After the introduction of emails in 1971, it became one of the most used direct communication methods between electronic devices. The idea of email marketing was brought forward soon after, with a marketing manager using it for sending commercial emails in 1978. Now, email marketing has become an integral part of the digital marketing landscape.
Email marketing has changed drastically over the years. With the innovation of advanced tools, emails can reach a hyper-specific audience. As a result, businesses, organisations, and individuals can send specific messages to the people they want, which is incredible for marketing.
We will discuss the basics of email marketing in this blog. By the end, you will learn what it is, how it is still relevant, and how you can come up with a successful marketing campaign using the power of emails.
Simply put, email marketing is the use of emails for promotion. It is a section of digital marketing where businesses create awareness about their products, services, and associated deals. The ultimate goal of this kind of marketing is to drive sales and profit, and it’s done by building a strong relationship with the customer base and building brand awareness.
Email marketing used to be a one-size-fits-all strategy where companies sent generic newsletters to their entire list. While this succeeded for some time, today’s email marketing has developed into a very tailored, data-driven approach. Automation, segmentation, and advanced analytics let companies provide customised messages that directly address the requirements and preferences of their audience.
Email is still a pillar of digital marketing even as new channels like social media and messaging apps grow. The reason is that unlike social media, where algorithms dictate visibility, it provides direct access to your audience in a venue they check every day. The numbers show it: email marketing routinely offers better ROI, engagement, and conversions than most other channels.
Email is not just surviving; it’s thriving. Around 4.6 billion people worldwide are predicted to be email users by 2025. More than half of the world’s population will be using email. Thus marketers have access to an enormous and steadily expanding audience.
Email is among the most inclusive marketing tools since consumption of it crosses all demographics unlike other digital platforms. Email guarantees your message reaches people in their inbox, a personal environment where they are more likely to interact whether your target audience is Gen Z, Millennials, or Boomers.
For the great majority of individuals, email is a daily habit. With 88% of people checking their emails daily, this is a dependable way to regularly reach your audience.
This amount of engagement is much higher than what you might see on other marketing channels, where people might only interact occasionally. Whether they are reading emails at night or checking their inbox during morning coffee, email allows you to be in touch with people where they already are. Email is a must for maintaining top-of-mind awareness of your brand since it is always visible.
Email marketing is unparalleled for return on investment (ROI). Businesses generate an average of $36 for every $1 spent—a staggering 3600% ROI. This substantially surpasses the ROI of other digital marketing outlets, including PPC advertising and social media.
More importantly, other companies claim even more success—18% of which reach over $70 for every dollar spent. Email marketing provides one of the most reasonably priced strategies for increasing sales and cultivating client loyalty regardless of size—small startup or big business.
Email automation has revolutionised how businesses communicate with their audience. Here’s why automation is a game-changer:
(Source: Omnisend, 2023)
Automation allows you to send the right message at the right moment—from a welcome email for new members to a follow-up after a transaction to a reminder to finish a checkout. It has been shown that these timely, customised messages work.
Email isn’t just a way to talk to people; it also has a big effect on how people act. Email is a crucial touchpoint in the buyer’s path since around 59% of buyers claim that marketing emails affect their purchase choices.
Further proving its influence is 52% of consumers making purchases straight from an email in 2023. Email motivates action and turns interest into money, whether it’s personalised advice, product announcements, or promotional discounts.
Email marketing consistently outshines social media in terms of engagement and conversions:
(Source: Consumer Trends Index 2023)
Social media platforms are excellent for building brand recognition and community, but algorithms and platform-specific rules limit its reach. In contrast, email gives you complete control over your message, ensuring that it reaches your audience free from interruption.
There are several campaign forms available in email marketing; each meant to reach particular goals. From updating your audience to increasing sales or reactivating inactive members, the choice of email campaign type will greatly affect your outcomes. The most successful kind of email campaigns are broken down here:
Your best tool for keeping your readers updated is a newsletter. These emails are sent on a daily basis and are full of useful information, important updates, and exciting news. Consider them as a continuous means of keeping in touch, offering everything from industry trends to corporate news and useful advice. It’s all about getting to know your subscribers well and keeping them interested and updated.
Driving action and increasing sales define promotional emails. These emails highlight your greatest offerings, whether they are a seasonal campaign, a flash sale, or an exclusive bargain. They are ideal for generating urgency, enthusiasm, and immediate, quantifiable results impacting your bottom line.
Your first opportunity to really stand out is through welcome emails. Sent straight after someone’s joining your list, these emails define your relationship’s tone. While making them feel valued from the beginning, they present your brand, showcase your value, and invite members to look into what you have to offer.
