Credit: youtechassociates.com
Email marketing is fast becoming the most effective method for any business to connect with both existing and potential customers. Traditional advertising methods are far from dead but the power of the simple email cannot be ignored. Printed postal mailings, billboard advertising, broadcasting and telesales all have their own merits, but not one of them can combine as many advantages as email marketing.
It’s the smart way to communicate and can be tailor made for every situation – whether your intention is to contact prospective clients, enhance the company / customer relationship, encourage repeat business, or send advertisements.
Immediate
Email marketing has an immediacy that cannot be matched by other forms of marketing and radically reduces delays in communication. Customers’ queries can be dealt with speedily and orders processed almost instantaneously. Unlike postal mailing, there is no delay between the dispatch of a message and its receipt. It is ideal for triggering impulse buys and promoting short term offers.
Personal
In contrast to a broad reaching medium aimed at everyone, like billboard, radio and television advertising, an email is personal. This is a one-to-one moment giving you the opportunity to address each customer individually. You can develop a relationship with them using your knowledge of their buying history and build loyalty in a way that has never before been possible.
Inexpensive
Email marketing is obviously a lot cheaper and faster than traditional mail. It does away with expensive artwork, printing and mailing costs and is a lot less labour intensive than posted mail shots or telesales. Readily available templates, email marketing services, and bulk email software mean that it can be implemented by any business, whatever the size, with minimum expense. And if you find you need to make changes to improve a campaign, they can be made quickly and cheaply unlike printed or broadcast material.
Frequency
One spin-off from the low cost and simplicity of email marketing is that businesses can contact customers more often. Many are taking advantage of this to send out monthly newsletters or bring attention to special offers, and it is an invaluable tool in building brand awareness.
Customized
Traditional marketing methods have been very general, one message aimed at every existing or potential consumer. Now it is possible for a business to target specific segments of its customer bank based on sales history or demographic information. This increased relevancy and efficiency can only lead to more successful marketing campaigns.
Measurable
Email marketing software enables a business to follow the efficacy of a campaign step by step. Tracking tools mean that test marketing can be accurately measured. You can easily gauge its success by following the figures for opening emails, clicking through links and conversions to sales. Any improvements that might become apparent can be implemented immediately. In addition, you can calculate the cost effectiveness of any campaign in the return you get for every £1 invested.
Interactive
Many companies are utilising the opportunity that email marketing gives them to interact with their customers. This provides you with important information as well as creating a rapport and enhancing the customers’ experience. Surveys and feedback can be quickly collated and acted upon.
Environmentally Friendly
Last, and certainly not least, it has very little impact on the environment. With no paper, no ink, no physical transportation and very little energy used to produce and send, it could hardly have less of a carbon footprint. Certainly another positive for prospective customers to take into consideration when making a purchasing decision.
With the power of the internet, any business can now go global. It has never been easier, quicker or cheaper to communicate with so many people. This creates virtually limitless opportunities to up-sell and cross-sell to existing customers and to acquire new ones. And the immediacy, flexibility, cost effectiveness and ease of use of email marketing mean that this is a tool no business can afford to ignore.
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