Email Marketing Isn’t Dead Yet. Find Out Why.

Marketers leverage the power of email marketing to nurture leads and influence purchase decisions. When executed correctly, email marketing can also boost customer engagement and retention.

Other tools, such as social media marketing and SEO, have also invaded the internet. As a result, marketers have been drawn to these channels. They invest a significant amount of time and resources into harnessing the potential of these channels.

This has led many to ponder the fate of email marketing. “Is email marketing dead?” It is one question that has been plaguing brands and digital marketers. The question has become even more pertinent in the light of growing privacy concerns.

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Before we explore whether email marketing really is dead, let’s take a closer look at this marketing technique.

Understanding Email Marketing

In order to understand the concept of email marketing, it is important to understand what it is not.

Amateur marketers often confuse bulk mailing as a form of email marketing. The truth is that spamming people with promotional emails is not what email marketing is all about.

Email marketing is the technique of sending personalized and targeted emails to your potential and existing customers.

You can use email marketing to send information about your latest discounts and offers. You can also send valuable content in the form of insightful newsletters.

A successful email marketing campaign is more than bulk mailing. It requires proper planning and a deep understanding of your subscribers. It is equally crucial to send your emails at the right time of the day and at the optimal frequency.

When executed correctly, email marketing can help you develop long-term relationships with your audience. Consequently, you can utilize it to strengthen your brand reputation and reinforce brand trust. It is a much more cost-effective form of direct mailing.

Let’s now try to answer the most pressing question, “Is email marketing dead?” In the following section, we will explore whether email marketing is as relevant and useful for today’s marketers.

Is Email Marketing Dead? Here’s What The Numbers Say

While some marketers argue that email marketing is a lost cause, there are others who still believe in its merit. A look at the latest email marketing statistics will give some insight into this debate and help answer the question.

Reach

According to Statista, the total number of email users in the world crossed 3.8 billion in 2018. This is higher than the total number of social media users worldwide (2.62 billion in 2018). Moreover, the figure is expected to reach 4.4 billion by 2023.

In addition, a total number of emails sent and received was more than 280 billion emails per day in 2018. This number is set to grow to 347 billion by 2023. These figures clearly indicate that email marketing has the potential to reach an extremely wide audience.

It is also important to note that 99% of email users check their inbox on a daily basis. Another survey revealed that more than 50% of the respondents in the U.S. check their emails more than 10 times a day. They also agreed that emails are their preferred medium for receiving updates from brands.

Moreover, despite the rise of social messaging apps, emails are still preferred as a communication tool by most millennials. In fact, 91% of U.S. internet users in the age group of 15 to 24-year-olds used emails in 2017.

All this data makes it evident that emails are still a popular communication choice for internet users across the world.

Therefore, one can’t dismiss email marketing as an outdated or irrelevant technique. The key is to target the right segment in this plethora of email users.

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Engagement

“Is email marketing dead?” This question has become more pertinent since the rise of social media platforms. Most of your potential and existing customers are already using at least one social media platform.

This often leads brands to believe that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. are the only channels to connect with their audience.

However, the engagement rates on these platforms have a different story to tell. According to Rival IQ, the average engagement rate per post on Facebook was just 0.16% in 2018.

The average engagement rate per post on Instagram and Twitter 1.73% and 0.046% respectively.

This is disappointing considering the large number of active social media users. The disparity is largely because social media platforms have changed their algorithms to limit the organic reach of your posts. It is an attempt to attract more brand towards paid social media advertising.

In another study, GetResponse analyzed 4 billion emails sent between July and December 2018. It revealed that email’s worldwide average open rate of 22.86% with a CTR of 3.71%.

This clearly indicates that emails have a far better chance of grabbing the attention of your audience.

ROI

One of the key factors to judge the success of any marketing campaign is ROI. When it comes to email marketing, you may have to invest capital for proper software.

In addition, you may have to hire people to publish high-quality content and create attractive newsletters.

This often makes one ponder if email marketing is effective in driving conversions and increasing revenue. Otherwise, any investment in terms of money and effort may not be worth it.

In other words, the ROI of email marketing is a crucial factor for determining its effectiveness.

A recent study revealed that email marketing delivers an ROI of 4400%. This means you can get $44 in return for every $1 you spend. This is far higher than the ROI of other digital marketing techniques such as influencer marketing.

This clearly reveals that email marketing is far from gone. With such a huge ROI potential, it has the ability to grow your business by increasing sales. The key is to fine tune your message so that it hits the right chord with your audience.

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B2B Opportunities

One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is that it offers immense scope for B2B marketers. Individual consumers can be reached out via social media or influencer marketing.

However, fostering B2B relationships using such techniques is often difficult.

Continue reading this article on Shane Barker's blog.