Email Marketing Remains One of the Highest-Return Digital Channels
Depending on your sector, for every $1 spent, businesses earn roughly around $36 in revenue through email marketing initiatives with dialed in systems. In case you’re wondering that’s a 3500% return on investment. Why is this? Email is digital, instant, private, secure, regulated and interwoven into how we transact, log-in, and accomplish key events in our life. Our banks, our social media accounts, our favorite applications, our groceries, all connect back to an email address, which means we trust the email channel and medium as a society. Trust is priceless in the business world.
The Inbox: Where We Expect to be Sold To
Much like walking into a store or into a business meeting, the average person now views email as a place to discover deals, new products, and exclusive offers. It doesn’t stop there though, email is a place where we now expect, and in some cases hope for opportunity. Some studies show up to 80% of inbox volume is marketing-related for some users who frequently sign up for offers. This shift has happened gradually with the rise of e-commerce and digitization of communication and content consumption.
The Anatomy of an Email
There’s copywriting, and there’s email copywriting. Where communication, like a thread and needle, weave together and present an idea to users, users who are in different stages of discovery. Every character counts. The linguistic sewing of words colors, and images is how an email is born. Good emails persuasively push users to buy, great emails invites users to discover and make their own connection with the offering or service.
Email Marketing Compliance
In the United States, email marketing compliance is primarily governed by the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Requirements under this act include maintaining a clear Sender From name and email address, honest subject lines, including a mailing address, and a clear way to unsubscribe. Most Email Sender Platforms (ESPs) today will make sure you adhere to these regulations often resulting in an account shut down if proper best practices are not executed.
Tracking Revenue from Email
What’s the point if you can’t track it right? And companies who use email marketing understand this. UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) tracking is absolutely critical as well as maintaining a naming convention structure that is reliable and dependable. When an email is opened and clicked, marketers like Adelle need to know what time, what day, what email, what button, and who the recipient is. Integration with your Customer Relationship Management system takes this a step further.
Maintaining the Relationships
Email marketing is a multi-faceted medium, it’s a place where you can sell, create demand, get the word out, touch base, and maintain relationships. Which means it shouldn’t be used just to sell. It should be used mindfully to maintain brand reputation, connection with the audience, and mindfully presents mutually beneficial opportunities to those who want or need your product or service.