Having been around since the late '70s, email marketing has long been one of the most prevalent approaches to driving leads and reaching prospective buyers. However, like bell bottoms and oversized collars, there seems to be less reliance on it, especially with the rise of social media marketing, SEO, and PPC marketing.
In short, email marketing seems to be going out of vogue — or is it?
We've got recent data to suggest that it's still as relevant today as it was decades ago. Find out the facts and figures behind email marketing's contemporary relevance and why it still deserves a spot in your overall marketing strategies.
Email marketing may seem like a surefire way to waste ad spend. However, if your goal is to get your brand's name out there, you'd be sleeping on maximum reach if you place email marketing on the back burner.
Recent data shows that emails have a 60% open rate, especially on mobile devices (which everyone has these days). On top of that, when surveyed, 99% of respondents were more likely to open their inboxes and skip ads.
Do you know what this means? It means that with the right email strategies, you're more likely to reach and engage the most number of users — something you may not be able to do with other channels.
So, how has email marketing stayed so relevant all these years? We can attribute its longevity to several factors.
Ads and other inbound strategies target the most significant number of online users, but there's something more personal when it comes to emails. Emails reach specific individuals, making it the digital equivalent of a personalized handwritten letter.
Emails may not get the job done alone, but you'd be sleeping on its reach if you omit it from your omnichannel marketing. Email marketing is a must if you need a way to reach specific audiences and engage them. This makes it an excellent addition to your digital marketing stack.
Print and television ads have gone the way of the dodo, but emails haven't. That's because emails have also changed with the times by becoming mobile-friendly. Due to mobile optimization, three out of five mobile users are more likely to open emails.
At the end of the day, it's all about whether your marketing efforts yield the desired results. So, how does email marketing work in the ROI department?
On average, email marketing can get you $26 for each dollar you spend. That's at least $2 more than if you allocated your efforts solely to PPCs and social media ads!
With numerous advances in tech and marketing, pros like yourself can look forward to several emerging trends in email marketing.
Leverage these, and you'll be ahead of the curve — and your competitors.
Traditional static emails are fine and have gotten the job done for decades. However, today's users want more engaging experiences, which you can deliver with accelerated mobile pages (AMP).
These add dynamicness to your emails, providing your users with an immersive experience that goes beyond reading your email content. Many companies are pioneering AMPs and are seeing as much as 73% open rates.
As a marketing professional, you'll likely get bogged down with tasks like email personalization and audience segmentation. Why do all this yourself when machine learning can take over them?
Machine learning and AI can take on these repetitive tasks, allowing you to scale your email campaigns as much as you can.
Besides your actual email deployments, the automation you get from AI can also help you A/B test and optimize your copy for maximum reach and results.
Due to data security concerns, GDPR regulations emphasize transparency in data use. With these regulations in place, your users must also find ways to control as much of their data as possible.
You can help your users and stay compliant by adding easy "unsubscribe" options to your emails. And don't forget to have security measures in place to protect your users' data.
Users are likely to ignore 65% of the emails they receive. So, the main challenge lies in getting users to open your email amidst an ocean of emails.
Personalize emails by addressing users by their names to maximize your click rates. Make your subject lines compelling by mentioning a pain point or addressing an initial point of contact (e.g., "We Received Your…").
Deliverability is another concern. To ensure that your emails don't end up in spam folders, send your emails only to active contacts. And don't forget to avoid spam terms like "buy," "cash," and "sell."
Personalization and optimization are the cornerstones of successful email marketing.
Here are some best practices to get you started:
So, what does the future have in store?
For the next few years, AI may permeate more email marketing processes. We're also likely to see broader adoptions of AMPs, and content will go the mobile-optimized route because of the growing number of mobile users worldwide.
Emails are still relevant to this day and deserve a spot on your marketing stack.
Ready to revolutionize your email marketing strategy for 2025 and beyond? Connection Model's team of email marketing experts can help you leverage the latest trends and technologies to maximize your ROI.
Contact us today to learn how we can create a data-driven email marketing campaign that drives real results for your business.