Email marketing, as with other marketing methods, has had its fair share of issues. It was associated with spam and junk for a while but, despite the bad associations, it’s still a thriving and essential business marketing tool. And is that any wonder – as it’s still super effective!

As an inbound marketing tool, email marketing helps keep you focused on those people who have already shown an interest in your business. For many business owners, social media may be seen as the way forward, but both baby boomers and Gen-Y contacts are more likely to use email – so if they’re your target customer, you need to use it too.

Inbound marketing works

Inbound marketing is not only cheaper, it’s more effective than outbound marketing. You’re putting the right thing in front of targeted, interested people – creating a win/win situation for both parties. Outbound marketing, on the other hand, involves broadcasting to a mass audience in the hopes of finding your target audience. This makes inbound marketing extremely cost effective too.

Email marketing also enables you to build and nurture relationships

Done the right way, email marketing can gradually build and nurture relationships with those people on your lists. You can further increase your credibility and share more useful information with your audience, whilst also building trust and rapport with them.

Email gives you a perfect, non-intrusive way to interact with your audience – but only if you use it well. If you’re going to start sending nothing but sales-based emails, you’re going to find it destroy, rather than build, relationships!

Use segmentation in your emails, to further tailor and nurture your lists

Personalised, tailored content is what your audience want. They don’t want to receive things that aren’t of interest or of relevance to them. Segmentation solves this problem. It makes your emails even more efficient, as you can separate out people based on what stage of the buyers journey they’re at. If someone has only just joined your list, you can introduce yourself and over time, build that relationship. Got a new launch? You can target people who have already bought from you.

What’s great about segmenting your list is you can also revisit those people who didn’t open or respond to your email. This enables you to ensure they’re happy to stay on your list, by giving them the option to unsubscribe.

Social media didn’t replace email

With the recent Facebook algorithm changes businesses are beginning to understand that social media isn’t the be-all and end-all of customer contact. Algorithms change and platforms close, so it’s only sensible to use every tool at your disposal.

Email is a tool in your overall toolkit

A smart marketer will look at how they can integrate and complement each other. For example, you could add social media share icons to your emails, encouraging readers to share your emails on the different platforms or add sign up buttons to your different social media platforms.

Email, along with other marketing methods are just that – tools. You can compile your own unique combination of tools in your toolkit; it doesn’t have to be an ‘either or’ scenario.

How do you feel about using email in your business? Is it something you have set up, or does the idea of email marketing send you into overwhelm? Email marketing may be a more traditional marketing tool, but it certainly isn’t going anywhere soon – so why not look at how you can utilise it in your business!

 

**Edit – originally published in 2018, this blog is still relevant today.