You can get back inactive subscribers with re-engagement programs. These emails are meant to grab readers’ attention, pique their curiosity, and remind them of the first reason they joined up. Personalised communications or special offers will help you to restore relationships, enhance the quality of your email list, and lower turnover.
Why do you need tools for email marketing? Isn’t it as simple as just writing up an email and manually sending it to your customer list? Well, there are certain issues with that:
Here’s an overview of some top platforms and the key features to look for when selecting the best tool for your needs.
Beyond email marketing, HubSpot Marketing Hub performs as a complete martech platform. It’s made for small to medium-sized businesses and includes important features like automation, analytics, and CRM tools. This makes it comparable to enterprise options like Salesforce. For companies striving for a complete strategy, its emphasis on optimising the whole client journey—not only email—makes it a wise decision.
A reliable name in email marketing, Mailchimp has changed greatly over time. Although email campaigns still define its major strength, it now incorporates CRM capabilities and even tools for website building. Even though Mailchimp has more features, it still has an easy-to-use design, which makes it a great choice for marketers who value both strong capabilities and ease of use.
Campaigner is perfect for businesses looking for a very flexible and reasonably priced email marketing option. It is both flexible and strong since it provides additional capabilities, including a workflow designer and flawless connection with outside tools. Its straightforward design distinguishes it, particularly for organisations that appreciate simplicity without sacrificing capability.
From a simple email tool, Brevo has developed into a complete marketing centre. Companies looking to increase their email marketing initiatives find this appealing given built-in CRM tools and sophisticated automation. Brevo is a reasonably priced option with features that fit budgets as well.
By simplifying repeated chores, including welcome emails, cart abandonment reminders, and follow-up, automation saves time. Modern systems like HubSpot and Brevo have thorough workflow designers that let you easily develop sophisticated, behaviour-based campaigns.
Search for tools offering thorough analytics to maximise your email approach. Important indicators such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates should be clearly available. HubSpot, for instance, shines at following the client’s path and offering useful analysis.
Select a tool that easily fits your current tech stack. Extensive third-party software integrations on platforms like Campaigner and Brevo let you link your CRM, online store, and other tools for a consistent workflow.
An easy-to-use interface guarantees the capacity of your team to monitor, plan, and run campaigns. Mailchimp is a great choice for novice and seasoned marketers because of its continuously easy-to-use UI.
Scalability is absolutely vital whether your company is small business or large. Your company will require a system that can manage more complicated processes, bigger email lists, and extra features without breaking the budget as it expands.
What makes an email campaign successful, bringing high click-through rate (CTR) and conversion? It’s not just one thing. An email contains multiple parts, from the subject line to the main body. Then there is the question of layout and design, as an email with just a wall of text is not going to do much in today’s marketing landscape. With that being said, here are the key elements that can ensure high-conversion in your email campaigns:
One of the most important parts of your marketing is the subject line, which is the first thing people see. Strong subject lines catch attention and draw in readers, increasing open rates.
Segmentation and personalisation help generic email blasts into relevant, targeted messages that appeal to recipients.
Once recipients open your email, your copy must deliver value and guide them toward taking action.
Make your CTA stand out with bold buttons and clear, action-driven language.
Great design ensures your email looks professional and guides the reader’s attention to key elements.
A/B testing and analytics are absolutely crucial to maximise your email efforts. They help you to always grow and find out what suits your audience.
Based on the data from your analytics, improve the next campaigns with an eye on the factors causing the most involvement and conversion.
Developing a good email campaign requires both rigorous preparation and execution. Use these six guidelines to make sure your campaign performs the way you want it to and appeals to your target demographic.
First, decide what you wish to accomplish with your email program. Clear goals will help you plan your approach and figure out how well it worked.
Having a focused objective ensures every element of your campaign is aligned with achieving that specific outcome.
Knowing who you’re speaking to is crucial for creating a message that resonates.
A well-defined audience allows you to craft personalised emails that feel relevant and meaningful.
Your content should be tailored to your audience should be tailored to your audience and aligned with your campaign goal.
Selecting the right platform is essential for delivering, managing, and analysing your campaigns effectively.
Timing plays a significant role in the effectiveness of your emails.
Automation tools let you send emails depending on particular events, such as a purchase by a subscriber or a website visit.
The success of your email campaign does not stop when you hit “send.” Constant improvement depends on you tracking and perfecting your technique. Monitor the performance of your ongoing campaign and look for ways to improve.
Ready to master the art of email marketing? One of the best ways to do that is to learn from the experts themselves. With the help of Sikkhon’s courses, you can get a deeper understanding of the digital marketing landscape. Enrol now to get your journey started!
