You’ve probably heard of email marketing. After all, everyone uses it. Now, you might be thinking, “Why should I spend money on an email marketing program when I can just use a free email service like Gmail?” You might be wondering, “Is there a free version of HubSpot that I can use to send out my emails?” You might be thinking, “Why should I even bother investing in an email marketing system when I can just send out one or two emails per day and not worry about the rest?” You might have even asked yourself, “Why should I even bother with email marketing when I can just send out a text message to my subscribers and get the same result?”
While there are several answers to those questions, the simple fact is that you should care about email marketing. Why? Here are just a few reasons.
Email Marketing Is A Subscription Based Business
If you’ve ever shopped at Nordstrom, you might have noticed that the department store’s website doesn’t offer any sort of deal or discount. All the products are on display and accessible to the public. The same goes for Nordstrom’s email marketing service. You’ll never find a special offer or discount for signing up for their email newsletter. That’s because Nordstrom’s email marketing is a paid service. You’ll never get a free trial. You have to pay to use their services.
On the surface, this might seem like a bad thing. But, for business owners, it’s fantastic. Think of all the money you’re saving by not having to invest in expensive advertising!
Paying for a subscription to email marketing services is a better fit for business owners who want to keep their customers and grow their business. Also, if you run a SaaS (software as a service) business, you can also use this method to collect payments from customers.
Email Marketing Provides Better Lead Generation
Now, it’s important to note that not all email marketing is made equal. There are several different email marketing service providers out there, and not all of them are created equal. Some companies specialize in generating leads for online stores. Others focus more on selling marketing goods and services.
But, regardless of the strategy you choose, you should always get the following from your email marketing service:
- Lifecycle emails,
- Automated email marketing campaigns,
- And course content for your inbound marketing strategy.
The point is that if you want to succeed in digital marketing, you need to understand how to use email effectively. And that means creating emails that lead to action. That action could be anything from a person clicking on a web link or filling out a form to making a purchase to downloading a resource, etc.
E-commerce Websites And Marketplaces Are Increasingly Using Email
The most important thing to keep in mind is that people shop using email more than any other channel. About 92% of purchases are made entirely via email. That’s according to HubSpot Blog research. So, if you want to succeed in digital marketing, you need to be doing what you can to utilize email.
To prove this point, take a look at the last two decades of internet history. The early years were defined by text and images. Marketers used to have to build websites and email marketing systems to target consumers. Now, with the growth of marketplaces like Shopify and Facebook, it’s easier than ever to connect with potential customers.
What’s more, social media is a great place to connect with consumers. However, people use email more than any other channel when it comes to communicating with businesses. That’s because they think that emails are private, and they can be more effective at getting what they want than using social media.
Email Marketing Helps Businesses Understand Customer Behavior
If you’re not familiar, marketing analytics are the tools used to measure and analyze marketing activities. Using these tools, marketers can gain a better understanding of what is and isn’t working in their campaigns and make necessary adjustments. This level of understanding can only come from years of accumulated data.
To give you an example, let’s say you’re running an email marketing campaign to promote your new clothing line. You want to make sure that your marketing dollars are going toward buyers who are most likely to become long-term customers. You can use analytics to track the activities of past customers and use that data to determine the best strategy to reach out to new customers.
The point is that marketing analytics exist to help businesses operate more effectively. And with more businesses becoming digital, marketing analytics will only get more important.
Email Marketing Is Popular Because It’s Effective
Marketing through email is one of the most popular forms of marketing today. That’s because it’s relatively inexpensive, and it’s extremely effective. Email marketing is responsible for generating 7 out of every 10 web traffic acquisitions in 2020. That’s according to HubSpot Blog research. So, if you want to succeed in digital marketing, you need to be taking advantage of this fact.
To prove this point, look no further than the 2020 presidential campaign. The vast majority of campaign donations were made through small donations via email. This is because people want to keep their privacy and avoid the pressure of large political donations. Also, the Trump campaign was credited with pioneering the use of email fundraising. Now, every presidential candidate relies heavily on online fund-raising via email.
Email Marketing Is Trendy
If you want to succeed in digital marketing, you need to be thinking about ways to stand out from the crowd. And what’s one of the most trending topics right now? Email marketing!
From a marketing standpoint, this makes perfect sense. Consumers are always looking for the newest trends and ways to make life more convenient. So, if you want to attract their attention, you need to be doing something special with your email marketing.
To give you an example, let’s say you’re running an email marketing campaign to promote a restaurant in Nashville. You want to use the power of automation and email scheduling to get your message out to the right people at the right time. So, you decide to use a tool like HubSpot to create automated email campaigns that will reach out to customers on your behalf. Your campaign is set to go live, and you’re getting ready for the big day. Suddenly, you notice that a few of your key customers aren’t receiving your emails. You check the SPAM folder and see that there are a bunch of emails there from other marketers trying to sell you stuff.
Now, it’s not that your marketing emails are falling into the spam filter, it’s that your customers are choosing to ignore your messages. So, the trending topic for today is: How to inspire your customers to action.
Email Marketing Is Changing
As I’ve already discussed, email marketing is one of the most popular forms of digital marketing. But, as is usually the case with popular things, it is also one of the most changed forms. To give you an example, let’s say you’re a fashion brand. You want to use email to promote your Spring 2021 collection. You’ve got the emails all ready to go, and the perfect subject lines, and everything. But, when you actually look at the email, it’s not what you imagined. The font is all wrong, and the pictures aren’t very appealing.
If you want to succeed in digital marketing, you need to find a way to make your email stand out above the rest. One way of doing that is by using a service like Alegria, which is a tool that helps designers make their emails standout. Simply upload your email, then use the tool to make minor adjustments. When you’re happy with the results, hit send.
Another way of doing this is by using color. A lot of people avoid using color in their emails because they think it’s too much work. But, if you want to create a memorable experience for your customers, go ahead and use color. You can even use a tool like MailCharts to help you choose the perfect colors for your brand.
If you want to succeed in digital marketing, you need to understand how to use email effectively.