Email marketing might seem old-fashioned to some, but it’s still one of most reliable points of contact for personalised communications with your customers (not to mention cheap!).
For decades, email has been one of the most trustworthy forms of communication in marketing. The rise of detailed data acquisition on paid traffic platforms led many people to start shouting “email is dead!”, but the reality is (a) email marketing never died and (b) now that media buyers have butted heads with the vagaries of paid traffic algorithms, they’re realising it’s not such a bad go-to after all.
Email marketing is reliable, it allows you to communicate in a far more personalised way than paid traffic, and it’s inexpensive. It’s also extremely measurable and straight-down-the-line actionable. These are the top 5 reasons why, at McKee Creative, email marketing is a non-negotiable part of each of our client’s campaigns.
Walk with us through each of these reasons - when we’re done, you’ll never again allow yourself to miss the opportunities email marketing creates.
Ask any responsible media buyer and they’ll tell you that at least a low level of anxiety permeates every move they make. One day, their Facebook ad account will show them a reasonable cost per thousand impressions. The next, that stat will have skyrocketed faster than newbies flocked to Dogecoin. Or ask them about the time(s) they turned off an under-performing ad set, only to find three days later that delayed data now shows it was a fabulous targeting/creative combo … and how they feel when they switch it back on and it never quite recovers.
When you set up your email marketing on a reputable platform (we recommend ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo in particular), you’ll find you’re operating in a space where the rules are generally the rules. Set it up right, segment intelligently, pass the spam check and you’re good to go.
If you’d like a “how to” guide in setting up your email marketing so that you can bring 30% of your revenue via email, get our free rundown (with free DIY bonuses worth $900!) here.
Too many small businesses baulk at monthly fees for email marketing platforms, and go free or super-cheap. But they’re missing the point and soon discover their options to set up the right segments and automations are limited. When you know how to generate 30% of your revenue via your email marketing, the monthly subscription to, say, ActiveCampaign’s Plus plan is a no-brainer.
Instead of paying at a rate per thousand impressions like Google or Instagram and Facebook ads, with a quality email service provider you’re paying your platform subscription rate and can go hard on communications, every month.
This means if your subscriber base is strong you’ll have no issue maximising your engagement, for as little cost as possible.
More importantly, if you’re able to segment and target that audience effectively, you’re essentially sending messages that don’t just reach a large number of people, but reach the right people the best way possible - for no additional cost.
Email marketing lets you get personal with your customers (in the most professional way ;).
When you personalise your content for specific individuals or groups, you’re able to communicate more effectively and create a strong relationship with your audience.
Tagging and using fields isn’t difficult. Tags relate to the actions a contact takes that can change quickly (such as purchasing a specific product, clicking on a link) and custom fields relate to things about the contact that are unlikely to change, such as their name, their city, or their Instagram handle.
By considering aspects such as geography, age, interests, previous purchases, previous experiences, and gender in your specific tagging methods, you can enhance the experience of every client and tailor-make your emails to fit every group and make sure every possible identifier feels included.
Use these to optimise your welcome, first purchase, call to review, free product with review, abandon cart, abandon site, and even your holiday sales emails. Blog emails are also a good space for creating some of the most personal messaging of all and giving back to your community.
By staying consistent and utilising every point of contact with your audience as personally as possible, you’ll see real results in not only your email marketing response, but your general relationship with customers.
And by building an actual relationship with customers as opposed to viewing them as human capital? You’re more likely to build brand ambassadors that stick around for your journey long-term.
And that’s priceless.
In any marketing, it’s important to measure your data to help you understand your strengths, weaknesses, and your customers in general.
It not only helps you understand what the majority of your customers do or don’t respond to, but also helps you further segment and tag your marketing system to direct messages to those specific audiences.
Yes, it means you won’t be annoying… but it really makes sure every individual's needs and interests are acknowledged in the marketing process.
This is crucial in making sure that your messages are the best quality for your brand.
It also means you’re able to directly solve issues by measuring your strengths and weaknesses. You can see directly where you’re going wrong, or what exactly is gaining the highest results in all fields - what you can take action on and how to do it.
You may be surprised how easy measuring and then using that data in email marketing actually is.
When you send out an email from whatever platform you use, that platform is instantly recording how many emails got sent out, and constantly updating this with how many clicks, closes, opens, and general responses you’ve received.
Once you are familiar with the industry benchmark KPIs, you can make sure that your campaign achieves those, then work to beat the control by testing different aspects.
The purpose of any email you’ve ever received? To be opened. Then to be “clicked through”. Then for your contacts to answer your call to action.
There’s no scrolling straight past - they have to decide what to actually do with you first.
With email, you’re reaching your clients in the same space they receive Grandma’s recipe, or that GIF from a friend at work, meaning your message is more likely to be received in a similar way.
Here at McKee Creative, we like to think of it as having something to say that’s so worthwhile you have to share - kind of like when you were a kid in class, determined to send that note to a friend right under the teacher’s nose!
It’s a really nice channel for communication, where you don’t need to be pushy and can just “be yourself” and connect in a natural way.
Many businesses have started opting for really unique email campaigns that bend the boundary of marketing entirely as a result of this.
You can easily implement videos, photos, games even, into your email, hitting multiple sell points and including a CRUCIAL ‘P.S’ to keep them excited. Blog emails are also useful for breaking up the general grind of marketing emails, helping you build a genuine relationship with your audience, free of any kind of sales pitch.
Yes, we mean it.
Email might seem a little mild or outdated, but when you really think about it, it makes sense why it sees more users than Facebook or Instagram.
The reason? Email is one place and has been around longer than any social media. You can send an email from a Google email address to a business email address no problem. You can access a whole number of platforms, from just one single place: email.
Facebook or Instagram however, all have competitors and usually also have restrictions on where you’re viewed. Instead of selling to millions of people on Facebook and Instagram and Google, you’re just selling to a specific group on Facebook alone and not all social media platforms.
But with email? Yep, you can send to every single person on your list, with messages customised to suit different segments of readers.
More users generally means more conversion. Don’t skimp out on one of the most reliable forms of marketing, simply because social media is all the buzz right now.
Here’s a basic list of the overall benefits of email marketing, and why it’s actually so important to implement into any marketing plan:
Overall, the benefits to email marketing seem endless. So, as one of the most budget-friendly, personal, and measurable forms of marketing, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the oldest platforms used to this day.
Don’t forget to think of even just a few of these benefits.
And know that something as effective, reliable, and cost-efficient as email marketing can change your relationship with your customers… and potentially turn them into brand-enthusiasts.
Don’t leave money on the table, implement email into your marketing plan for real results.
Ready to do this for yourself? Use our guide here.
If you need someone to do it for you? Get in touch with us here.
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