I’m sure you’ve heard that email marketing is dead, I know I definitely have. “No one uses email anymore”, right.  Well recent reports that email marketing is dead are “fake news”. Email marketing is very much alive.

There are many ways to reach your prospective customers. Think about where people spend their time, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.  While these are all very effective channels to use in your marketing toolbox, none are as effective as email marketing.

Based on 2018 data, email marketing is still ranked as the most effective marketing channel, outpacing social media, SEO, and affiliate marketing.

Here are some email stats for 2019:

  • the number of global email users is at 3.7 billion users (Statista, 2019)
  • with 293 billion emails sent and received each day (Statista, 2019).
  • mobile opens accounted for 46% of emails opened
  • 35% of business professionals check their email on a mobile device 
  • 99% of email users check their email every day 
  • and in case you think email is for old people – 73% of millennials prefer to have businesses communicate with them via email

So why is email marketing effective?

Users are in control. Unlike social media posts or banner ads, email users opt-in to receive your emails. This means they’re more likely to a) Notice and b) Show interest in your email when it arrives in their inbox.

It’s targeted and personal. With segmented email lists you can send emails based on the specific needs and interests of your customers. Personalised messages for each customer can lead to higher conversion rates.

It’s important to do it right

Getting your emails into someone’s inbox is like being invited into their home. If they ask you to take your shoes off at the door, you might think they’re a bit odd – but you’d take your shoes off. It’s all about showing respect.

Here’s a checklist for you to follow to make sure you are doing it right:

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First get people to opt-in

There are lots of ways to get people to opt-in to your email list. You could give away a freebie in exchange for their email address or simply offer a newsletter. You get to choose which is the best incentive for your business. It is however important to have a clear purpose when asking for an address.

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Make sure you live up to their expectations

Make sure you send out great content and if you promised to send one email per week make sure you do that. You’re there to engage customers and make sales so it’s a good idea to think in advance about your sales pitches. You don’t want to surprise them with a pitch out of the blue, so include subtle pitches in your regular content, then build up to a full blown one.

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Segment and send targeted emails

For example, with segmentation, you can send an email to those who didn’t open your last email and ask them why. Or email those that showed interest with a second pitch. You can also do some split test messaging with different groups to refine your sales pitch.

So how do you feel about email marketing now? If you’ve been ignoring it, now might be time to re-evaluate your strategy and get started. It doesn’t have to be too complicated.

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