Kristen Herhold — June 22, 2018 — June 22, 2018
“Email is dead” is a common phrase among experts and non-experts alike. They argue that email does a poor job of reaching consumers and influencing them to convert.
For most businesses, however, email marketing is alive and well: 69 percent of businesses use email marketing, according to a new survey on The Manifest.
Most businesses use email marketing and find it successfully spreads brand awareness and engages consumers.
So, if most businesses still use email marketing, how are they using it successfully?
The Types of Emails Businesses Send
It’s rare for a business to only send one kind of email to subscribers. Most businesses see the importance of sending a variety of emails. The most popular are:
- Product and company updates (69 percent)
- Promotional emails (69 percent)
- Newsletters (68 percent)
- Event invitations (65 percent)
Sending different kinds of emails can keep consumers engaged with and intrigued by your content. If you send the same email over and over, customers will probably find it boring and will be less likely to open it.
Because most businesses will send customers different types of emails, they must be transparent when subscribers sign up. If you plan to send them newsletters, exclusive content, and promotional emails, make sure they know when they subscribe. Sending them unwanted emails will only upset them and lead to a lower opinion of your company.
The Importance of Sending Regular Emails
Most businesses that use email marketing don’t use it only occasionally: 32 percent send marketing emails daily, and 41 percent send emails weekly. Only 2 percent of businesses send marketing emails less often than monthly.
This means that it’s important to make a regular appearance in your subscribers’ inboxes. If you rarely send an email, customers will likely forget all about your business, and when it comes time to make a purchase, they are probably thinking about your competitor who recently emailed them.
Though sending emails regularly is important, it’s also essential to look at your target audience and industry to determine the frequency you send emails.
If your business sells auto repair services, for example, your customers likely aren’t in the market for auto repairs often, so sending emails daily or even weekly wouldn’t make much sense.
On the other hand, if your business is a lifestyle company, it may make sense to send daily emails to customers, who are passionate about your brand and use it in their everyday lives.
You must determine what your subscribers want when you decide how often to send them emails. If you’re wrong, they might become frustrated, leading them to hit the dreaded “unsubscribe” button.
Email Marketing Helps Businesses Meet Goals
Businesses use email marketing to accomplish several goals, but the top goals are growing and retaining their customer base (29 percent) and increasing engagement (22 percent).
When someone signs up for your emails, they are clearly interested in your product; your job is to keep their interest and hopefully influence them to make a purchase.
Retaining customers and increasing engagement go hand-in-hand. If customers aren’t engaged with your emails, how can they be influenced to remain interested in your company? Engagement leads to regular customers.
Email Marketing Isn’t Dead
Email marketing remains an essential part of a business’s overall digital marketing strategy.
Businesses that don’t use email marketing are missing out on a way to reach consumers, keep them engaged, and encourage them to convert.
Email marketing is here to stay.
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