For many years, numerous so-called marketing experts have predicted the demise of email marketing as a promotional tool. However, while email marketing may have changed considerably in recent years (driven mainly by improving technology), the trend for companies to still use email for their promotions continues and email campaigns are more popular today than ever.
A changing marketing landscape shaped largely by social media
No one would deny the effect social media has had on marketing as a whole but, while an increasing number of businesses may have moved to using social platforms to engage and stay in touch with clients (and social sites have undoubtedly changed the way some firms reach out to their customers) email marketing remains one of the most powerful, personal and effective ways to build and maintain client relations. Social media may offer an unobtrusive way to reach clients but it still comes nowhere near rivaling the personalization afforded by tailored email contact.
How email marketing can help you stand out
There are now more web pages in the world than there are people and it’s becoming increasingly harder for firms to stand out and gain prominence over their competitors. Most firms have a finite number of customers but, if a company is to continue to grow, it’s essential it capitalizes on every opportunity and looks for routes into new markets.
Email marketing (if conducted properly) can give your company significant advantages over other promotional vehicles and offers a level of personalized contact that simply isn’t possible through any other medium – contact that could give your firm a competitive edge over its rivals.
Using personalized emails and segmenting your mailing lists into user demographics (such as types, interests, ages, etc) can allow you to tailor content precisely to each client’s individual interests. Moreover, if you integrate dedicated email apps, you can maintain your branding across all your email communications, using standardized layouts and featuring a company email signature – one that is immediately recognizable as coming from your company.
Why email is even more important in an age of digital transformation
As the digital transformation of retailing continues and companies come to rely on automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems more and more, so new opportunities are emerging that can help improve client contact and send bespoke email communications, tailored precisely to each user.
For example, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can help you automate the design, production, content and timing of your marketing emails for maximum effect. Better yet, CRM apps can also target email types and subjects by clients’ previous buying patterns or products they’ve shown interest in – which, in turn, greatly increases the chances of you gaining a response.
Using powerful Call-To-Action prompts in your content will also increase the likelihood of click-throughs and, further down the line, sales. Email marketing is a proven way to improve the client journey from casual browsing to making a purchase, a way of hand-holding customers to products that are known to be of interest.
Email marketing – the take out
Despite widespread predictions of the downfall of email marketing, the medium remains an integral promotional vehicle for many of today’s most successful firms. Rather than simply forgetting the tech, you should look at integrating it into your company’s overall marketing mix as a complementary tool to work alongside your other media advertising and promotions.
