Email Marketing is Alive and Well in 2016

Email is dead right? Nobody actually uses that stuff anymore… do they? This may come as a surprise to some, but email marketing is actually one of the most efficient ways to reach your customers. Email campaigns are actually 40 (that’s right 40) times more effective than Facebook and Twitter. For every $1 spent the average return is $44.25. Not to mention, 76% of marketers say that they are using email more today than they did three years ago.

Now that we know email is not going extinct, here are some helpful tips to ensure your email marketing campaign is as successful as possible:

• Only send emails to people who you know, using an opt-in option is your best bet to ensure your recipients actually care about your business. You also want to take note of your buyer persona at this stage to ensure everything from here on out, is tailored to that persona.
• Treat your contacts like people, after all they are. Try things like sending new customers emails with additional information about your business. It is also important to determine who your audience is and send the right emails at the right time.
• Send relevant content with value. Listen to your audience with the use of email reports and see which emails get opened and what linked are being clicked on this will tell you what they are most interested in. To find out what you should NOT put in an email newsletter check out this article.
• Engage your audience with content. Once you’ve found out what content they find interesting, start creating it! For advice on creating more engaging content, click here!
• Maximize delivery rates by taking advantage of an email marketing provider such as Constant Contact or MailChimp.
  
• Never share your email list and avoid purchasing lists from 3rd party vendors, as many of these folks will have zero interest in your business.
• Set expectations and follow through with them.
• Make your emails look professional with the help of templates that transfer across all platforms. It is also important to create a subject line that draws the recipient in. The addition of images and video links never hurt!
• Regularly review your results. Click-through rates and number of emails opened are two of the most valuable metrics available to email marketing, this does not mean to ignore the rest.
• Go beyond the inbox and connect on more levels, such as Facebook or Twitter.

By following these guidelines, you are already on your way to a successful email marketing campaign.

Here is a great info-graphic regarding some successful email marketing tactics brought to you by Mailify.

All in all, email is still a powerful tool in the marketing world. If you business is not using it, they should. It is simple, free and the benefits to your company are virtually endless.