E-mail Still Delivers
Published August 14, 2017 by Rush Hour
In this day and age of feature packed social networks, intelligent chat apps and chat bots, e-mail is still quietly but steadily chugging along. According to the Eleventy Group, 89% of Americans check their e-mail at least once a day. But not only is e-mail used for catching up with friends, or sending grandma your holiday photos, it is also still an excellent tool for business.
Data from McKinsey says that e-mail trumps social media 40:1 for customer acquisition, and 3:1 for sales, with a 17% higher order value. Various sources have also vouched for e-mail's superior ROI, netting as much as $44 for every $1 spent (Campaign Monitor, Chief Marketer, and DMA). E-mail is still growing, going from 3.6 billion global e-mail accounts in 2013 to 4.3 billion in 2016 (Radicati Group). And the best part about e-mail is that people know what they are getting (at least they should). People need to sign-up for e-mail newsletters, and in doing so give permission to businesses to send the offers they want to know about.
E-mail marketing
What is exactly is e-mail marketing? There is no universally accepted definition, but simply speaking it is sending an e-mail with a commercial intent. For example, it could be an e-mail to your customers telling them about your website's new future, or an e-mail to your newsletter subscribers about the latest releases of your e-commerce store. It can be anything really, be creative. But remember to keep everything planned well.
Here are some best practices to get you started:
1. Ask for permission
Don't just send your newsletter to all your customers. Send the newsletter to those that have asked to be a part of your mailing list.
2. Provide an opt out option
Let people opt out of your list. If you keep sending e-mails to your annoyed customers, word will get out fast. This could lead to people tagging you as spam. Besides, if your newsletter is good, people won't opt out, but have the option available just in case.
3. Mind you subject line
Your goal is to get sales or conversions from each e-mail. For that to happen, people need to read your e-mail first. A good subject line will get your e-mail opened.
4. Consider rich media
E-mails aren't just about text nowadays. Make sure that your e-mail, in addition to being well written, conveys the experience that your brand promises. Use rich media to create a look and feel that you desire, and to help guide customers.
4. Optimize for mobile too
Make sure that your e-mail reads well on all mobile phones. Sure, most e-mail templates are responsive. But there is a difference between an e-mail that is able to display on a mobile phone, and one that works or reads well on a mobile phone.
5. Be relevant
Most important of all, is to make sure that your e-mail is relevant to the person receiving it. You can segment your audience and send different e-mails to different segments. Make each e-mail personalized to provide exactly what your particular customer is looking for. E-mails can be direct, take advantage of that.
Ready to get rolling? Contact us and we'll be glad to help you with your e-mail marketing needs!