Welcome to the first post in a three-part series tackling the essentials of email marketing. We’ll provide an introduction to email marketing, give you some reasons to be as excited about it as we are, provide the framework for a successful campaign and finish with four tips to level up your email marketing game.
Let’s establish the basics.
So, what is it? Quite simply, email marketing is what it sounds like: marketing your brand, product or services through email. Like most “simple” things, it is often overlooked but oh-so-beautiful! To us, email marketing is how we help our clients grow and scale their reach by having direct conversations with their most loyal customers.
Email isn’t (exactly) free.
First off, let’s clarify one of the most common misconceptions about email marketing. It is not free. Even though it doesn’t actually “cost” anything to hit send, there are some costs to consider:
- Content development
- Programming
- Hosting
- Platform fees
That being said, email marketing is still worth your time, effort and investment. It just requires a thoughtful approach, the same as any other marketing channel. Be sure to lay the groundwork by developing a clear goal, strategy and execution plan, and you’ll be well on your way to reaping the benefits of this channel.
Reasons to invest in email marketing:
- Scalability
Although we’ve established that it isn’t free, unlike many channels where you pay more to reach more of your audience, with email marketing the “cost” (time, effort and budget) to scale your reach is marginal.
Scalability becomes particularly valuable knowing that it takes a consumer an average of seven branded impressions before making a purchase decision. Email marketing provides an opportunity to significantly reduce the time and cost typically spent on that first purchase decision. - 1:1 Connection
Email marketing is the best channel to achieve that ever-elusive 1:1 connection with prospects and customers. Unlike other channels like social media or traditional media where you’re “borrowing” your audience, you have direct access to your audience’s inbox. Because you don’t have to battle algorithms or compete for ad space, email marketing allows you to speak to them personally in ways such as:
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- Newsletters
- Announcing a new product or service
- Issuing a receipt (read: “thank you”)
By combining behavioral data (transactional data, CRM data, content preferences, etc.), you can create highly-targeted content and deliver it directly to a customer primed to make a purchase.
Hopefully, it’s clear that email marketing is an invaluable tool to engage with your audience and achieve your marketing objectives. Now that we’re all on board with email marketing, our next post will outline the foundation of a successful campaign.
Ready to get started but not sure how? We can help! Contact us to start the conversation.