Customer Service Glossary
What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is the process of sending commercial or advertising newsletters to a brand’s email list. The email list includes members of the company’s audience who have registered their contact information with the company through a website or social media platform, like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
The first major email marketing campaign launched in 1978, seven years after Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer, sent the very first email. Marketing manager Gary Thuerk used the digital communication technique to send a commercial email to an audience list of 400. As a result of the sales promotion, Thuerk drove nearly $13 million in sales.
Email marketing continued to increase in popularity through the 90s. Now, companies use the channel to boost brand loyalty, fuel purchasing activity, update followers about a new launch, and enhance efficiency through the addition of automation tools, such as:
- Scheduling features
- Pre-designed templates for beginners and busy offices
- Real-time performance measurement
- In-depth statistics and insights on users throughout the consumer life cycle
Typically, email marketing campaigns are robust and highly effective. When established in conjunction with customer relationship management (CRM) software, businesses can design complex funnels, track fan engagement, and keep a detailed account of consumer information.
Why Is Email Marketing Important for Businesses?
Despite the rise of social media and search engine advertising, email marketing still plays a vital role in modern digital marketing strategies, especially conversion marketing. The communication channel keeps brands connected to their patrons, thanks in part to the 24/7, on-the-go access that mobile phones provide.
Email marketing is critical for businesses in several ways, as follows.
1. More Product and Service Conversions
By leveraging email marketing, companies may see a boost in conversions due to the high-touch, conversation-based communication channel. Your organization can send out emails with exclusive discounts, special offers, and limited-time deals to encourage shoppers to make a purchase.
Most automation tools enable you to set up abandoned cart emails as well. These messages remind shoppers that they left a product in their cart and often contain a discount to trigger the shopper to complete their purchase.
Segmented advertising messages, coupled with exemplary, personalized service, generate nearly 60% of brand revenue. Companies can boost the likelihood of converting a new prospect by using a customer relationship management platform to customize subject lines and provide relevant support.
2. Boosted Brand Awareness
80% of United States consumers check their email inboxes at least once per day. Nearly 25% of Americans check their email multiple times a day. Finally, almost 60% of American shoppers use mobile devices to check their email on the go.
With this in mind, your company has 24/7 access to consumers’ eyes, minds, and wallets through targeted, personalized emails. A comprehensive email marketing strategy reinforces positive interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube as well, ultimately increasing brand awareness.
3. Improved Customer Loyalty
Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for businesses that want to see a substantial improvement in loyalty, community engagement, and click-through rates.
When used in conjunction with an omnichannel marketing strategy, companies can leverage email marketing, live support, and organic social media communications to nurture relationships and connect with users at each stage of the buyer’s journey.
How Does Email Marketing Work?
To join an email list, customers must sign up through a company’s website, mobile app, or retail store, then give their express consent to receive marketing newsletters from the brand. Companies use email marketing for a variety of reasons, including:
- Brand awareness
- Community development
- Sharing information and web content
- Increasing sales
- Generating leads
- Learning about their users
- Boosting engagement
- Business-to-business marketing
Email marketing consistently ranks as one of the most powerful communication tools for one significant reason: it forces subscribers to take action, unlike targeted ads on social media. For example, a marketing message will remain in a user’s mailbox until the user reads, deletes, or archives the correspondence.
Email marketing also has one of the best return on investment (ROI) rates in the marketing space. A study by the Direct Marketing Association found that, for every $1 spent on email marketing, brands can expect a return of $36.
Most importantly, email marketing increases customer engagement and retention metrics, thanks to the interactive nature of an email and the complex automation features found in modern customer relationship management tools.
What Are the Four Types of Marketing Emails?
Your company can use email marketing as a powerful way to connect with your email list. However, it’s critical to send a variety of emails to keep your users from getting bored. Rather than only sending out emails to announce sales, consider mixing and matching the four most common types of emails:
- Email newsletters are primarily informational and used to update customers on blogs, how-tos, and product releases.
- Acquisition emails help transition new subscribers through the sales funnel by building trust.
- Nurture emails keep longtime subscribers engaged and interested.
- Promotional emails drive online shopping sales by delivering exclusive offers, new promotions, and product or service launch information.
Using Email Marketing to Improve Customer Satisfaction, Return on Investment, and Marketing Efforts
Email marketing plays a critical role in a company’s digital communication strategy. Organizations ranging from online stores to brick-and-mortar retailers, service providers, and manufacturers can leverage the convenient channel to connect with their fans.
Further, the interactive technique combines relatable, easily accessible messaging with top-notch data analysis tools and automation systems, resulting in an integrated, comprehensive approach to marketing, lead generation, customer service, and more.