It’s been a tough 18 months. Launching a product, trying to grow your audience, getting overwhelmed by email, and then ultimately having to make the tough decision to either adapt or die.
In that time, we’ve seen a massive shift in the digital marketing world. Wherever you look, from email to social media, paid and organic search, it seems like somebody, somewhere is experimenting with, testing, or implementing a digital marketing strategy.
But is email marketing, as we know it, really gone? Was there ever a ‘right’ way to do email marketing and just like with any other marketing channel, the answer is… probably not. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t best practices or strategies for digitally marketing.
Why Email Marketing Is Still Important
Let’s be honest, email still drives sales. Whether you’re an independent entrepreneur just trying to grow your business or a multibillion dollar company with dozens of inbound marketing experts, you’ll still need to rely on email to grow your business.
In the United States, email marketing is valued at almost $16 billion and is projected to grow to $26.43billion by 2025.
According to the Radicati Group: “Email marketing is a form of digital marketing that allows businesses to communicate with customers through a variety of mediums, including text, social media, and email. This type of marketing becomes more essential as the amount of digital information increases. According to one study, 70% of adults feel that digital marketing influences their purchasing decisions.”
The fact is, for years, email marketing was valued more as a marketing channel than as a communication tool. Its use was limited to just sending out promotional emails to existing customers. But that all changed with the emergence of the ‘email list.’
The Emergence Of Email Lists
The earliest email marketing platforms were simply a way for companies to store and manage subscribers’ email addresses. Marketers could send out periodic emails with helpful tips or special offers. But as the process became automated and the interfaces improved, marketers began to see the value of email lists beyond simple marketing.
According to HubSpot Blogger, email marketing software maker, and CEO, Colin McMullen: “Email marketing is changing. It’s not just about sending out emails to a list of subscribers anymore. Today, marketers use email to stay in touch with customers, engage with them in meaningful ways, and convert them into leads and customers.”
In 2020, email marketing is more important than ever, not just as a source of revenue but as a way to understand and engage with your audience.
Pro-Tip: How To Use Email Marketing To Grow Your Business
If you’re looking for ways to grow your business, the first place to start is your email list. Having a large audience of interested customers means you can market to them, effectively, over and over again. From there, you can grow your business, organically, through email marketing alone.
And if you’re looking for a no-nonsense, step-by-step approach to growing your business, check out our comprehensive guide to using email marketing to grow your business.
The Evolution Of Email Marketing
As email marketing grew in usage and importance, so did the strategies and tactics used to optimize and engage audiences. The goal is to develop an email marketing playbook that will help you succeed in the brave new world of digital marketing.
Top Tips For Better Email Marketing
Creating an email marketing plan is a crucial step in order to succeed as an email marketer. Your plan should consist of all the major email marketing activities you’ll undertake, including goals, objectives, KPIs, and metrics. Be sure to include how you’ll measure the success of your plan.
Here are a few tips to give you a better chance of achieving effective email marketing:
Hire A Top Talent Team
Having a talented team is crucial to the success of your email marketing program. You need people who can come up with innovative ideas and who can execute on them. If you have a small team, it’s important that they understand the scope and goals of your program.
Use The Right Email Marketing Platform
Choosing the right email marketing platform is extremely important. One of the major factors is whether you want the software to be hosted on your own server or if you want to use a third-party server. If you go with the former, you’ll need to look into the platform’s features to ensure it’s the right fit for your business.
Get The Most Out Of Your Email List
With any business, whether you’re just starting out or already have a large audience, you’ll eventually need to let go of some of that audience. Whether they unsubscribed from your emails because they were bored or because you didn’t offer what they were looking for, you can’t control how others will use your list. The best you can do is get the most out of your email list.
Build Relationships With Your Audience
Even if you have a large and interested audience, you probably know that people aren’t always the easiest to engage with. To succeed as an email marketer, you need to develop a relationship with your audience and ensure they perceive you as an honest and respected source of information.
Measure The Success Of Your Email Marketing Program
To determine the effectiveness of your email marketing program, you need to measure a variety of things. From open rates and click-throughs to lead generation and sales, you need to look at the numbers to see how well your strategy is paying off.
Keep Your Email Marketing Channel Fresh
If your email marketing campaign is starting to get a little stale, it’s time for an update! You can repackage your email or try a new approach, like integrating a video or an interactive element into your campaign. Or, you can even switch up the content you’re sending out to your audience. The point is you need to maintain the interest of your audience so that they’ll continue to engage with you.
If you want to succeed as an email marketer, you need to approach it like a business, with a plan and the right tools. Keep the tips and advice in this article in mind and you’ll be able to optimize your strategy, engage with your audience, and grow your business.