Email Marketing: Why It's Still Relevant and How to Use It Effectively

Email marketing sometimes gets overlooked amid the hype around newer tactics like social media ads or influencer collaborations. However, email remains a highly relevant and effective channel that smart businesses continue leveraging today.

When executed properly, email marketing delivers outstanding ROI and helps forge lasting connections with customers. In this guide, we'll cover why email endures as a top marketing strategy along with tips to maximise your email efforts.

The Staying Power and Reach of Email

There are a few key reasons why email marketing continues to thrive despite an expansive digital landscape:

Its Established Role and Trust

Email has been a key communication channel for decades. Using a familiar medium allows you to reach people in a place they already check daily. Email feels natural to most internet users.

Its Broad Reach

Over 3.9 billion people worldwide use email actively. Email addresses are the most common type of online identifier next to mobile numbers. The vast majority of your customers will have an email address, making outreach scalable.

Delivers the Highest ROI

Email marketing consistently drives the highest return on investment across all digital marketing channels. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing yields $42 for every $1 spent. Strong evidence of its endurance.

Advanced Personalisation and Segmentation

Modern email marketing platforms allow for deep personalisation down to the individual level. Send tailored messages crafted for specific subgroups and buyer personas.

The broad reach, established familiarity, and advanced targeting capabilities email provides are unparalleled - which is why it remains indispensable.

Key Benefits of Email Marketing

Beyond its cost effectiveness, effective email marketing offers additional benefits:

• Develop customer relationships - Ongoing email nurtures familiarity and trust with your brand.

• Drive repeat business - Email prompts customers to make additional purchases.

• Increase brand awareness - Build mindshare by keeping your brand top of mind.

• Cross-sell products - Email allows you to showcase different products to customers.

• Deliver value - Provide exclusive discounts or content via email subscribers.

• Understand your audience - Email analytics reveal customer preferences and behaviours.

Email accomplishes a variety of marketing objectives at a relatively low cost. Other channels often supplement email efforts rather than replace them.

Creating an Effective Email Marketing Strategy

To maximise email success, develop a comprehensive strategy addressing:

Your objectives

Determine what you want to achieve via email. Common goals include increasing sales, generating leads, driving site traffic, or building loyalty. Align your tactics to the outcomes you want.

Your target audience

Compile customer data to identify demographic and behavioural attributes. Create customised segments and personas. Tailor your messaging and creativity to closely resonate with each group.

Your value proposition

Craft compelling subject lines that immediately convey value. Maintain a member-only benefits mindset vs. an advertising mentality within your emails. Offer exclusive deals and helpful content.

Design and branding

Design attractive emails on brand that render well on all devices. Organise content with the reader's experience in mind. Use your brand voice and visual identity consistently.

Automation

Set up automated welcome sequences, promotions based on behaviour, and anniversary messaging. Automate repetitive tasks to focus on strategy.

Measurement

Determine key metrics early and monitor them. Go beyond open and click rates to track meaningful conversions. Adjust based on insights from performance data.

Best Practices for Email Creative and Content

Bring your strategy to life effectively by following these best practices:

Compelling subject lines

Subject lines are the first impression your emails make. Use emotional triggers, specificity, urgency, social proof, and personalised information to capture attention. Test various approaches.

Concise copy

Get to the point quickly. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, lists, and ample white space. Make messages scannable and focused.

High-quality visual content

Well-designed visuals like photos and graphics boost engagement. Ensure proper image sizes and quality. Minimise large file sizes that are slow to load.

Clear calls-to-action (CTAs)

Every email should lead readers to take action. Use CTAs to drive clicks to your site, promotions, or purchases.

Mobile optimisation

Design emails for easy mobile reading. Use responsive templates, big buttons, and a single column layout. Preview on different devices.

Relevance and personalisation

Match content directly to each segment’s needs and interests. Use merge tags to incorporate names and preferences. Send content people actually want.

Harness the Power of Email

Email remains an indispensable marketing channel when executed thoughtfully. Begin developing an audience-centric program focused on value delivery and measurable outcomes. With a sound strategy and engaging execution, your email marketing will help strengthen customer relationships and accomplish core business goals.

If you want help with your email campaigns or marketing strategy, get in touch with Cactus Marketing today!

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