With the growing use of social media and mobile marketing, it’s easy to think that email marketing is doomed to the digital marketing scrap heap. But just because email has been around for a long time (in the context of digital marketing) doesn’t mean it’s less effective.
The primary reason email is still relevant is the fact that email usage continues to increase. According to data published by Email Stat Center, the number of email users will increase to nearly 2.6 billion worldwide, and that number will grow to more than 2.9 billion by the end of 2019. That’s more than 33% of the world’s population. Information published by Pardot shows that 7 in 10 U.S. internet users prefer communicating with businesses via email. In that same report, we learn that 74% of marketers believe that email produces return on investment.
The question you may ask is, how does that reconcile to the mobile marketing? Let’s look at some more numbers to help answer that question. In the same article linked to above, Email Stat Center reports that the most popular daily activities performed on tablets are searching for info online and email. For smartphones, it’s email and texting. So, even though mobile technology allows us to connect with others from virtually anywhere, email is still a widely used application.
Does that mean marketers can just sail happily along using email in the same way they always have? Of course not. Email Monday reports that 45% of emails were opened on a mobile device while 36% were opened on a laptop or desktop computer. The other 19% were opened in a webmail client. Clearly, email marketing strategies need to adapt so messages are viewable on multiple devices.
Finally, if you need more evidence that email is still useful as a marketing tool, consider these benefits:
- Email goes to more qualified prospects. Email lists are primarily made up of individuals you have some sort of relationship with. This includes past customers and others who have opted into your list.
- Email enables you to create segmented lists. By segmenting your list into groups based on customer interests, prior purchases, age, or other criteria, you can make your email content more relevant for recipients. That makes conversion more likely.
- Email allows you to share more information. Effective marketing messages are those that contain more detailed information than you can fit into 140 characters or a single image.
There is no question that social media channels are better at fostering higher levels of customer engagement. But email marketing is still a more effective advertising and marketing medium.
