Email marketing isn’t a new concept. It’s actually been around for a while, but a lot of people don’t know what it is, or how to use it effectively. It’s essentially direct mail, but in email form. Email might seem a little outdated in the age of social media, but it’s actually an extremely effective way of communicating to consumers.
Email marketing falls under the digital marketing category. It uses a mailing list to send out emails promoting a business and its product/service. Any email you get from a company that is not a purchase confirmation is email marketing. Newsletters, sales promotions, and re-engagement messages are the main types of emails used. These could be used by promoting a new product, making customers aware of a sale or special deal, like the Spotify email above, or asking them to participate in a survey about their experience. The point is that these emails feel personalized to the customer, unlike a mass media ad on Facebook.
Why Is It Important?
Now that you know what email marketing is, you might be wondering why you should care. Everyone hates that endless junk mail they get in their inbox! But if you do email marketing right, it won’t be junk mail to your customers. With the right mailing list, you’ll be able to reach customers who actually want to hear from you. Because customers sign up for email lists, you know the content you are producing is going to an audience that will pay attention to the messages. This can help create customer loyalty, as well as increased brand awareness. Who doesn’t want that! The specialization of emails helps build and keep relationships with customers. Something like sending a birthday deal to a customer, like this one from Chipotle, can make them feel valued, and makes them more likely to keep doing business with you. Good customer relationships can help boost sales.
Is Email Better Than Social Media?
Both email and social media marketing have their perks. The most effective way to use either of these strategies is to use them together. But when comparing the two, email’s biggest leg-up is that you own the content, whereas you don’t own your social media account. It’s kind of like owning vs leasing a house. You “lease” from social media, because you don’t actually own your account. If Instagram were to stop existing tomorrow, your account would be gone, along with all its content. And there’s nothing you can do because you don’t own Instagram. But with email marketing, you own that digital space. Your content can’t just disappear randomly. It lives in that space because you own it. So, one isn’t better than the other, but it’s important to utilize both to diversify your digital marketing portfolio.
If you want some help getting some emails started, or just have more questions, contact us today!
