Email marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing channels. According to the UK Direct Marketing Association’s National Client Email Report 2021, email marketing continues to offer the highest ROI of any marketing channel in the UK, with an average return of £42 for every £1 spent.
But with all the marketing jargon and digital marketing terms thrown around, it can be challenging to understand what’s going on and how to optimise your email campaigns to their full potential.
In this article, we’ll explain the email marketing definition, as well as the most common email marketing jargon that you’ll come across in your email marketing campaigns. Let’s get started!
Email Marketing: What Is It?
Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves sending marketing emails to customers, segments of customers, or potential customers. The goal is to build relationships with customers, generate leads, and promote products or services.
Email marketing can take many forms, including newsletters, promotional emails, and automated email campaigns. It’s one of the most effective digital marketing channels because it allows businesses to communicate with their audience directly, at a low cost, and with high levels of personalisation.
Marketing Jargon: Common Terms You Need to Know
To make the most of your email marketing campaigns, it’s essential to understand the marketing jargon and digital marketing terms that you’ll come across. Here are some of the most common ones:
Open Rate
The open rate is the percentage of people who open your email out of the total number of recipients. A high open rate indicates that your subject line and preheader text are compelling enough to get people to open your email.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The click-through rate is the percentage of people who click on a link in your email out of the total number of recipients. A high CTR indicates that your email content is relevant and engaging.
Conversion Rate
The conversion rate is the percentage of people who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form, out of the total number of recipients.
A/B Testing
A/B testing (also known as split testing) is the practice of testing two versions of an email campaign to see which performs better. This can involve testing different subject lines, email content, or calls to action.
Segmentation
Segmentation is the practice of dividing your email contact list into smaller groups based on shared characteristics. These could be location, interests, behaviour, or customer-specific things like items they’ve previously bought/shown an interest in, or what clinic/site/office their account manager is based in. This allows you to send more targeted and personalised email campaigns.
Call to Action (CTA)
A call to action is a statement or button that encourages the recipient of an email or other marketing message to take a specific action, such as clicking a link, making a purchase, or filling out a form.
Landing Page
A landing page is a standalone web page that is designed to convert visitors into leads or customers. Landing pages are often linked from email marketing campaigns, and are optimised to match the messaging and goals of the campaign.
Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is an incentive, like a free e-book or discount code, that is offered to website visitors in exchange for their email address or other contact details. Lead magnets are often used to build email lists and generate leads.
Marketing Automation
Marketing automation is the practice of using software to automate marketing tasks, such as sending and scheduling email campaigns, or posting on social media. This allows you to save time and resources while still delivering targeted and personalised marketing messages.
Email Marketing Jargon: Putting It All Together
Now that we’ve covered the email marketing definition and some of the most important marketing terms, let’s put it all together with an example email campaign.
Let’s imagine you’re a fitness company that’s looking to promote your new line of workout gear. Here’s how you might use some of the email marketing jargon and digital marketing terms we’ve covered:
Open Rate: Your subject line and preheader text should be compelling and relevant to your audience to achieve a high open rate.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): Your email content should be engaging and include clear calls to action to achieve a high CTR.
Conversion Rate: Your email campaign should be optimised to drive conversions, whether that’s by offering a discount code or showcasing your new workout gear.
A/B Testing: You could test different subject lines, email content, or calls to action to see which version of your email campaign performs better. You can then use this data to optimise future campaigns.
Segmentation: You could segment your email list based on previous purchases or interests to send more targeted and personalised email campaigns.
Call to Action (CTA): Your email should include clear and compelling CTAs that encourage your audience to take a specific action, such as visiting your website or making a purchase.
Landing Page: You may wish to create a dedicated landing page that showcases your new workout gear and encourages visitors to make a purchase.
Lead Magnet: You might offer a free workout guide or discount code as a lead magnet to build your email list and generate leads.
Email marketing can be a powerful tool for building relationships with customers, generating leads, and promoting products or services. However, to make the most of your email campaigns, it’s important to understand the marketing jargon and digital marketing terms that you’ll come across.
By understanding terms like open rate, click-through rate, segmentation, and call to action, you can create more effective and targeted email campaigns that drive results. And with the right tools, such as CRM and marketing automation software, you can optimise your email marketing efforts and take your campaigns to the next level.
