In the grand scheme of things, email marketing is a pretty short-lived type of marketing channel. The latest Email Marketing Survey from HubSpot and Marketo states that while email marketing is extremely effective, it’s also among the oldest marketing tactics used by marketers today.
The good news is that although this tactic is super effective, it doesn’t mean it’s the be-all and end-all of marketing. In fact, in today’s digital world, many different tactics have arisen to help businesses compete and thrive.
Let’s have a quick look at the history of email marketing and why it’s still relevant today.
The Early Beginnings Of Email Marketing
As mentioned above, email marketing is a fairly old-school tactic, but that doesn’t mean it’s obsolete. In fact, the history of email marketing is rather fascinating. The first email was sent in 1958 by electronic researcher Alan Turing. Because of his work on the Turing machine — a theoretical machine that can calculate any mathematical value — Turing is often considered the founder of computer science.
Turing’s first email message began:
“I have recently started a weekly email update on machine ideas and experiments. If you are interested, you can find more details at the address below.”
Turing then provided a link to a list of documents related to his research.
Because of its early introduction in the computer science arena, it’s no surprise that email marketing is one of the first tactics used by marketers. The early pioneers of email marketing built their lists based on a combination of mailing list sign-ups and harvesting email addresses from banner advertising on websites. According to HubSpot, over half (54%) of online marketers have used email marketing as part of their strategy in the past.
Why Is Email Still Relevant?
In the grand scheme of things, the answer to this question is pretty simple: Email is still relevant because we live in a world where people want to stay in touch with brands and businesses they know and trust. Back in the day, people may have used snail mail to get updates about products and discounts, but most of us now get our information through digital channels.
Why should you care about this? Well, the rise of the email list means marketers now have a ready-made audience of people who want to hear from you. It’s much easier to reach one person through a personal email than it is to reach 1,000 people through a blog post or social media accounts.
In addition, the content of early email messages was typically one-off blasts about discounts or special offers. While this may still exist today, the trend today is to use email to nurture long-term, trusted relationships with customers.
What Is Email Marketing As We Know It Today?
Depending on who you ask, email marketing is either the art of sending out periodic emails to people or the practice of sending out periodic emails to people. But that’s pretty much the entire extent of the differences between traditional and digital marketing.
As mentioned by the experts cited above, email marketing is a fairly ancient tactic, but that doesn’t mean it’s obsolete. The good news is that although email marketing is relatively old, that doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant. In fact, if you take a step back and look at the big picture, email marketing is probably one of the most effective tactics used by marketers to-date.
It’s always relevant to ask yourself, “Is this still useful to people?” If you’re still offering a service or product that’s useful to somebody, then there’s no reason to get rid of it. Email marketing is a great example of this. When people signed up for email updates from companies like Shopify and Teena McLean Clothes, they were signing up for something that can still be useful to them. Even if those companies ended up halting or significantly changing their email marketing activities, there will always be a group of people who want to continue getting those emails.
The Importance Of Email In Today’s World
If you’re still wondering if email marketing is relevant or still effective after reading the above, perhaps it’s time to shift gears and ask yourselves another question: “How important is email in today’s world?”
You might be asking yourself, “Why is email important?” And you might have valid concerns. As we’ve established above, email is very relevant and effective when used correctly. However, if you’re using email simply to sell something or gain something, then you might be missing out on a whole lot.
Email is a form of communication that works on several levels. First of all, it’s easy to use. Second, it’s always relevant — regardless of the channel you choose to communicate through (eg: social media, mobile messaging, etc.). Third, it’s always convenient. Finally, if you send appropriate emails at the right time, you will find that they can be highly personalized and therefore much more effective.
With all the above, it’s easy to see why email marketing is so vital to any business. But maybe it’s time for you to ask yourself, “Is email marketing still relevant?” If you’re still wondering if email marketing is relevant or still effective after reading the above, perhaps it’s time to shift gears and ask yourselves another question: “How important is email in today’s world?”
You might be asking yourself, “Why is email important?” And you might have valid concerns. As we’ve established above, email is very relevant and effective when used correctly. However, if you’re using email simply to sell something or gain something, then you might be missing out on a whole lot.
Email is a form of communication that works on several levels. First of all, it’s easy to use. Second, it’s always relevant — regardless of the channel you choose to communicate through (eg: social media, mobile messaging, etc.). Third, it’s always convenient. Finally, if you send appropriate emails at the right time, you will find that they can be highly personalized and therefore much more effective.
With all the above, it’s easy to see why email marketing is so vital to any business. But maybe it’s time for you to ask yourself, “Is email marketing still relevant?” If you’re still wondering if email marketing is relevant or still effective after reading the above, perhaps it’s time to shift gears and ask yourselves another question: “How important is email in today’s world?”
You might be asking yourself, “Why is email important?” And you might have valid concerns. As we’ve established above, email is very relevant and effective when used correctly. However, if you’re using email simply to sell something or gain something, then you might be missing out on a whole lot.
Email is a form of communication that works on several levels. First of all, it’s easy to use. Second, it’s always relevant — regardless of the channel you choose to communicate through (eg: social media, mobile messaging, etc.). Third, it’s always convenient. Finally, if you send appropriate emails at the right time, you will find that they can be highly personalized and therefore much more effective.
With all the above, it’s easy to see why email marketing is so vital to any business. But maybe it’s time for you to ask yourself, “Is email marketing still relevant?” If you’re still wondering if email marketing is relevant or still effective after reading the above, perhaps it’s time to shift gears and ask yourselves another question: “How important is email in today’s world?”
You might be asking yourself, “Why is email important?” And you might have valid concerns. As we’ve established above, email is very relevant and effective when used correctly. However, if you’re using email simply to sell something or gain something, then you might be missing out on a whole lot.