Top 10 Benefits of Email Marketing

Imagine being able to connect with your audience at anytime and anywhere. Well, today that is possible with email marketing.

And it’s not just millennials that are using email. With the help of mobile, 91 percent of consumers use email daily and check their inbox everywhere: while working out, eating, and even using the bathroom. In fact, it is predicted that there will be 4.2 billion email users by 2022.

This is why email marketing works. It provides a valuable opportunity to keep the lines of communication open between your business and your audience, build relationships, and stay top-of-mind.

Keep reading to find out the other benefits that make email marketing.

Why email marketing works

Unlike some other marketing channels, email marketing allows you to keep in touch with your customers on a consistent basis. Be it a simple, “Thank you for subscribing,” a cheery, “Welcome on board,” or a sincere “Happy Birthday” email can be an easy and effective way to let your customers know you value them. Customers love it when a business treats them as an individual, not just like everyone else.That value should show in the emails you send, and the more value you provide to your target audience, the more they’ll look forward to hearing from you. When that happens, it’s easier to get them to engage with your business.

There’s plenty of data to back up the benefits of email marketing:

• 91 percent of US adults like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with. (MarketingSherpa)
• Email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook, and Twitter combined in helping your business to acquire new customers. (McKinsey)

For a business like Constant Contact customer Cotton Clouds, making the switch from print to email newsletters doubled the number of sales generated by reaching out to clients.

“Every time I send out an email, I get a sale in 15 minutes. Overall, I get up to four times as many sales with these newsletters than I did with my old ones, and they’ve gone from about $50 per order to $100.” – Irene Schmoller, founder Cotton Clouds (Constant Contact customer since 2010)

Take your marketing to the next level with emailStill wondering if email marketing is for you? We’ve made a list below of the best ways email can help your business reach your goals. Here are the top ten benefits of email marketing:

1. Targeted and personalized contentNo one wants to read an email that sounds like it was just blasted out to a bunch of people. Where’s the value in that, and who is that helping? No one.

Email marketing allows you to segment your customers into different lists based on their preferences to send highly personalized content. From crafting the perfect subject lines to images that resonate with your customer, and valuable content that helps your audience, email is the perfect channel to deliver those personal- feeling messages.

2. Build credibilityEmails from an unknown sender or with a shady subject line can feel like spam. It just feels off, and customers often just delete these emails.

For some customers, an emoji will make them click and be happy. For others, the same subject line might make them go hunting for the unsubscribe link. You need to tailor your content according to what your readers want. Knowing your readers’ interests and needs gets your email read, instead of the spam folder.

Creating a permission-based email list that includes a checkbox for users to opt-in to your mailing list ensures that a customer knows which emails they’re signing up for, and how often they’ll be receiving emails from you.

3. Better brand recognitionDo people recognize your brand?

With email marketing, you can pull the branding from your website directly into your email designs. But brand recognition goes beyond design. By consistently providing valuable content to your audience, they will begin to recognize, and even anticipate your emails..

You can even use your emails to get useful feedback on your brand. Are customers happy with the content you’re providing? Would they like to learn something different?

Use a survey or start a discussion on social media. Once you get them involved in the process, you’ll know exactly how to provide valuable content in your emails.

4. Boost salesAccording to a report from the Direct Marketing Association, 66 percent of consumers have made a purchase online due to an email marketing message.

By promoting your business through email marketing, it gives your audience the chance to make a purchase right from their phone or laptop.

Email marketing can be used to sell to prospects, boost referrals, upsell to current customers, and even re-engage older customers that have not purchased from you in a while. The more relevant and targeted your email content is, the more likely the reader will take an action.

5. Stronger customer relationshipsEmail marketing can help to build customer relationships by providing them with information they want directly into their inbox on a consistent basis. When you help make your audience’s lives better, whether that be with your product or service, helpful tips, or even just a “happy birthday” gift coupon, they will learn to appreciate and trust you.

Eventually, they will begin to look to your business for the information and value you have been providing them, thinking of you first when they need your services.

6. Optimize your time and budgetWith any business, but especially within a small business, there are always time and budget constraints. While big businesses can afford to go all out and buy advertising space during the Super Bowl, small businesses don’t have that luxury.

With email marketing, you get back on average $38 for every $1 you spend. Plus, the costs associated with email marketing are very low to begin with.

In terms of time commitment, email marketing can be put on autopilot, yet stay personalized and targeted towards your subscribers on an individual level.

7. Reporting to learn what worksThere is a quick window of opportunity when it comes to customers opening your emails. They see your email in their inbox, and depending on how well the “From” name and subject line resonate, they decide whether to open the email or ignore it. Good open rates mean that your customers know your brand well enough to want to hear from you..

Next up is your click-through-rate (CTR) which generally gives you a good idea of how many customers took the time to go through your email content to click on the links within.

After a customer has clicked through your email, ideally the next goal is to get them to convert – in other words, to follow through on the action your email has asked them to take. Your email conversion rates are an important metric to track, because they tell you how well the call-to-action in your email has performed.

8. Increased traffic to your websiteEmails are a great way to get customers to visit your website. You can include relevant links to your site within your email content. You can also use your email campaigns to get customers to engage with other great pieces of content available on your website or blog.

For example, a local design school could send out emails to let them know about their new design class that has a limited number of seats. Many of their customers and potential leads may have missed out on this opportunity to attend the class had they not revisited the website in time.

The design school then can fill all the seats more quickly by promoting the class via email, instead of waiting for reservations to trickle in.

9. Establish authorityWhen you run your own business, one of your goals may be to be seen as an expert in your industry.  

Your customers have signed up for your marketing newsletters because they want to hear from you. They appreciate the content you send and keeping them engaged is one of the biggest wins for any email marketer. Your content is one of your most valuable marketing tools and you can use it to build other areas of your marketing strategy. If people love what you do, then they will sign up to see more great content.

10. Build excitementEveryone likes to belong to a special group, especially when they can receive exclusive perks.

Your customers aren’t all the same, and the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Use your email campaigns to drive home the message that your customers are unique and important to your business.

Whether you’re giving a section of customers a sneak peek into an upcoming product launch, or simply rewarding them for being loyal customers, they all love a sweet deal. Volkswagen offers email subscribers free movie tickets several times a year. Starbucks gives their gold members free drinks around the holidays.

As a small business, you might not be able to go around giving free stuff to your customers, but a little something extra can go a long way. Rewarding your customers is a nice gesture, and from your side, it’s a great way to accelerate your marketing goals. Everybody wins.

Start communicating with your customers through emailThe bottom line is that you should be communicating with your customers and prospects on a consistent basis. That is just what is expected of businesses in today’s world. With email marketing, you can meet those expectations and more by creating a mutually beneficial relationship between your business and your email subscribers.

With email marketing, you can build your brand, out-do your marketing goals, and set yourself up as an expert, all without breaking your budget or taking up all your time.

Article Provided by our Partners at Constant Contact