What is email marketing?
Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves sending emails to prospects and customers. It’s a direct form of marketing, as well as permission marketing, which means the people who receive your emails have chosen to do so. This form of marketing is used to cultivate relationships with potential customers, keep current customers informed and updated on your brand, offer coupons to encourage customer loyalty, and more.
It’s important to understand that a lot of your success with email marketing depends entirely on the email marketing software you choose because they are responsible for making sure that your emails actually get delivered. If you aren’t careful, then you will end up paying a lot money for fewer features and terrible deliverability rates (the percentage of emails that actually make it to your recipients’ inboxes).
History of Email Marketing
Email marketing has been around as long as the Internet itself. It was created out of the need for a cost-effective, efficient way to send promotional information to customers and prospects. It has since become a staple of the marketing industry, with companies large and small utilizing this method of communication to reach their audiences.
The first email marketing message was sent in 1978 by Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corp. It was sent to a list of email addresses, and resulted in $13 million worth of sales. This event is often hailed as the birth of email marketing.
Evolution of Email Marketing
Over the years, email marketing has evolved from simple, plain-text messages to rich, interactive content. In the early days, email marketing was often seen as intrusive and unwanted. However, with the advent of permission-based marketing, consumers now have the option to opt-in or out of receiving promotional emails.
Today, email marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry. With the rise of smartphones and other mobile devices, email marketing has become even more prevalent as consumers can now access their email virtually anytime, anywhere.
Types of Email Marketing
There are several types of email marketing that businesses can utilize. Each type has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, and the success of your campaign will largely depend on how well you understand and utilize these different types.
Some of the most common types of email marketing include newsletters, transactional emails, promotional emails, and personalized emails. Each type serves a different purpose and requires a different approach to be effective.
Newsletters
Email newsletters are a type of email marketing that provide your audience with regular updates from your company. They often contain a variety of content like company news, upcoming events, and sales and promotions. The primary purpose of an email newsletter is to build upon existing relationships and keep your brand top-of-mind for your audience.
Newsletters are typically sent on a consistent schedule (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly) and can be a great way to stay in touch with your audience in between purchases or conversions.
Promotional Emails
Promotional emails are a type of email marketing that involve sending an email with the purpose of promoting a product, service, or event. For instance, you might use a promotional email to tell your customers about a new product you’re launching or a limited-time discount you’re offering.
Promotional emails are a great way to drive traffic to your website, increase sales, and improve customer retention. They’re also a great way to keep your audience engaged and informed about what’s happening with your brand.
Benefits of Email Marketing
Email marketing offers several benefits to businesses. It’s cost-effective, scalable, and customizable. It’s also a great way to reach your audience where they’re already spending time: their inbox.
One of the biggest benefits of email marketing is its return on investment (ROI). According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing brings in about $40 for every $1 you spend. That’s a higher ROI than any other form of marketing, including social media and paid ads.
Cost-Effective
Compared to traditional marketing efforts, email marketing is relatively cheap. It doesn’t require any print or postage fees, and there are no fees paid in exchange for exposure on a certain billboard, magazine page, or television channel. Email marketers might consider investing in professional email marketing services and software to send out emails, but these costs are relatively low considering the potential return on investment.
With email marketing, you can reach a large number of consumers at a rate of nearly nothing per message. For small-business owners on a budget, this makes it a better choice than traditional marketing channels like TV, radio, or direct mail.
Scalable
Email marketing is scalable, meaning you can reach an incredibly large number of people or a smaller, more targeted audience. This type of marketing can be used to reach customers across the globe or in your own backyard. It all depends on your specific needs and goals.
Whether you’re a small business just getting started or a large corporation looking to reach a new market, email marketing can help you reach your audience effectively and efficiently.
Best Practices for Email Marketing
There are several best practices that can help make your email marketing campaigns more effective. These include personalizing your messages, segmenting your subscriber list, testing and analyzing your campaigns, and more.
By following these best practices, you can ensure that your email marketing campaigns are effective and that you’re getting the most out of your marketing efforts.
Personalization
Personalizing your email marketing can make your messages more relevant and engaging for your audience. This can include everything from using a subscriber’s name in the subject line to sending emails based on their past purchases or behaviors.
Personalization can help improve your open and click-through rates, increase conversions, and build stronger relationships with your audience.
Segmentation
Segmenting your email list can help you send more targeted and effective emails. This involves dividing your email list into different categories based on criteria like demographics, past purchases, and how long someone has been a subscriber.
By segmenting your list, you can send more relevant emails to your subscribers. This can lead to higher open and click-through rates, increased sales, and improved customer retention.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help you reach your audience, build relationships, and drive sales. By understanding the history, types, benefits, and best practices of email marketing, you can create more effective campaigns that benefit both your business and your audience.
Whether you’re a small business owner looking to reach new customers, a marketer at a large company looking to improve your campaigns, or a consumer wanting to understand more about how email marketing works, this guide should have given you a comprehensive overview of the world of email marketing.
