What No One Wants You to Know About Email Marketing
What is the Secret of Email Marketing?
The secret is that it works.
It might seem too simple to be true, but there you have it.
Email marketing is sometimes misrepresented as the junk mail of the internet. Where we are used to receiving folded flyers promising us great deals in our mailboxes every weekend, we now receive the virtual equivalent of these notices as email marketing messages in our inboxes any time of the day or night. The messages are very much the same; we are offered a chance to save big, earn a discount, or visit a store in person (or online) to receive a special offer just for us.
These deals and special offers are what drive a portion of the sales of the brands behind the messages. Email marketing is one of the most versatile and inexpensive types of internet marketing because thousands if not millions of emails can be sent within the space of a single day (often much less for smaller lists) for the cost of electricity and data center equipment over time.
Why Does Email Marketing Work?
Email marketing works because it gives people what they want. Whether it is a one-time deal or an opportunity to join an exclusive group of people who earn extra rewards for their brand loyalty when shopping, many people are happy to receive marketing messages via email because of the benefits they bring.
Ecommerce can also be stimulated by email marketing. Customers who have added items to a shopping cart and then abandoned this cart (for whatever reason) can be reminded of their selections and encouraged to make a purchase over the course of several days. They could be reminded of their interest in the items first, then a follow-up email could be sent with a free shipping code or a discount off the entire order if redeemed immediately. And these are just a few ideas for email marketing as it relates to ecommerce and shopping cart abandonment.
Timing and frequency are also up to you – you as a brand choose how, when, and for what reasons to reach out to your customers. When it comes to email marketing this means that how often you send your emails and when they arrive in your customers’ inboxes is entirely up to you. It is a privilege to have the names and email addresses of your customers; it is not a right, and should not be treated as such. Take care with your email list, and it will serve you well in the long term!
Comments:
If your brand sends emails with promotional offers, when do you send them?
If your brand does not engage in email marketing yet, would you do so in the future?
