1971 was the year that Disney world Florida opened to the public, but more importantly was the year when Roy Tomlinson sent the first ever email. A whole 12 years before the internet was invented and was sent using an ASCII text-only communications medium. Emails, albeit not too much, have evolved since these times and now the majority of emails we receive are marketing-based.
What is email marketing?
Email marketing is a form of digital marketing that allows you to directly communicate with your audience. It is used to inform customers about new products/services and any other news related to your business. Email marketing is a useful way to reach an engaged audience who are more likely to read your content than on a billboard or TV advertisement, for example. The users who receive your emails are known as subscribers; which means they have given you permission to send them marketing emails.
Different types of marketing emails you can send
Email marketing is a really versatile means of communications, it can be used in so many different ways to connect with your audience. Below are some of the types of emails you can send when contacting your subscribers.
Welcome Emails
This type of email can welcome new customers to your subscription and can be used when inviting users to visit a website or social platform. Welcome emails are a method of lead nurturing which is a really important tool for businesses. They help to form relationships that eventually lead to some sort of action being taken, whether its a purchase or a website visit.
Email Newsletter
This form of email marketing can be used for many similar reasons as the welcome email;
- To push potential customers over the line
- Keeping them informed of your products/services helps to keep your brand in their evoked set when considering purchase
- Increase website or social media traffic
Email newsletters are designed to promote brand awareness, keep on top of returning customers and allow your audience to remain informed of your brand.
Abandoned Cart Email
You may recognise these sorts of emails from brands such as Uber Eats or clothing websites. When a customer leaves items in their basket but doesn’t make a purchase they will receive an email that reminds them about the items they were about to purchase. It has been reported that businesses who send these emails can recover around 10% in lost revenue. It might not sound like a lot, but this can make a huge difference, especially for a small business.
Review Request Emails
These are one of our personal favourites and something we use here at Milk & Tweed to get more reviews. Not only can they be used to get extra reviews that bump up your score, they also help businesses to understand more about their customers needs and requirements. If you get good reviews that is great. You can shout about it. But a bad review will allow you to find what has happened and how you can improve on it.
Why is email marketing beneficial for your company?
If the above few examples of how you can use email marketing haven’t shown you the value of email marketing maybe these stats will.
64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers
It’s important to understand what your competitors are doing, and the majority will be using email marketing to reach customers. You don’t want to be a part of the 36% who aren’t using email marketing.
Source: Campaign Monitor
158% increase in click-through rate to social media
Emails with social sharing buttons see a 158% increase in click-through rates. This is why email marketing can be a great way to grow your social media channels, and just having these buttons means you are increasing engagement with your emails hugely.
Source: GetResponse
Huge ROI
Email marketing has a huge return on investment (ROI). The ROI of email marketing in the UK was £35.41 for every £1 spent in 2020.
Source: Statista
Mobile open rates surprise desktop
Emails are even more accessible now, users don’t have to view them only on a desktop, they can use their mobiles. Since 2013, the email opening rates on mobiles surpassed desktop rates.
Source: Martech
So, should you do email marketing?
The answer is yes. There is no doubt you should be sending your customers marketing emails. Whether it’s monthly sales, adding them to a drip campaign, or just letting them know you are still there. There are a million reasons to be using it, so what’s stopping you?
If you need help with your email marketing campaigns we can help. Get in contact with us today to arrange an appointment with one of the team!
