In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, it is easy to get pulled in the direction of every emerging trend and technology, chasing after every big thing that promises to revolutionize the online presence of your business. One marketing channel that has remained steadfast and dependable is email marketing.
The Unwavering Relevance of Email Marketing
Social media platforms are always changing. Cultural dynamics are always influencing what works and what doesn’t. Algorithms are always being tweaked. What worked yesterday doesn’t work today, and what works today will not work tomorrow. It is incredibly difficult to rely on social media as a steady source of online traffic for your business.
The same can be true for search engines. They are constantly changing how information is displayed and how the algorithms determine what results to display. It is challenging to stay on top of SEO (search engine optimization) and make sure your online presence is showing up where it should in order to attract the target audience of your business.
However, email marketing does not change all that much – at least not in terms of driving traffic. The formats or messaging might change, but delivering emails to a quality list pretty much remains the same. That is why email marketing has stood the test of time in the digital world.
Email marketing is invaluable for any business because it provides:
Reach
If you have a list, you have a really good chance of driving traffic to your business through that list. Unlike social media and search engines, where your post will disappear into the sea of other posts within hours or an algorithm will limit your visibility, an email stays in the inbox waiting to be opened at the recipient’s convenience.
Results
The actionable data available for email marketing is much more clear than the metrics provided by other channels. Social media metrics can be very misleading, but email opens, clicks, and conversions are very clear.
The ROI of email marketing is also significant. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective marketing channels available.
The Versatility of Email Marketing
Email marketing can be used to achieve a variety of business objectives. Every business should be using this direct line of communication for one or more of the following objectives:
Nurture Relationships
Email marketing provides a foundation for building long-term relationships with your customers. By nurturing subscribers with personalized messaging and content most relevant to them, email can have a more meaningful and lasting impact than other marketing channels.
As you develop lasting relationships with your subscribers, they are more likely to do repeat business with you and refer you to their friends and family.
Promote
Keep subscribers informed about your latest products or services. Let them know when you are running special promotions. Do subscriber-only promotions that incentivize them to stay on the list and stay tuned to the content.
There are countless ways to use email as a promotional tool for your business.
Share Valuable Content
Establish yourself as a trustworthy thought leader in your industry by sharing informative and engaging content that resonates with your audience. The content can range from industry news and insights to timeless information to behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business.
Valuable content doesn’t always have to be new information if it is done in an engaging way.
How To Grow Your Email List
Growing an email list is an essential part of any online marketing strategy. There are a number of different ways to grow your email list, but some of the most effective methods include:
Sign Up Forms
One of the easiest ways to start collecting email addresses is to add a sign-up form to your website. You can place the form in a variety of locations, such as the sidebar, header, or footer of your website. Be sure to make the form easy to find and use, and offer a clear incentive for visitors to sign up, such as a discount code or exclusive content.
Social Media Posts
Social media is another great way to promote your email list. You can share sign-up links in your posts and include calls to action that encourage people to subscribe. You can also use social media ads to target specific demographics and promote your email list to people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) can help you attract organic traffic to your website, which can then lead to more email subscribers. By optimizing your website for relevant keywords and phrases, you can increase your chances of appearing in search results when people are looking for information related to your business. This can drive more traffic to your website, and give you more opportunities to collect email addresses from potential customers.
Ads
Paid advertising can be a great way to quickly grow your email list. You can use platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to target your ads to specific demographics and interests. This can help you reach a wider audience and collect email addresses from people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
Other Promotions
There are a number of other ways to promote your email list, such as running contests and giveaways, offering exclusive discounts or content to subscribers, and partnering with other businesses to cross-promote your email lists.
By using a combination of these methods, you can effectively grow your email list and reach a wider audience of potential customers.
Email Marketing Tools
At Tavallo, our clients have the advantage of our full-service digital marketing platform which provides very robust email marketing capabilities. Here are some of the functionality the platform provides.
List Segmentation
Segmenting a big email list is a really great way to tailor content to resonate with specific groups of subscribers, which increases engagement, reduces unsubscribers, and ultimately leads to improved conversions.
A few of the ways most businesses can segment their list are as follows:
Demographics – age, gender, location, income
Interests or Behaviors – based on data gathered from sign-up forms, website activity, or past purchases
Customer Lifecycle – based on where a subscriber is in the customer journey
Other – there are countless ways to be creative in how segmenting is done
Mobile Optimization
Ensuring your emails are optimized for mobile devices is important because a significant portion of your audience will likely be opening them on their smartphones. If you’re not using an email marketing platform it is easy to overlook some of the basics which make reading your emails a good experience for your audience.
Optimizing for mobile will include details such as single-column layout, optimized fonts, images, and videos, responsive elements, and easy-to-tap buttons or links. The Tavallo digital marketing platform makes every email mobile friendly.
Automation
Utilize automation tools to streamline your email campaigns, saving time and effort while still delivering personalized messages.
With proper data management, list segmentation, and some clever setup of workflow triggers and conditions, the Tavallo digital marketing automation features can be used to send messaging that has a personal touch without every message having to be individually created and sent.
For example, a post-purchase follow-up email can mention the customers name and what product or service they bought, or a special offer message can be sent to someone who fills out a form to receive a free resource you make available.
These are just a few of the many features the Tavallo platform offers.
The Value of Your Email List
Every business owner should understand the financial value of their email list, as it is a valuable asset that can be leveraged to generate revenue, foster customer relationships, and drive business valuation.
It is easy to understand how an email list can be used to drive traffic towards sales that can be quantified. It is a bit more complex to grasp how valuable the relationship building aspect of email marketing can be. But what many business owners overlook is how much impact an email list can have on the overall valuation of the business.
A sizeable email list, being well nurtured and leveraged, can be an incredibly valuable asset to the business for both ongoing revenue as well as the potential revenue a buyer or investor might see.
Conclusion: Email Marketing – A Constant in an Ever-Changing World
In the ever-changing digital landscape, where platforms and algorithms come and go, your email list remains a constant. It’s a valuable asset that allows you to connect with your audience directly, build brand loyalty, and drive measurable results. By investing in email marketing, you’re investing in the future of your business, ensuring that you can continue to engage your customers and achieve your business goals, no matter how the digital world evolves.
