Email Marketing: A Sign of the Past or Still Relevant?

With the advent of social media and the popularity of other types of digital marketing, many are saying that email marketing is dying. Their arguments range from younger generations not using email to email marketing not being effective.

However, numbers don’t lie – a look at the data will tell you otherwise. Rest assured, email marketing is not only alive but thriving.

Is Email Dead?

As someone who uses email on a daily basis, I’d say no, but you don’t have to take my word for it. According to PEW Research, 92% of adults (who are online) use email. 61% of Americans who use the Internet say their email is important for their job, and workers spend approximately 13 hours every week in their email inbox. That doesn’t sound like death to me.

What about the argument that millennials and Gen Z don’t use email? Well, that’s been debunked too. When asked which communication channel felt the most personal, 64% of millennials and 60% of Gen Z participants chose email. With smartphones being so common, younger generations can even check emails on the go.

It's safe to say that email is not dead. So, what about email marketing?

Is Email Marketing Dead?

61% of consumers prefer contact by brands to take place through email. Not only do people check their email every day, but 58% of users even check their email before checking social media - a fact that may be shocking to those who oppose email marketing because of the popularity of social media.

The problem isn’t with email marketing – it’s with how it’s used. There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to picking a good email marketing strategy, especially if you’re stuck in the past, using ideas that were popular years ago.

Email marketing can also have a huge ROI – according to Campaign Monitor, this can be as high as $44 for every $1 spent. Of course, all of this depends on the strategies you use. In this article, I discuss some of the most important strategies for success in email marketing.

Email Marketing: Keys to Success

Build Your Email List (Don’t Buy One)

Buying an email list is a huge mistake and won’t benefit you at all. It may do the opposite – people don’t take too kindly to spam emails and delete them immediately (that is, if they’re not already in their spam folder). Getting consent before sending consumers emails is extremely important, and you’d be breaking a few laws if you don’t.

If you’re looking for conversion, don’t buy an email list. I assure you, there are other ways to build one. The most common way to do so is to advertise it on your website and ask users to sign up for a newsletter. However, doing this alone isn’t very effective – you need a lead magnet. This can be in the form of free e-books, checklists, templates, or even free trials. The result is the same – you are offering the consumer something they want and getting their email address in return.

Be Creative

If your subject line is boring, it’s not going to catch the reader’s attention. Instead of using generic subject lines, try and inject some personality into them. Make them exciting or attention-grabbing. Numbers work particularly well for this, especially if you’re having a sale. “Check Out the Sale at ZARA” doesn’t sound half as impressive as “Massive ZARA Sale: Up to 70% Off.”

There has also been research that suggests using emojis in subject lines may be helpful. According to Experian, using emojis in the subject line resulted in higher open rates 56% of the time. However, this isn’t always the case.

Return Path’s comprehensive experiment results show mixed reactions to emoji use. While the inclusion of a champagne bottle emoji or a confetti ball emoji increased email open rates from 18% to 22%, using a clinking glasses emoji decreased open rates to 9%. A minority of users even complained about the use of emojis.

Basically, consider using emojis carefully, and make sure not to overdo it. An email with 6 or 7 emojis is going to stand out, but it probably won’t be in a good way. Consider using demographics to determine whether or whether not to include emojis, and if you do, make sure to use ones relevant to the subject line.

Personalize Your Emails

Note that the best emails start with your name, not with something generic like “Dear Customer.” When asking users to sign up, make sure to ask for their name. In most cases, it’s better to only ask for a first name, since too many fields intimidate and turn off customers.

Instead of using something impersonal like “Dear Customer,” you can now use a warm greeting like “Hello, Rob!”. Personalization has proven to be effective with studies showing six times higher transaction rates on personalized emails. This can even be incorporated into the previous tip, with businesses using personalization in the subject line.

Use Segmentation

Nobody likes getting useless and irrelevant emails. Using segmentation to personalize emails is the perfect way to avoid this, with marketing personalizing emails based on age, location, gender, and more. After all, there’s no point inviting someone to an event in New York if they live in California.

This can also target specifics, something that Netflix is well known for. Netflix uses watch history to email you suggesting new shows, increasing your engagement. This can also be carried out based on timing, with many businesses offering birthday specials. For example, a spa can offer you a free manicure on your birthday, while a café may offer you free cupcakes on your birthday.

Mobile Optimization

Responsive design is one of the key aspects of UX design. Approximately 50% of emails are opened on mobile devices, and if your emails are not responsive, they’re likely to be deleted. In fact, 42.3% of people delete emails if they aren’t responsive, which could mean a big dip in ROI.

Don’t Spam Your Readers

It should go without saying (but I’m saying it anyway) – don’t spam your readers. This will automatically result in them clicking the unsubscribe button. Keep your emails limited to actual news, such as sales, resources, events, etc. so that readers look forward to your emails and actually open them instead of clicking delete and moving on.

Perfect Your Email Marketing Approach

By this point, it must be pretty clear how valuable email marketing can be. It’s inexpensive, easy to get into, and unlike social media marketing, users will definitely see it.

If you’re interested in discussing this more or any other topics on digital marketing, feel free to contact me to keep the conversation going!