Unbelievably, the good old email turns 50-years-old this year! Which may be why some businesses have abandoned it in favour of its trendy younger cousin, social media, when it comes to their marketing.
But, despite its age, we’re still great fans of email marketing and believe it is an invaluable part of the marketing mix.
That’s not to say we don’t love our socials. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok all have their place and can be fabulous for raising a company’s profile with people that they may not otherwise encounter. But we also firmly believe that social media activity should not be the central pillar of your marketing. And there’s (at least) seven good reasons for that:
1. GET HEARD
If we asked you to mime how you view social media, you would probably make a scrolling motion. Which is exactly our point. If you rely solely on social media for your marketing, then you are competing against a huge number of other organisations – plus cute cats and images of banana bread – for the attention of potential customers.
2. EARS OPEN
With email marketing you are communicating in a much less noisy room. Yes, we all receive a lot of emails. But the people on your list have opted to hear from you, so they have an interest in what you have to say.
3. LOOKING GOOD!
Although we’re all partial to a quick WhatsApp, email marketing enables you to build a much more professional rapport with your audience. There are a variety of programmes available (Mailchimp probably being the most well-known) and they all enable you to deliver a professional, smart and effective message.
4. YOU TALKING TO ME?
We all want to be seen as individuals and email marketing provides endless opportunities for this. From simply using a contact’s first name, to making use of location and times. Or even sending out automated (but beautifully written!) emails triggered by somebody’s date of birth or a particular action. And personalisation is proven to increase those open, click and conversion rates too. Studies show that personalised emails have 2.5 times higher click-through rates and are six times more likely to drive a conversion.
5. TRACK (BUT NOT TRACE!)
It might have been one of the buzzwords of 2020, but the facility to track who is opening your emails and clicking through to your content and/or website is invaluable. How else do you know what’s working and what most interests your audience?
6. ENGAGE
A follow-up to track really. Once you see what people like you can start to tailor your content/ email marketing on an individual basis. So, if I’ve shown an interest in one of your products then perhaps a little extra prod or a BOGOF email might prompt me to buy. Without you having to offer a discount to your whole database.
7. BFF FOR EVER
Well, unless they hit that unsubscribe button! But this is a huge advantage that email marketing has over social media. The people you are communicating with are your contacts. Your ability to communicate with them – or theirs to see what you are saying – is not dependent on whims of Facebook or the like. Which still isn’t to say that you should stop using social media to spread your message – just don’t only use it!
KIND WORDS
At Semaphore we help a range of businesses to reach new and potential customers through email marketing. Just last month, one client received this lovely feedback from one of their contacts: “Love these newsletters, very informative. Keep up the good work.”
Our client told us: “This is not someone I’m currently working with, so it goes to show that these newsletters are so important in my maintaining client relationships.”
So, as the email prepares to turn 50, we think it’s due a little respect this year in 2021. If you use email marketing already then great – but could it work any harder for you? Is it time for a new approach? Or perhaps it’s not part of your marketing mix at all? In which case, why not find out a little more about how it could make a difference to your business?
Please get in touch for a free, no obligation phone or video call about what email marketing can do for you and your business in 2021.
