by Michael Premo, Senior Content Manager
Remember when email was all we had for direct-to-consumer digital marketing? Today, marketers have so much more at their disposal, such as PPC, chatbots and influencers, that these seem to have pulled away from email’s effectiveness. In some cases, it’s absolutely true. But, for the most part, these newer marketing activities are simply diversifying how we can interact with our clients.
Email’s Effectiveness
Yes, email is probably the oldest digital marketing tool in the shed. It was there at the dawn of the internet and continues to be one of the primary ways businesses communicate. That’s probably why we question its effectiveness. It’s not new, and it certainly isn’t cutting-edge technology. So, the best way to answer this month’s question is through our misconceptions about email.
- People already get too much email. I don’t want to SPAM them.
Statistics that say the average worker gets 121 emails per day is based on the number of emails sent each day. Only a handful of people get more than that, while most of us get far fewer. Statistics based on averages can be misleading. As a matter of fact, a majority of people get about six or fewer. Plus, we read the email we want to get. So, the key is to send a newsletter that your audience wants to read.
- I already use social media.
Yes, social media is an effective tool. When you post on social media, you are essentially sending a message directly to your followers, but not all of them, since the algorithm is controlled by Facebook or LinkedIn. Only some of your followers will see it. With email, your messages go directly to their inbox.
- Emails need to be highly designed.
Actually, the simpler, the better. Email with video or lots of graphical elements may experience more hiccups. Default settings may prevent viewing these, so it’s best to send your message with a few images that are small and quick to download on a mobile phone.
- Unsubscribes are bad.
Don’t think of unsubscribes as narrowing down your list of subscribers. It’s cleaning it up, updating it, making it more healthy and less obtrusive to those that don’t want to be on it. Remember, a negative impression is hard to turn into a positive one.
- Some keywords will send it into a junk folder.
The words you use have little or no effect on whether or not an email ends up in the SPAM folder. Internet service providers decide where these messages go, and they are typically guided by who or what sent them and your default settings.
- It’s too expensive for what it does.
With a good list, the return on your investment is one of the best out there—38:1. For B2B, there’s not always a direct correlation between email and sales, but it does support your sales in a variety of ways. Can your other marketing activities do the same?
Successful email marketing is a combination of many factors. It all begins with your list of clients. Then, you need to understand what they want to read. At Pinstripe, we specialize in communicating the right message with the right audience. We make every email look professional, clean, and easy to read. Our creative team knows what it takes to effectively convey your messaging via email, so contact us to learn more about how we can help you design an email campaign today.
