Email marketing is the act of transmitting a commercial message to a targeted group of individuals, usually with email. In its most broad sense, every email communication sent to an individual or prospective client can be deemed email marketing. It often involves the use of email to transmit advertisements, request service, solicit donations or sales. This is because most consumers spend a certain amount of time each day reading electronic messages and responding to emails from businesses.
Email marketing has been around since the early days of the internet. It was used primarily to inform people of news or other valuable information through mass circulation. However, the concept has evolved and now is commonly used by businesses as a promotional strategy, in addition to other traditional marketing and advertising practices. Email marketing helps organizations build trust among their customers and subscriber base, as well as increases the organization’s overall revenue.
The most common ways to engage in email marketing are through promotional emails, which contain a company logo and other special deals, coupons, or discounts; and through content emails, such as newsletter, that feature articles and other materials. Another method of email marketing is through mass mailing, through which organizations distribute newsletters or brochures to every customer and client, in order to inform them about the organization or its offerings. It is also one of the most cost-effective means of advertising. However, bulk email marketing is not a good idea for organizations that don’t have much space and for those that require more personalized communications from their subscribers or customers. Organizations should only opt for bulk mailing, when they have very carefully calculated the costs involved.
On the other hand, email marketing allows marketers to follow a specific buyer journey, which helps them target emails with the right demographics. The process of creating a buyer journey refers to identifying what kind of emails a subscriber usually responds to. This process helps organizations organize their mailing list, since it allows them to categorize subscribers based on their buying behavior. Accordingly, these lists can be segmented by geography, segmented by purchase frequency, and even categorized according to customer’s buying preferences. Email marketing also enables marketers to follow up on buyers who have expressed interest on the products and services offered by the organization.
After creating a buyer journey, marketers can then use segmentation to create mailing lists. Segmentation creates categories according to various factors, including demographics, purchasing habits, and purchasing preferences, making it possible for organizations to build email lists that are highly targeted. In addition, this process allows them to use keywords to make it easier for their target audience to locate the emails they need. Email marketing campaigns through social media, for instance, generally require users to complete social media forms prior to obtaining access to the emails, which makes it more likely that these users will find the messages they need.
Social media also provides organizations with the opportunity to build more meaningful connections with their prospects. These connections can prove to be invaluable, as they can make it easier for organizations to send out special offers, coupons, and other freebies to their target audience. When an organization’s welcome emails include links that provide valuable information about the products and services they are offering, customers who find this welcome email are more likely to click on the links, and more likely to experience the benefits provided by the organization’s products and services.