More often than not email marketing divides opinion. One argument is that it has lost its relevance in the age of social media platforms, the other being that it acts as a viable medium complementing modern outreach initiatives.
There is a need to shift focus from the basic question of yes or no towards the optimization of email marketing.
USP of Email Marketing
The 21st century is rightly termed as the age of social media but email remains the number #1 communication channel, businesses across the globe literally run on emails. Outreach efforts that do not leverage the most common channel of communication make no sense at all.
Personalization
What marketers fear most today is the classification of their emails as spam/promotional. There is no doubt that a number of contributing factors are involved but lack of personalization is pretty high on the list. Emails should not mirror a templated format, a personalized subject and addressing the receiver by name can go a long way in facilitating the interaction.
Content
Email outreach is similar to building a relationship, at the start establishing trust and credibility should be paramount. Instead of expecting a return, the email should be aimed to provide value upfront and facilitate decision making. Ideally, an email should be short, crisp and to the point.
Avoid Overload
An email conversation between two friends/associates is less likely to have any images or videos, there might be a few external links but those will be limited in number. Email outreach with an overload of images, videos and external links is vulnerable to be classified as promotional. The safest bet is to design emails that replicate a conversation between two friends.
Realistic Expectations
One should avoid having unrealistic expectations from email marketing. Email marketing is a cost-effective exercise that apart from serving as a call for mutual association also increases visibility and brand authority.
Contact Dignitas Digital for more information on how you can improve your email marketing strategy.