What is Email Marketing?
By Karen Barr
What is email marketing? Email is often forgotten in a world that seems dominated by social media. You might be asking, “Does anyone read email anymore?”
The answer is YES!
Email marketing starts as a low-cost investment with a big reward. Statistics show that for every $1 spent, businesses can expect a return on investment (ROI) of between $36 and $42.
But what exactly is email marketing, and why is it still so relevant? Let’s dive in!
The Beginning of Email
In 1971, engineer Ray Tomlinson sent the first email. This was a string of numbers and letters. His intention then was to send a message from one computer to another. It worked and later evolved into the communication tool that we use today.
The Basics: What is Email Marketing?
The goal of any business is to sell products and services. Email marketing offers a low-cost investment to achieve this. It’s a powerful way to connect with and nurture your customer base throughout the customer lifecycle.
Email marketing campaigns help you tell everyone on your list about new products, discounts and special events. But it’s not just a sales pitch. Otherwise, why would anyone continually want to open your email?
Write informative and educational blog posts for your website. Send email marketing campaigns to entice customers to click and read your blogs. Give your customers a sense of value.
Email marketing campaigns allow you to connect with your customers personally, unlike with social media or paid ads.
Why Email Marketing Matters
Customers who give you their email addresses want to hear from you. This helps you build a community around your business. With email, you own your list and can control when and how you communicate with your audience.
Additionally, social media platforms can change their algorithms anytime, limiting how many followers see your posts. Your accounts can be hacked, or an entire social media platform can decide to close. With your email list in hand, this isn’t something you’ll need to worry about.
Email and Marketers
According to Statista, email marketing is predicted to grow by 287 per cent between 2024 and 2032. That’s why email marketing is one of the most effective tools available.
Mailchimp, one of the top email marketing platforms, conducted a third-party study that produced incredible findings.
- 95 percent of marketers surveyed agree that email marketing is an excellent return on investment.
- Nine out of 10 of this group reported that email marketing is rated as very to extremely important for an overall marketing plan.
Email and Customers
What did customers receiving emails have to say? Almost unanimously, four out of five customers said they prefer emails from companies more than any other form of communication.
Email doesn’t clog your home mailbox with junk mail. It doesn’t interrupt your dinner with an intrusive call. Email arrives silently in your customer’s inbox digitally, waiting to be opened at their leisure.
Types of Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Here are a few types of emails commonly used:
- Welcome Emails: Sent to new subscribers to your email list to greet them and introduce your brand.
- Promotional Emails: Highlight sales, discounts, special events, and more.
- Newsletter Emails: Share updates, blog content, tips, and other valuable information regularly.
- Transactional Emails: Include order confirmations, receipts, or shipping updates.
- Re-engagement Emails: Designed to win back inactive customers.
Building An Email List
An email campaign is only as strong as your customer list. You should always be list-building!
The more customers that see your emails, the better your chance of selling products and services.
Some of the ways to build an email list include:
- Website sign-up forms
- In-store or online events such as free draws and product giveaways.
- Lead magnets such as e-books, checklists, and online courses.
Here is an example of a lead magnet I created for my business: a FREE BLOGGING COURSE presented via email. When customers sign up for my free course, they are automatically added to my email list and part of my weekly email automation.
Email Marketing Tools
When I started working in retail, e-mail marketing tools were unavailable. Instead, I wrote handwritten cards to thank my customers for their purchases. These would be popped into snail mail.
Later, when I worked in marketing for a large corporation, I started working with newer methods. I collected emails from customers and designed one-page flyers.
I created email flyers to send out news about featured products and services. These colourful creations were paperclipped into each email.
With email marketing tools such as Mailchimp, designing and sending out email marketing campaigns is easy. These can be scheduled as needed, so I always work ahead for clients, preparing everything well in advance.
Find an email marketing solution that best suits your needs. Some companies offer free programs for your first 500 customers. You’ll have access to things like customer analytics and list segmentation. Prices increase with the number of customers, or more advanced services like marketing automation, to set up automated welcome campaigns.
With email marketing tools, designing templates for your email marketing campaigns is fun and easy. You can use it to drag and drop your design or use templates already in the system without knowing anything about coding.
In Conclusion
Email marketing is about more than just sending messages. It’s about sharing information with customers while building trust. When done well, email marketing turns new customers into a loyal fan base that can’t wait to buy– and spread the word about your products and services!
Whether you run an e-commerce fashion accessory store or a brick-and-mortar bakery, email marketing gives you a direct line to your customers. Every business should take full advantage of this.