where to put your marketing dollars and hours, consider how you can get the most conversions for the least effort and expense. In most cases, a combination of methods is most effective, and the metrics certainly indicate that email should be part of that combination.
Email marketing gets a bad rap because people associate it with generic, spammy email blasts. Thankfully, those are things of the past, at least among reputable marketers.
THE SECRETS TO EMAIL SUCCESS
We’ve established that email is still relevant and effective. So, how do you make the most of this marketing method without alienating your audience? Here are techniques to create a high-performing email campaign:
1. Build a quality email list. The foundation of a successful email marketing campaign is a high-quality subscriber list. Focus on organic growth rather than purchasing email lists, which often results in low engagement and high unsubscribe rates (not to mention a lot of fake or invalid contacts). You can encourage sign-ups to your email list by providing content (how-to guides, case studies, or behind-the-scenes segments), discounts, or free downloadable resources. Essentially, you’re giving away something of value in exchange for an email address. Make sure that subscribers opt in willingly, as opposed to adding people automatically when they contact you, as voluntary opt-ins are much more engaged.
2. Segment and personalize. Email marketing gets a bad rap because people associate it with generic, spammy email blasts. Thankfully, those are things of the past, at least among reputable marketers. Today, personalization is key to engagement. How do you send an individualized email without sending hundreds (or thousands) of actual individual emails? The answer is a tool called segmentation. Use your email platform’s segmenting tools to group your contacts into sublists based on factors such as past purchases, inquiries they’ve made to your business, location, and any demographic data you’ve saved. Then you can create different messages for different segments. For example, you can craft an email message to all your clients who purchased an engagement photo session in the last six months and remind them you also photograph weddings. Is it worth the trouble? Well, consider this: A study by HubSpot found that segmented email campaigns result in a 760% increase in revenue compared to non-segmented campaigns.
3. Write compelling subject lines. The subject line is your email’s first impression. A well-crafted subject line piques curiosity, creates urgency, and offers value. Show that you understand your audience by writing subject lines that address their needs, concerns, or curiosities. Today’s email platforms will even let you personalize your subject lines with contacts’ names using dynamic content fields. For example: “Sarah, check out this free resource for wedding photo planning.”
4. Offer valuable content. If emails contain nothing but sales pitches, subscribers will quickly lose interest or, worse, unsubscribe. Providing valuable content—such as tips or exclusive offers—keeps readers engaged.
5. Get to the “ask.” Yes, marketing emails should provide valuable, relevant content, but don’t forget the “ask,” also known as the call to action (CTA). Put simply, tell people what you want them to do, whether it’s to visit your website for more information, send you an inquiry, or fill out a booking form. A strong CTA is essential for guiding recipients toward the next step.
6. Optimize for mobile. Make sure your emails are easy to open and view on mobile devices. This means using responsive design, concise content, and clear CTAs that are easy to tap on a smartphone. It also means being careful about the sizes of images, videos, and graphics, which can dramatically slow down the load speed. If it takes too long for your message to load on someone’s phone, they’ll skip or delete it.
7. Include activities. Invite participation by including interactive features in your emails such as embedded surveys, quizzes, and clickable carousels. Surveys and quizzes let the email recipient know you’re interested in their opinions, and their responses can be added to their customer profiles and used to create more personalized future messages.
8. Test, analyze, and revise. Keep an eye on your data analytics and make note of what’s working, what’s not, and where you’re getting the best results. Key metrics include open rates (how many contacts opened the email), click-through rates (how many contacts clicked a link or button in your email), and conversion rates.
Remember to maintain your brand standards and use good communication practices in your emails. Treat your audience with respect. Don’t overwhelm them with excessive messages. Include value in what you send. If you stick to these best practices, you could reap the benefits of this venerated, dare-we-say-it “old school” digital marketing method for many years to come.
Jeff Kent is editor-at-large.
Tags: marketing
