Is email marketing becoming obsolete these days?

One of the most ignored fields from the newbies in digital marketing is ‘email marketing’. In the era of social media where instant contents are developed and consumed in seconds, skills needed for email marketing take a dedicated time to master. Then, is email marketing becoming obsolete? Certainly not!

Social media sites may come and go (e.g. Orkut, Google+, vine), people may delete their social media profiles, but one thing people seldom do is to change their email address. You may also think to yourself whatever first email address you had created is still active? We know that you still might be using it.

Email Marketing (Vector) — Illustration depicting importance of email marketing

Email marketing carries immense potential and has the power to close sales.

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach and engage with their audience. Despite the rise of social media and other digital marketing channels, email marketing remains a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their customers and prospects. One of the reasons why email marketing is here to stay is its ability to deliver targeted and personalised content to subscribers. By segmenting their email list and creating personalised email campaigns, businesses can deliver relevant and timely content to their subscribers, which helps to build trust and loyalty over time.

Another reason why email marketing is unlikely to become obsolete is because it offers a high return on investment (ROI) compared to other marketing channels. According to a study by dma.org.uk, the average ROI for email marketing is £42 for every £1 spent.

Screenshot of paragraphs on page 3 from report "Marketer email Tracker 2019" published by DMA — Screenshot of paragraphs on page 3 from report “Marketer email Tracker 2019” published by DMA

It makes email marketing one of the most cost-effective marketing channels available to businesses.

Additionally, email marketing allows businesses to track their campaigns and measure their effectiveness in real-time. Businesses can optimise their email campaigns and improve their ROI over time by analysing metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

Furthermore, email marketing provides businesses with a direct line of communication with their subscribers. Unlike social media, where algorithms determine which content users see, emails are delivered directly to subscribers’ inboxes. It means businesses have a greater chance of their message being seen and acted upon. Additionally, email marketing allows businesses to build a long-term relationship with their subscribers. By delivering valuable content and engaging with their audience on a regular basis, businesses can establish themselves as trusted authorities in their industry, which can lead to increased brand awareness and customer loyalty.

There are following advantages of using email marketing in your digital marketing artillery:

1. Personalisation

None of the other media allows you to address your potential buyer by her first name. Email has the power to establish connection to the personal level.

2. Customisation

Ads you see on social media or SERP are common to segments of people. But with email, you can always offer more customisation to recipients by sending custom discount codes and more.

3. Cost

If you use PPC or ads based on CPM model, it will cost you more than what you must spend if you want to use email marketing

4. Analytics

These are easy to understand compared to campaign analysis in Google Ads or Facebook Business Manager. Basic email marketing statistics are:

A. Successful deliveries

It indicates how many of the emails sent by you were delivered to subscriber’s email address

B. Open rate

Out of the emails sent by you, how many of them are opened by the recipients.

C. Click rate

If your email has some links, this statistic tells the number of link clicks happening. It is crucial to understand the success of the campaign as this directs users to take desired action.

5. Build long term relationships

When your visitor registers on your site, she shares common details such as name, birthday, phone number etc. along with email address. Details such as birthdays can be used to send a birthday wish from your brand and to push an exclusive offer on your product as a gift.

If you use it wisely, email marketing still carries a lot of importance and can fetch long term benefits.

There are few limitations on use of email marketing which will be discussed in upcoming blogs. You may follow earlier topics in the series of digital marketing here.