As a digital marketer, how can you rate your email marketing? How many times have you used email newsletters? If never, why not?
Maybe you thought emails are dead. As has been the case with many of us. But recent studies are proving us wrong.
According to the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs 2016 Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America reports, more than 80% of marketers send email newsletters (B2C 83%, B2B 81%).
The idea that emails are archaic and dead, need not be mentioned by the digital marketer. Not only are they easy to execute they are also most effective.
Radicati, Email-Statistics-Report-2015-2019 reports, worldwide email use continues to grow at a healthy pace. In 2015, the number of worldwide email users will be nearly 2.6 billion. By the end of 2019, the number of worldwide email users will increase to over 2.9 billion. Over one-third of the worldwide population will be using email by year-end 2019.
And as technology permeates society, many people prefer to conduct their businesses at the touch of a button. Make payments and order stuff, receive payments and their orders. Enroll in online classes all while in their comfort zones – living rooms.
The other reason why you should reconsider emails is, they deliver a trifecta. Emails when used, go all the way in helping clients know, like and trust your brand.
Once you have accomplished this, it is then that these clients can do business with you. So, yes I think there is no better time to consider email newsletters and or re-consider for those who had given up on them.
But even as we get excited on launching that new email newsletter program, we must know what we are getting into. Why? Despite emails being a great channel of conveying information to clients: the client has the right to unsubscribe.
To those of us who have danced with email newsletters: we know it hurts when you find even one opt out. Knowing how to execute our email newsletters, will not only help nurture leads but also, warm your brand towards the client’s hearts.
Joe Pulizzi, Founder of the Content Marketing Institute, said this about email newsletters:
‘I’m an e-newsletter fanatic, as I believe they are critical to any substantial content marketing approach. That’s why I discuss them so often in the speeches I deliver to various marketing audiences.
To that point, I’ve asked the following question at least 20 times in recent memory:
“Is your newsletter really, truly valuable to your target audience?” ‘
This question posed by Joe Pulizzi, helps us understand the need to make a newsletter program, valuable. That having one running isn’t it. This causes the email marketer to think before dispatching that email. To really, take time to research topics, curate and create content. Working on the design all before sending it out.
All because before hitting send, that email newsletter has to be valuable. Why? Because we are nit only watching for clickthroughs but also, w want our clients to crave for them. To sit in anticipation of them.
‘Want to know how many people have raised their hands in the affirmative? Joe Pulizzi continues. ‘Six (I keep track because it’s such a small number). Just six people out of thousands believe they are delivering a valuable experience to their customers via email.’
In order to offer the value in your newsletters, here are three things you need to consider:
Be Consistent
Maintain consistency. Usually many fall short here. You get excited and start on this remarkable journey. Only to realize that you are stretiching yourself thin. However, its advised that before launching your first email newsletter, define your publishing schedule and stick to it. Down to the minute.
Offer Value
Provide something truly valuable. Not just coupons and discounts. As Joe says, deliver “real insights that are going to help your customer’s live better lives, or get better jobs.” Beacise these are people who are spending there time to read what you have to say. Maje their time count.
Exclusivity
Did you know that people tend to feel good when they are the only one’s who attended the invite only party? Nlt only for prestige but aslo they get to be th eonly ones to share what went down at the party.
The power of exclusivity. Offer it. Offer content and benefits that are only available in your newsletter.
This is what it takes to succeed with email.
