You might think that Email Marketing have become bygone. However, the market would completely contradict your thoughts.
Every day, approximately 306 billion emails are sent worldwide, which will rise to 361 billion by 2024. (https://blogs.constantcontact.com/email-marketing-statistics/)
More than half of the people on earth use emails. (https://blogs.constantcontact.com/email-marketing-statistics/)
More than 87% of marketers choose email marketing as their topmost priority. (https://adoric.com/blog/25-email-marketing-statistics/)
The reason behind the above data becomes quite clear with the ROI. An effective campaign worth just a dollar can actually bring a profit of around $42. (https://blogs.constantcontact.com/email-marketing-statistics/) (https://adoric.com/blog/25-email-marketing-statistics/)
Both lead generation and customer retention are pretty accessible with email; that’s why around 80% of businesses use this mode of marketing.
They say that wine becomes tastier as it ages; I guess, that’s true for this 40-years old marketing tactic as well. (https://www.notifyvisitors.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics/)
Now that we are moving forward acquiring first-party data, what else could be better than emails? Well, in the era of overwhelming social media, this might seem a little over-the-top. But I would ask you to take a second here and think! Whom do you trust more? Research has shown that in the USA, 49% of the customers do not trust Facebook with their data; whereas 66% of the customers put their faith in emails. (https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/infographics/email-marketing-vs-other-digital-marketing-channels/)
And that does say a lot, doesn’t it?
Another drawback with all those social channels and instant messaging apps was the constant poking and our inboxes being flooded with offers and promotions from brands.
Hence, even after the Wall Street Journal announcing emails to be dead in 2009, it reincarnated with all the freshness the market was searching for! Newsletters became particularly niche-oriented with exclusive content and a way of communicating with the consumers regularly but not annoying them with constant pokes!
The Benefits of Email Newsletters
- Engagement
When someone is subscribing to your newsletter, it means they already know what they are looking for! The consumers know their brands and want to gain more insight into them, which ensures better engagement as they are self-selected. Moreover, with the state-of-the-art email technology, you can also analyze user engagement – that’s a win-win!
- Personal
Newsletters are addressed to your specific consumer, which makes them feel valued. And as mentioned already, with newsletters, your consumers already know what they are signing up for. So, once you start bringing forth your brand value to them with worthwhile content, you can stay assured that it’s the beginning of a long-term relationship, which should be nurtured regularly.
- Cost-Effective
The moment you build a robust infrastructure for your newsletters, there is not much expense involved in introducing additional ones. Other than creating the contents and marketing them, experiments won’t cost you a fortune. Adding to that, newsletters have flexible formats for you to suit your budget as well as audience needs. And you can also discontinue any form of newsletter, if that doesn’t work or is backdated, without much hassle.
Challenges of Email Newsletters
- The Right Newsletter
With the statistics given above, it is evident that your customer has access to a bunch of your competitors. If you fail to deliver what they are looking for, they will shift to somebody else. So, take your time to research well to address their concern and send it to their inbox.
- Resources
Your marketing team should be well-acquainted with the objectives of your business. Choose the creators and editors wisely so as to deliver content that will be engaging and result-oriented. Make sure you have the right bandwidth and the right format.
- Monetization
Newsletters do generate amazing revenue, not just by selling the products or services, but also by advertising and being a paid version. So, if you are opting for advertising revenue, make sure that they are not too flashy in your newsletter that might become a barrier to the actual content. And if you are making it a paid newsletter, let your readers know beforehand, do not make it a surprise!
Top Email Marketing Tools
- Mailchimp – Bring together the audience data, marketing channels, and insights under one roof.
- Revue – Making email marketing easier for writers and publishers.
Email newsletters are a boosting way to reach a more defined audience base. According to research done by LiveIntent, during the recent lockdowns, emails are being opened 20% more. Publishers are experiencing better revenue – more than 100% in shopping, 55% in home decor and gardening, and 30% across businesses.
According to Kerel Cooper, SVP, Global Marketing at LiveIntent, “A robust email offering may very well be the bridge to the future for publishers that will have to survive in a world where third-party solutions no longer are effective.”
So, it’s time to up the games with one of the traditional modes of digital marketing and head for growth.
In the next article, I will talk about Podcasts and how their steady growth and popularity are becoming a major breakthrough for publishing technologies.
