The Web and online marketing grew by
leaps and bounds in the past few years. Semantic advertisements and content
curation are all in the rage these days, and social media has practically
became the number one marketing medium for online marketers.
With the advent of these new
technologies, many would think that e-mail is well on its way to its own
imminent death.
But, they're wrong.
E-mail is very much alive and kicking.
The reason for this is that e-mail marketing entails a different set of
dynamics that sets it apart from traditional web advertisements or social
media.
Still can't figure out why e-mail is
still effective after all these years?
1. E-mail is amazingly cheap.
Compared to other forms of advertising,
e-mail is a whole lot cheaper. Hundreds of e-mails can be conveniently sent
with just a click of a button. Combine e-mail marketing with social media and
you've got yourself two online marketing powerhouses that are both effective
and cheap. Also, existing content from a business' blog can be re-purposed for
e-mails so that there is no need to come up with new content.
2. E-mail targets people directly.
Take Twitter for example. The tweets that
a business sends can be seen by all its followers ( which could very well
number into the thousands). This is both a boon and a bane. It's great because
there is a greater chance that a lot of people will be able to see a particular
tweet; the drawback is that the message would be too general.
E-mail feels more personal. A marketer
can send out e-mails to a group of people he or she specifically wants to
target (example: old customers or those who have signed up for the e-mail
subscription recently). Also, e-mail can be easily personalized according to
the recipient's profile and personality.
3. E-mail is easily measurable.
Unlike traditional media advertising
(newspaper, radio and television ads), the impact of an e-mail's influence can
be easily measured and analyzed. There are a lot of e-mail providers that feature
tools that inform the sender when the recipient receives and opens the e-mail,
and at the same time, have the ability to track down click-through rates. These
data could then be further analyzed to measure the effectiveness of the entire
e-mail marketing campaign.
4. E-mail marketing offers a higher
probability for closing sales.
Chances are, the customers that have
signed up for a business' e-mail list are the ones who are the most loyal and
committed. These are the people who are likely to make repeat purchases.
Compared to tweets and Facebook likes, a personalized e-mail can have more of
an impact on an individual .
5. E-mail acts as a call for action.
You want fast results? Go for e-mail. The
first thing that most people would check upon connecting to the Internet is their
e-mail inboxes. E-mail provides an aura of urgency and importance that most
social media status updates and advertisements lack. The content of the e-mail
can range from promotions for a new product or service, monthly newsletters and
announcements.