In 2013 there were an estimated 3.6 billion active email accounts – roughly half of the world’s population.
Admittedly, a lot of those will represent individuals with multiple accounts but it’s still an impressive figure. You’ll never reach a large proportion of these accounts without orchestrating the biggest unsolicited spam mail campaign in history but the fact remains that email is now very much a standard means of communication all round the globe.
Targeted, permission-based email marketing is a hugely important channel for companies and organisations of all shapes and sizes. [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]Email newsletters[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]Email newsletters[/tp], offers and information can all offer benefits that other formats simply can’t match.
Costs
One of the most basic benefits is that email marketing can be incredibly cost-effective, especially when compared to other formats such as print or broadcast advertising. Email marketing can allow you to reach a maximum amount of people with minimal outlay.
Targeting
Just as importantly, the people you reach will have opted into receiving your mails. Usually this will be through prior interaction with your brand, meaning they already have an interest in what you have to offer.
You can also target further by using segmentation: sorting your lists by certain criteria so that the right messages have the best possible chance of meeting the right people.
Creation
Using email newsletter and marketing software allows you to create attractive, engaging and professional-looking emails that will also display correctly on the widest possible range of email clients and devices. You can store, save and edit previous emails, use ready-to-roll templates or import copy from other sources such as your website. You can also use images and customise your emails to reflect your brand.
Management
It’s important to be able to manage your lists and overall campaign. If someone un-subscribes, for example, they expect to be removed immediately and this can be done automatically. You can also deal with bounced messages and integrate your emails with your wider online presence such as social media profiles.
Tracking and analysis
Email marketing can be one of the easiest formats to track and analyse, especially if you integrate tools such as the free-to-use Google Analytics. You can collate and analyse data such as how many emails get through, how many are actually opened and how many lead to a direct action such as clicking through to your website. All of this can be really beneficial to any marketing or email campaigns you run and give you quantifiable data to review.