When it comes to marketing, there are many different mediums a business can take to communicate with their audience. Each medium comes with its own benefits and drawbacks that are important to keep in mind when advertisements are being designed. What works really well in one medium is not necessarily as effective in another medium. One noteworthy medium for businesses to take is email. Getting a customer to opt-in to receiving emails has many inherent benefits that you may not be fully aware of. According to MarketingSherpa, 91% of adults in the US like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with. With a strong majority ready and willing to receive your messages, these are the major benefits of email marketing you should consider.
Measurable
Analytics are essential when evaluating the success of a campaign. The more specific the data you collect, the more you can fine-tune your ad to maximize your response and conversion. Email marketing is one of the easiest mediums to test campaigns on because of the amount of data you can collect.
Email marketing grants you valuable information about your customers and their behaviors. The data you can access related to email marketing includes how many people received an email, how many people opened an email, how many people clicked a link in an email, which specific link within an email was clicked, how many people complained that an email was spam, and how many people unsubscribed.
Targeting
Email marketing possesses some similar strengths to social media advertising, and this is one of them. Being able to customize your emails to gain better responses from specific demographics is a strength that mediums such as television and outdoor advertising lack. This customization is more likely to lead to customer conversion because you can fine-tune your message so that it is better received by a specific demographic.
Each Email is an Exposure
Every email that a person receives from your company is an exposure. Given that 91% of US adults want to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with, every email you send is another time your company is entering the person’s mind. Even in the unfavorable scenario where the person chooses not to open the email or send it immediately to the trash, the person is still having your company’s name being put into their brain. An important thought to keep in mind, however, is to not go overboard. Oversaturating a person’s inbox with emails from your company will only frustrate them and make them less likely to convert into a customer.
Easily Shareable
With the exception of social media, no medium is more easily shareable. All one has to do is click the forward button and who they want to see your promotional email. Including special offers in promotional emails such as coupons has double benefits because it increases the odds of that person doing business with you as well as sharing it with those they know that may try out your business because of the special offer.
Cost-Efficiency
Email marketing is potentially the most cost-efficient medium of advertising. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing brings in $40 for every $1 spent. You don’t need to pay for printing, postal mailing costs, phone lines, or advertising rates. Everything is digital, and without advertising rates being added in, you are unlikely to find a cheaper way to advertise to your audience.
Time-Efficiency
It simply does not take that long to create an email marketing piece. By utilizing reusable templates, you are able to quickly create marketing pieces that will reach your audience the moment you send them out. This can be extremely helpful for sending out reminders about limited time offers to help generate increased business.
Conclusion
Email marketing is an extremely efficient and effective medium for advertising. The major drawback of email marketing is that you have to get your customer to opt-in, but once they are on the hook, the benefits are numerous. While email marketing may not be the first medium to come to mind when you are choosing how to advertise, it may just be the one you need.
