Digital marketing is great hype today. New methods and techniques to conduct the marketing are being devised every day. Amidst all this, it is easy to assume that email marketing is an obsolete process.
We may consider it as it is no longer being used or isn’t fetching desirable results.
However, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Email marketing is still widespread today. It is, in fact, becoming more successful with time. But what makes it such an appealing marketing technique, despite being so old?
Well, let’s find out.
Here are the reasons why people are still in love with email marketing:
1. Low Cost
The biggest reasons why emailing continues to remain one of the favorites is the cost factor. It has a very low cost involved. All you require is an operational email ID, and you are ready to start working on the email marketing tactics.
Sometimes, people start buying bulk email addresses. However, it is quite rare. Mostly they send emails only to people who genuinely subscribe to the site themselves.
An emerging practice is to use software for automating the generation and sending of emails. However, this cost is often less compared to other modes of marketing.
There are neither any print charges involved, nor do you need to pay fees for the advertisements space like space on television and newspapers. Overall, email marketing remains one of the cheapest modes of marketing.
2. Only for the customers
Most marketing techniques involve users who may have never interacted with the brand. Some types of digital marketing tactics target users who have shown similar interests in their actions, as seen on Facebook and Google.
However, email marketing is the only marketing mode where the users themselves ask to be part of the company’s subscribers.
Companies get email addresses of the users either when they subscribe to the newsletters or when they register to their website.
Taking advance approval from customers ensures that emailing effort is more visible and effective compared to other marketing methods.
3. Target your audience
One of the big merits of the email marketing is that it allows you to target a particular segment of your audience.
Since companies usually obtain email addresses by subscription or registration, they also capture their basic information about the customer like name, gender, age, location etc.
This information could be utilized in creating targeting emails.
For instance, if your company has a great offer for students, you can send emails to users who are less than 24 years of age. And, if your company is offering discounted prices on women apparels, then you may consider targeting females instead of men.
Users can also notice the pattern that they receive only those emails that are relevant to them. Thus, apart from saving a lot of resources, the company is also able to create a trust factor between the customer and the brand.
4. Ask them to make a move
One-way marketing despite having a broader reach suffers from a very critical drawback, i.e., lack of interaction. Even if you pitch the best of your marketing ideas, yet the user is free to ignore them.
In simpler words, you just cannot compel users to make an effort for paying heed to your offer. However, small efforts can definitely pay off.
Email marketing allows you to put in those efforts. By introducing a simple “call-to-action”, you can ask the users to visit your website and see what you have to offer.
Having call-to-action also saves you from the trouble of giving too much information in the mail itself. Thus, in the email body, you can simply include the most-appealing content.
5. Saves you the effort
Apart from being cost-effective, it is one of the simplest marketing methods around. One does not require any high-end software, no huge team or a separate department.
All you need is the required hardware and a few professionals who know the job.
There is always a scope for better software and tools to be used in email marketing.
However, people mostly prefer the simple format, since it is majorly the content that decides the effectiveness of an email. The lack of complexity allows you to focus completely on creating an appealing email content.
6. See your score
A salient feature that makes the email marketing technique a desirable one is the metrics. Most traditional marketing methods have no or poor metrics, like radio, television, and newspapers.
However, in email marketing, despite being decades old, you can get all the measurements you need.
Also note, to identify the performance metrics, you would require appropriate email software.
A right software will tell you everything correctly, right from the number of emails that were actually opened to the ones that redirected the user to your website.
These results could give you insights into what is and isn’t working for your campaign.
7. See instant results
One great benefits of using email marketing is that it allows you to perceive instant results. As soon as you send an email, the user would either receive it or be notified about it. Most people check their emails within 24 hours.
Thus, whether or not the user decides to take your offer, you get to see the real results the next day.
Most other marketing methods require some days or even weeks to bear results. But email marketing can get you the results before the date changes.
Some people argue that such hasty marketing is counterproductive, but that is utterly false.
8. No boundaries
Email marketing being a prominent part of the internet marketing, it does not have any boundaries set by geography.
While this is true for any digital marketing method, the email marketing is the true alternative to the traditional marketing methods like print and television.
The difference is you can target customers globally belonging to various countries, genders, age groups, professions etc.
The more range of customers you choose, the bigger will your potential customer base would be.
Conclusion
Email marketing, despite the negative stereotype, is both alive and productive even today. As discussed above, there are loads of speculations that make people fall in love with it.
Though there are other marketing methods may beat the email method in one or two ways, overall, it is still one of the most effective and accessible marketing methods across the globe.