You have heard of email marketing repeatedly on the internet, at conferences and during marketing strategy meetings. They say email marketing enriches business communications, targets specific key markets, and is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. But what exactly is email marketing and how does it work? How is an email more effective than a radio spot or television advertisement and why should a business spend the time to maintain an email list?
Email marketing occurs when a company sends a commercial message to a group of people by use of electronic email. Most commonly through advertisements, requests for business, or sales or donation solicitation, any email communication is considered email marketing if it helps to build customer loyalty, trust in a product or company or brand recognition. Email marketing is an efficient way to stay connected with your clients while also promoting your business.
With email marketing, you can easily and quickly reach target markets without the need for large quantities of print space, television or radio time or high production costs.
Why is email marketing important for your business?
Email marketing keeps your customers informed: Emails have the ability to keep your customers informed. Consumers are capable of checking their email when it is convenient for them. It can give them a feeling that you are thinking of them. This email can be as simple as saying: “Hi, you’re on our mind, here is a special offer!” or “Here is an update on what has been going on here in recent weeks.” Those that have signed up to your email list have already made a commitment to receive these notes. So they will likely enjoy these emails (as long as you give them something worth reading) and it will boost engagement with your customers.
Email marketing helps you reach mobile users: According to SeeWhy, 62% of smartphone conversions came from email. The percentage of consumers opening up their email on a mobile device is now greater than 50%. These are significant numbers to take into account when planning any marketing strategy. More and more consumers are using their mobile devices to access not only emails but all other types of media and information. Hit ’em on the go!
Email marketing is action oriented: For a long time now, 22 years actually, email has been a form of communication. As the years have gone by, email has fast become one of our main choices of communication. We have all been groomed to reply to an email in some fashion. Whether it is to reply, to forward, click through to something else embedded within the email, delete, or to buy something, or to sign up. We tend to do something with the email. Knowing this, you can use email to drive people to your website, to pick up the phone and call or any other call to action. In fact, 23 percent of sales last year were attributed to email marketing.
Email marketing is measurable: Most email services, like Constant Contact, offer the ability to track what happens after you have sent out your email campaign. You can track delivery rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, click through rates, and open rates. This gives you a better understanding of how your email campaigns are working, which ones to tweak or which ones to get rid of altogether. These metrics should not be ignored. They are an important part of your internet marketing campaign as a whole.
Email marketing is inexpensive: And last, but of course, never least, the cost. You can reach a large number of consumers for less than pennies per message. The cost per (possible) conversion is so low with email marketing I cannot believe every company does not participate, or engage more often.
How can Sentrita help your business with email marketing?
Perhaps the old horse in the new breed of stallions, but a dependable horse none the less. At Sentrita Labs, we have re-designed the concept of email marketing. We use this tool as a resultant action and not as the primary approach. Our designs have clear and definite KPIs. We ensure that we can use this tool to get close ended results in order to create a databank of definite opportunities instead of going for the generally implemented open ended approach.
