How effective is email marketing? Read our tips!
How effective is email marketing?
Email marketing. It’s been around for a while now.
Compared to social media (still the ‘cool kid’ of the month), sending emails to clients and prospects seems a bit… well, last century.
But if you think the time for using email marketing as part of your marketing strategy is over – think again!
A quick look at your inbox will remind you that many companies use email marketing to grow their business. And it’s hard to imagine they’d continue using it if it didn’t work.
Does email marketing work?
According to Constant Contact, email marketing can be very effective, returning around $42 for every $1 spent. Some industries – such as travel, hospitality, eCommerce and retail – report an even higher return.
That’s impressive!
After all, as every good marketer knows, you always need to be measuring your return on investment (ROI) on any marketing activity you undertake.
Of course, just sending an email to your ‘customer list’ without a plan will not really cut it.
There are a few important things to consider when including email marketing as part of your marketing strategy.
1. Think about your goal
What do you want to achieve? Are you using email to nurture a relationship with your customers? Do you want to drive traffic to your website and generate online sales? Is it all about raising awareness?
Before you press ‘send’ on your email campaign, work out how it fits in with your other marketing activities.
Most likely, you’ll be planning a series of emails along a specific theme, each with its own well-thought-out goal.
2. Consider your audience
What sort of information could be useful to them? Think about where they are on the buyer journey. Have they already bought something from you? Are they a new prospect still searching for information?
If you market your products and services to several distinct audiences, segment your email marketing.
Don’t send the same message to everyone.
Make sure your message is relevant to the people you’re contacting. Be creative and personalise your message.
3. Avoid buying email lists
We’ve all heard about the importance of growing your own database of clients and prospects. Businesses that invest in their email marketing list usually think of them as a key business asset.
Though buying or renting an email list seems like a quick fix, it has its downsides.
According to a recent government survey, ‘7 out of 10 Australians consider the protection of their personal information to be a major concern in their life.
To avoid a backlash from the people you email, it’s best to stick with using your own lists. And assuming you’ve collected your contacts in the right way, you’ll avoid crossing the line when it comes to data compliance.
But growing a good list takes time. Here are 59 ways you can use to grow your in-house email list.
4. Be consistent
This tip goes hand-in-hand with having a solid plan for your email marketing activities. It’s common, especially for small businesses, to start with an idea for an email campaign, only to fizzle out as time passes.
Create a calendar for your email activities – and stick with it!
Make sure you also plan the content of your emails. What’s the theme of each email? And who is responsible for writing the content?
Once you’ve focussed on what will appeal to your audience, use a consistent tone. We usually recommend you write as if the person was standing in front of you. Cut out the jargon and ‘corporate-speak.
5. Measure your results
Success will look different for different people. It all depends on the goals you’ve set for your email marketing campaign.
The Australian Direct Marketing Association keeps tabs on various industry average benchmarks. They report on open rates, click-throughs, bounce and unsubscribe rates.
As you roll out your email marketing strategy, review your results and tweak your campaigns to suit.
If you’d like to know more about how you can use email marketing in your business, please get in touch. Call Katarina on 0415 128 804.