Email marketing solutions are cost effective and offer advanced optimization with detailed metrics. Additionally, email is by far the most popular form of direct electronic communication used today. With the considerable attention around social media, consider that only about 65% of people on the internet use social networking sites while over 90% continue to use email on a regular basis. In fact, more than half of everyone online begins their day with email. Is it any wonder that over 40% of marketing executives name email marketing as the most powerful advertising tool at their disposal?
The power of direct email marketing comes from its low cost, detailed metrics, and advanced optimization.
The marginal cost of sending email is virtually zero, which means your returns over time increase with the expansion of your subscription list. Email marketing solutions now include detailed metrics that let you know if an email is received, opened, and if a link is clicked (among other things). You can quickly ramp up a successful campaign or modify one that is performing poorly. With advanced optimization, you can test multiple offers, templates, images, copy, or any other variable you can think of and then select the tactics that deliver the best results.
However, the power of this channel has unfortunately caused a saturation of poor email marketing. Along with the growing popularity of email in general, spam and poor email marketing have made it necessary for users and service providers to become more sophisticated in how they control email. Filters, auto inbox management, and smartphones are just some of the tools email marketers must understand in order to be effective.
As email users and platforms become more sophisticated, so too must your email marketing. After all, these challenges create opportunities for those who know how to leverage them.
Almost 90% of the emails sent in 2010 were considered spam. In order to remain functional, email platforms are providing increasingly aggressive and sophisticated spam filters. By understanding how these filters work and taking steps not to be included with the spam, your email lands safely in your audience’s inbox.
Despite these filters, many users are still finding their inboxes overloaded with legitimate messages. For many people, systems designed to auto-manage a user’s inbox are now deciding which messages take priority. By providing value through quality content, your emails can become priority emails and grab your audience’s attention immediately.
Mobile email also continues to grow with over 40% of people now using their smartphone as the primary device for checking their email. If your audience cannot read your email on their mobile device, many of them will not read it at all. If the content linked to in your email cannot be viewed on a mobile device, your returns will be significantly diminished.
However, those are just some of the challenges and opportunities in a marketing solution that is constantly evolving. As the medium evolves, so too must your strategy.
If you are ready to leverage one the most powerful online advertising tools at your disposal, contact us and discover how Albis Consulting Group can help you reach your audience through email marketing.