Nearly 40 years ago, email marketing was considered email spam. Sending out a mass email about a product or service to a host of recipients that the sender may or may not have known was a very new and probably a cumbersome task.
Today, after the advent and rise of the internet, and in the age of digital technology, email has become increasingly important. Email, as it turns out, controls a large share of marketing channels.
“[Email] boasts the broadest reach, the lowest cost, the easiest measurability, and the highest conversion rates and ROI.” According to a report by The Relevancy Group in 2015, “Some 91 percent of marketing executives call e-mail the single most effective channel for driving revenue.”
But it isn’t just marketing directors that see the importance of email, customers are addicted to email as well as “58% of Americans would rather receive communications about products and services in their email inbox than anywhere else.”
However, email has transformed itself from a little kid to a full-grown adult and requires more focus, clarity, and dedication to giving all pertinent information in as few words and in a few emails as possible. “40% of Americans report wanting to see less email” and “32% want to see fewer repetitive emails from brands.”
So, what are the rules of email marketing and how do you stay within those boundaries:
Rule #1: It takes a village to launch a campaign.
– Communicate with all stakeholders from the get-go.
– Get executive support for your cross-channel strategy.
– Organize teams around the customer.
Rule #2: Integrate cross-channel data for the best customer conversation.
– Use an e-mail address to connect channel data.
– Recognize that it takes time to architect and design an integrated database.
– Look beyond your online or e-mail only data.
Rule #3: It’s not about you — it’s about your customers.
– Personalize emails with dynamic content.
– Remember that timing is everything.
