Research has consistently demonstrated the advantages of e-mail marketing for businesses over the past few years. Notable advantages include low costs, high conversion rates, and thorough tracking. However, e-mail marketing is becoming into much more than just a tool for e-businesses and spammers. Permission-based email marketing is gradually being accepted as a worthwhile alternative to direct mail by consumers who are growing more knowledgeable about the differences between spam and legitimate communications.
The good news is that most recipients of permission-based emails open them on average 78 percent of the time.
According to Jupiter Research Effective email marketing efforts can outperform broadcast mailings in terms of revenue and profit by nine times and eighteen times, respectively. However, creating a successful business email requires both art and science. Following is a list of elements, potential issues, and practical solutions to bear in mind:
1. Spam! Spam! Spam! Viagra is not needed by me.
The typical customer receives over 300 emails every week, of which 62% are spam. It makes sense why there is such animosity toward the sector. However, spam filters, bulk folders, and "report spam" functions are assisting users in feeling more at ease with the dangers of spam. Spam was a serious worry for 89 percent of users in 2003, but that percentage fell to 85 percent in 2004 as a result of an increase in spam.
What can you do as a permission-based corporate email marketer as a result? Reminding your subscribers to add you to their "safe senders" list is one piece of advice. Making ensuring your email marketing service provider has a positive working relationship with ISPs is the second and most crucial strategy. This will guarantee that your email marketing initiatives get in the inboxes of your subscribers rather of their spam folders. When selecting email marketing software, confirm that the provider adheres to Can-Spam regulations and has rigorous anti-spam standards.
2. Why do my emails look faulty in terms of images and formatting?
Broken email campaigns are a growing worry for email marketers, particularly since more businesses and web-based email providers are limiting graphics as a spam-fighting tool. In fact, 40% of email marketing messages that are delivered to inboxes are "broken," according to ClickZ.
Since most of our client's clients in the Canadian Government used highly secure email applications, this issue actually surfaced during Eliteweb's beta testing phases. Our original idea has since evolved into one of our main competitive advantages.
Every email marketing campaign delivered to a safe location is published on the internet by Eliteweb (a location only original recipients of the email can access, thanks to encrypted technology that automatically authenticates the user). The technology also makes it possible for you to keep tabs on your users' actions, even while they are accessing your email campaign from a secure web page.
3. Personalization and pertinent content: There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all corporate email.
According to a recent study by DoubleClick, email users were 72% more likely to reply to a business email if the message catered to their defined interests. This figure emphasizes how crucial it is to provide people the freedom to select their own interest groups and decide which business emails they receive. The analysis found that domestic products and coupons are the two most popular interest areas.
However, if the user doesn't open the email, your coupon is useless. The name in the "from" box is, according to survey participants, the most convincing reason for them to open a business email. Consequently, it's wise to Make sure the name of your business is shown there properly. The "subject" line is another crucial element. The most appealing subject lines, according to users, are those with discounts and fascinating news, followed by those with new product announcements and free delivery offers.
4. Conversion and click-through rates: Show me the cash!
The user has now read the content of your email after opening it. Great. However, where is the sale? Here's some excellent news. One is that customers are more likely than ever to make purchases as a direct result of an email marketing campaign from a company. In the DoubleClick study, one-third of participants had made a purchase after clicking a link in an email. Another 42% requested further information via an email link before later purchasing the item. Second, there is a huge increase in the use of online coupons: 59 percent of customers have used an online coupon offline, and 73 percent have used an online coupon for an online purchase.
Travel, hardware/software, electronics, fashion, cuisine, home furnishings, gifts/flowers, and sporting goods are the top-performing industries. According to all businesses sending those types of business emails, between 71 and 80 percent of respondents have bought their items as a result of an email campaign.
You shouldn't worry if your business doesn't fall under one of those categories. Every day, it appears like the general picture for email marketing conversions is improving. Since 2004, the average click-to-purchase rate has climbed by about 30%, and since last year, the average orders-per-email-delivered rate has increased by more than 18%.
5. Stats monitoring: Who are my actual clients?
It's about time more companies realized that email marketing is a useful CRM tool that is becoming more and more popular. First off, you're getting a rough bargain if your provider's corporate email services don't include comprehensive, real-time tracking. Real-time tracking is now considered best practice and is extremely significant since it enables you to know when a consumer opens your ad, clicks on your link, and makes that transaction. You can enhance your communication efforts such that each campaign succeeds better than the last by studying your users (several email service providers also let you compare the performance of your campaigns).
However, a lot of marketers remain in the dark. In a recent WebTrends study, only 5% of marketers said they were "flying blind" when it came to measuring the success of their online marketing campaigns. According to WebTrends, the low confidence is a result of measurement ignorance, indicating that there is still much work to be done.
A blind shot in email marketing won't get you very far. But if you aim correctly and adhere to these fundamental game rules, you should soon be enjoying the same significant benefits as so many physical and internet firms.
