Although close to four billion people worldwide use email as a common means of communication, email marketing is still not given its due as a legitimate form of marketing. Many small business owners, in particular, will admit that they never thought of email marketing as ‘a serious thing’.
Another staggering statistic that may be considered is the fact that over three million emails are sent every second and 95% of consumers check their email every single day.
To get even more granular, 21% of emails are opened within the first hour of being sent and 50.7% of marketing emails influence the customer’s buying decision.
While the questions continue to swirl about email marketing, the numbers
continue to prove different and email marketing continues to emerge as the
‘new’ marketing gold.
The following are five reasons why email marketing must be adopted as
part of the small business’s marketing strategy, immediately:
Email Marketing is of little to no cost – If you manage it yourself and use the free option available on any of the platforms e.g. Mailchimp, Madmimi, or Constant Contact, the cost may be as minimal as US$20 per month. The platforms provide free templates, unlimited emails, sign-up forms, landing pages, and tracking and reporting capabilities.
The platforms also provide additional support including contacts management, online stores, and automation. Explore the options and identify what works for your business.
Email marketing is targeted and personalized – Most platforms offer the option of segmenting the customer database based on the information being sent. This allows the interaction to be targeted and personal --- and customers love that! When a customer receives an email with useful information, the likelihood of conversion increases; especially if that customer is recognized by name, familiarity increases, and the customer immediately feels part of the business.
Email marketing is designed to increase customer engagement – Let’s get this straight, email copy is not written, it is designed! Email copy must be strategic and directed to achieve very specific goals. Even if the message is only to inform, it must be designed in a way that grabs the reader attention from the subject line --- Email design also refers to the graphic content, colours and how they appeal to the customer’s eye. Ensure that clickable links are provided that can boost sales, increase engagement or measure any other metric that is important to your business growth.
Email marketing is easy to share – One of the best things about interesting information in an email is its shareability. Friends and colleagues can also benefit from the information with the simple click of a button from the primary receiver ... that is the essence of email marketing. It can easily be shared with others.
Email marketing helps to build strong
customer relationships – As the lines of communication open, customers
will feel free to contact the business at will or act on an offer that has been
made through the business’s email correspondence. Both parties will feel at ease once a
correspondence has a favourable response, and more importantly, the customer
will feel as if their needs are valid and important.
