Email Still Preferred Marketing Tool

As a marketing business tool, e-mail may seem archaic compared to new social media marketing, however, email is still the method of commercial communication preferred by 74% of all online adults, according to a recent survey by Merkle. Company newsletters and email campaigns can really boost your sales. After all, these customers have already signaled their interest in what you’re offering, by providing their email address and opting in to receive your content.

Email Marketing

If well written and targeted correctly, email marketing messages can deliver the right content to your prospects at precisely the right time, resulting in high response rates from quality prospects.

There are a host of Email Marketing Services available to streamline the process, such as Aweber, Constant Contact, and VerticleResponse. All have tools to help you track the behaviors of your audience - who opens an email, who clicks on content in an email, who shares with their social networks, etc. Based on these metrics, you can tailor your campaigns to communicate most effectively with your customers. 

Some factors to consider when deploying your email marketing campaign:

• Use clean, up-to-date mailing lists
• Include content that's relevant to recipients
• Determine the best time to send the email
• Be clear about the identity of sender – Most consumers need to know and trust the sender before opening an email.
• Use images wisely - According to a recent MarketingSherpa survey, only 33% of those surveyed have images enabled in their email provider. Make sure the recipient sees something other than all white space when they open your email.
• Make it smartphone friendly - A full 64% of key decision makers are viewing email on their mobile devices, according to MailerMailer’s "Email Marketing Metrics Report", so make sure your content is easily viewed on such devices.
• Personalization – While personalizing the body of your email may have its advantages, personalization in the subject line has been found to reduce both the open and click through rates.
• Make sure the email is easy to act on – Whether your objective is to get your audience to click a link, learn about a new product, or simply share updates, place your call to action at the top of the message, where the reader is most likely to see.
• Avoid JavaScript or external CSS - Every email client interprets the code in a different way, and the vast majority of mail programs will not load your style in the way that it was originally intended. 

Newsletters

Newsletters may seem old-school to some, but they continue to be a great way to communicate consistently with your customers. In fact, e-mail newsletters have experienced a recent boom, with many “deal-of-the-day” websites profiting largely on the strength of their mailing lists. Currently, US adult internet users subscribe to an average of almost three shopping emails or newsletters, so consider getting your company in on the action.

To make your newsletter most effective, follow these tips:

Create a clean design that’s smartphone friendly- Include enough white space so each element of your newsletter is easy to find and remember that many people read e-mail with graphics turned off, so design accordingly.

Use an attention-grabbing subject line - Choose a concise phrase that highlights the most important information in the newsletter. More subscribers will open an e-mail with a “Spring Sale” subject line than one called June Newsletter.

Include valuable content - Customers need a good reason to add more e-mail to their overflowing in-boxes, so make your newsletter a valuable piece of mail by including exclusive discounts and insider tips.

Get the timing right –Sending your newsletter late on a Friday afternoon is one way to ensure that it won’t be read. Experiment sending your newsletter on different days/times, then analyze your open and click through rates to see when the most effective time is for you. Also, be careful about how frequently you email. Too frequently and you gain a reputation as a spammer. Too infrequently and customers may become less likely to remember your brand. For most companies, sending newsletters once or twice a month is best.

Don't oversell – Offering discounts to your readers is fine, but don’t let your newsletter become a never-ending sales pitch. Provide expert information, industry news, and other content that your customers will be interested in so they’ll want to open and read your newsletter every time it arrives, even if they’re not currently in the market for what you sell.

Email can be an incredibly effective marketing tool, as marketers report an average 256% ROI – that’s $256 for every $1 invested! So, as you develop strategic plans for Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you’d be wise to also include the tried and true email.

Do you publish a company newsletter? Share the featured content you find most effective in our comments.