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Why would anyone bother using email marketing when there are so many other options?
There is Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media platforms offering marketing options. You can put up ads on search engines or invest in video marketing.
So, again, why would you bother with email marketing?
I hear such questions every single day.
Here is why: Email marketing has remained and will continue to remain the most effective marketing strategy with the highest click-through rate.
It is true that you no longer have to send your friends emails. However, most corporate messages are still passed through emails.
When people open their emails, they do not go to have a light-hearted conversation with their friends-No! They go to connect with their business networks, catch up with clients and nurture relationships with customers, leads and clients.
Not convinced yet? Ok, let me get into the details.
1. Email Marketing is More Effective
According to emarketer, email marketing is the most effective method of customer acquisitions and retention.
2. Not Competing With Cat Videos
When you send an email to your email list, the amount of distraction is limited to the number of emails in their inbox. If you have built a relationship with them and you have an optimized subject line, they will most likely open your email.
However, when you publish a social media ad, the readers will see the ad when they are taking time to relax and watch a few cat videos. There are many flashy pop-ups on the social media competing for the reader’s attention. It decreases their chances of clicking on the ad to access your content.
Also, the ad is only available to them for a specific period of time. However, when an email hits their inbox, it will be there even weeks to come. They can still access it, open it and read our message.
3. Cost Effective
Running an email marketing campaign is much more cost effective as compared to running an ad on social media. The Return On Investment of email marketing beats all the other marketing platforms.
Data shows that approximately 66% of purchasing decisions is made based on information received through the emails.
This is true especially since email has the largest reach accounting for a 21% open rate and an average of 4% click-through rate. Compare this with the 6% organic Facebook reach and only 2% by twitter.
So, even if you are a student or a graduate who is running a startup or wondering how to start one with limited funds, you should highly consider incorporating email marketing strategy. It will help you nurture and convert your leads even as you seek ways for a loan to go to school or refinance your student loan. You don’t have to be an experienced entrepreneur with lots of capital to start using email marketing.
4. Customizable
There is not much you can do other than customize a social media ad so that it can sound and feel personal to the reader. The much you can do is to tailor the message to speak to your ideal client.
However, with an email, you can address it to the recipient by name and also have personal conversations with leads. It makes it possible to cultivate very personal relationships using email marketing.
Also, depending on which email marketing platform you are using, you can automate your email marketing strategy so that the recipients get action triggered emails. For example, if a recipient opens an email but doesn’t click through the link, they get a different email from the recipient who clicked through.
5. Email Has Greater Reach
You think social media is more popular than email? Think again.
Note, to sign up for any social media account like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you need an email account. There are approximately 2 Billion Facebook accounts, 350 million Twitter accounts and according to the Radicati 2018 report, there will be approximately 3.8 Billion email accounts by 2019.
6. Rent Versus Own
I’m not talking about real estate- No! I’m still talking about email marketing. When you build your community and audience on social media platforms only, you are living on rented land. The platform has rented that space to host your audience and for that fact, you will always live by the rules of the landlord. Meaning that if Facebook changes its algorithm today, you have to change and adapt to the new rules.
For example, when Facebook decided that your brand awareness posts will only be seen by a certain number of people your reach is limited. So, to increase your reach you have to promote your posts.
On the other hand, email marketing and having your own list is similar to owning your space. You decide what you will send to them, who will see what and how you will segment your list. This gives you the freedom to nurture your leads.
Bottom Line
It would be a grave mistake for any business to not use email marketing as one of their marketing strategies. It would be even better to use social media marketing to complement email marketing as a way of gaining more leads and increasing brand awareness.
