Doing business these past few years has been anything but usual. Over the last few years, we’ve had to adjust our ways of thinking, working, doing, and communicating. But that doesn’t mean we have to start from square one. We can adapt many of the tools already in our toolbox and make them work in our new environment. Consider email marketing as one of these crucial tools.
So that we’re all on the same page: let’s define email marketing. It is a powerful marketing tool that uses email to promote goods or services, while also developing relationships with customers. In other words: consider email marketing a form of “direct mail” using the internet.
Why would we want to use email as a marketing tool? Isn’t everyone on social media now? While it’s especially true that we’re spending more time using social messaging sites and apps these days, statistics show that the vast majority of us still rely on email communication. Over 90% of consumers check their email at least once a day, with Millennials and Gen Z accounting for 93% of email users. The majority of us check our email before we check in on our social media accounts.
Yes, email is important, but why make a bigger fuss about it now? Since 2020, we’ve seen a decline in organic website traffic across most industries, which is bad news for a lot of us. Email open and click rates, however, have increased, without a matching increase in sends. This tells us folks are turning to and relying on email communication for information and updates.
Let’s get more specific about the factors that make email marketing more effective than social media:
Email gives you direct access to your people
In the same way a friend welcomes you into their home, a customer invites you into their inbox when they opt into your mailing list. You don’t get in unless they grant you access. This means messages shared with them via email have a much greater chance of being seen than posts you share on social media, and being well-received.
People tend to trust email more than social media
With the increase in untrustworthy and questionable accounts on social media platforms, the direct relationships you form through your email marketing become even more valuable.
Email provides a respite from social media
Social media can provide useful real-time updates, but fatigue is real, y’all. Folks need a break from the 24-hour news and information cycle, and they also want ways to stay connected on their own schedules. Plus, email inboxes are chronological, not influenced or controlled by an algorithm. This means your message has a much greater chance of being read.
Engagement is more likely to increase
With the dramatic increase in remote work situations (not to mention the less-awesome fact of folks working fewer hours or not at all), we’re all spending a lot more time online. This increases chances of your emails being read, received, and hopefully acted upon.
Email creates a more direct connection
There are a few key factors that lead someone to open an email. They’re looking for help, some kind of assistance for a concern they have. If they don’t need something in the immediate future, they open emails from you because they know, like, and trust you, and they consider you a valuable resource. Building further on the know/like/trust aspect: you hear and see your people; the experience they have with you feels personal.
Now here’s the thing: you know and I know that we’re using our email marketing to stay top-of-mind with current and potential customers. We got bills to pay! That said: your email list isn’t just a list of buyers – they’re a list of flesh-and-blood people. Take time to serve them and acknowledge their needs rather than constantly selling to them. Developing that relationship will lead to increased sales and loyalty in the long run.
Interested in seeing how email might fit in your marketing toolkit? Let’s chat about it!
