Email marketing is a complex subject, and given the various tools available to marketers, it can be challenging to know where to start when developing a strategy. In order to help marketers benchmark their email performances and identify the most effective strategies, we at Blue Book Group have collected and analyzed over 140,000 email campaigns, spanning over 400 million email impressions, to present the Email Marketing Benchmark Report.
The Importance Of A Robust Benchmark
The first and most crucial step to creating a winning email strategy is to understand your existing customer base. Only after you’ve done this can you move forward to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you reach your goals. The ability to benchmark your email performance against others is what provides the incentive to try new things and improve your results. Without a reliable benchmark to compare your performance against, there’s no motivation to try harder because you’re not sure you’re measuring up.
The Evolution Of Email Marketing
Email marketing is a rapidly evolving field, and it’s important to keep in mind the various tools available to marketers. The first email marketing platforms launched in the early 2000s, and since then, the field has grown significantly, with new platforms launching almost every year. It might feel overwhelming to keep up with the trends, but implementing a few of the stand-out tools and techniques can help you harness the power of email marketing.
The Rise Of Mobile Email Marketing
Just as retail and personal shoppers are taking to the virtual aisles of E-commerce, shopping via a mobile phone or tablet is becoming more commonplace. The growth of mobile email marketing is a result of this behavior, as people are more likely to be carrying their devices while shopping. If your product lines extend beyond digital goods to include food, drink, and household supplies, the increase in mobile email marketing that you’ll see will give you a clear indication of how effective this strategy is.
Digital Goods Continue To Dominate
In recent years, the digital goods market has seen phenomenal growth, and it continues to be the dominant channel for marketing and sales activities. Digital goods include everything from software and apps to website hosting and graphic design. According to HubSpot Blogs’ Market Size and Attractiveness report, published in May 2019, over 90% of customers have purchased digital goods at least once. The report also notes that 70% of customers have bought at least three different products via the internet (compared with 58% of customers who have purchased physical goods). If you sell your own products online, the chances are you’ll be using digital goods in some way to promote them.
Consumer Behavior Is Changing
Customers are now accessing online shopping platforms from almost every part of their day, and they’re taking advantage of this whenever they can. According to HubSpot Blogs’ Market Size and Attractiveness report, published in May 2019, 66% of customers visit online stores before, during, or after their usual shopping hours. This means that even if you’re not open for business during normal shopping hours, you might still experience a surge in internet traffic during these pre-shopping, shopping, and post-shopping times.
Email Marketing Platforms To Consider
Not all platforms will suit all situations, but these exist to make it easier for you to find the one that does. When developing a mobile email marketing strategy, you’ll want to keep several factors in mind. These include the look and feel of the email, as well as the functionality of the platform. Some of the more prominent email marketing platforms include:
- HubSpot
- MailChimp
- Jeeva Mail
- Fresh Mail
- Elastique
- Sage Bionique
- Wissembourg
- Inquisiv
- InfusionSoft
Attracting, Capturing, & Developing Customers
Once you’ve launched your email marketing campaign, the next step is to continue to attract, capture, and develop your customers. Like any other marketing channel, the effectiveness of your email marketing strategy hinges on the following metrics: