Does Email Marketing Really Work? Here’s Why It Does
Marketing resources aren’t unlimited, so before a company dives into email campaigns it should ask itself a simple question: does email marketing really work?
Email marketing is a direct form of digital advertising that can be aimed either at consumers (B2C) or at business associates (B2B). Regardless of whether you’re trying to get more consumer visits to your subscription website, more affiliates for your partner program, or more leads for your dating app, email marketing is one of the few tools available to marketers that enables communication with customers when they’re not already engaged with your website, app or business.
Many companies make the mistake of thinking email marketing is not important, not effective or costs too much. The exact opposite is true: email marketing is a highly effective way to reach your target audience, and is also extremely cost-effective. It’s quick. It’s target-specific and it helps to build both brand and customer loyalty.
Does email marketing really work? Let’s look at a few reasons why it does.
Studies shows email’s more effective than social media
Studies point to email as more effective for marketers than social media. Don’t get us wrong, social media is an extremely important tool in any marketing strategy. Social media marketing might seem more personal than other contact methods, but the channel has a number of major drawbacks. There are many social media platforms —Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn — and not everyone is on every social platform. Consumers in your target market have email, though, and they check their email daily.
Think about it. It takes a lot of effort to get someone’s attention when there are so many distractions online. When you do win that attention and attract a new customer to your website, what happens after that customer leaves? Are you relying on them to just come back on their own? Email is a great way to remind your customers about your services, and in a more direct way than what social media can offer.
Email marketing is low cost compared to other forms or marketing
Traditional advertising methods such as radio, TV and printed material can be expensive. Newer and more advanced methods such as social media and traffic buys are both expensive and riddled with potential fraud. Marketing via email carries low risk and has minimal cost in comparison to most alternatives. It’s been estimated that email marketing provides a 3,800-percent return on investment. Wow!
Control your message with targeted email campaigns
When marketing via email, you can send a highly detailed message tailored to a segmented list of your customer base, ensuing the message is relevant to the recipients. Although the message is broadcast to a large group, you can address the individual recipient by name, even in the subject line. This allows you to easily target the customers who are most likely to buy your product or service, and you can do it with a customized, personal message.
Bottom line: does email marketing really work?
Email is an important — perhaps the most important — means of reaching a massive audience with a personalized message at a reasonable cost and with good return on investment. Leaving it out of your marketing plan costs you money and the opportunity to form stronger relationships with your customers. Does email marketing really work? There’s more than enough data available to make any marketer comfortable that yes, it really does.
