Does Email Marketing Still Matter? 

To understand whether or not email marketing still matters, it’s important to first acknowledge some of the reasons email marketing started in the first place. 

The idea of direct marketing through email proved to be an effective approach for businesses to connect with their customers since the very beginning. Before email marketing, communication amongst business owners and consumers was painfully slow. Besides picking up your phone to make a call, business owners were left with very few options for customer interaction and engagement. 

Save Time & Money

When trying to reach a larger audience, email marketing helps you save time. By targeting specific audiences with strategic content, you can maximize your time while generating revenue. As of 2018, there were close to four billion email users worldwide. With emailing being an instant form of business communication, the availability and convenience of using this external and internal outlet is extremely beneficial. The more people you can reach, the more you can multiply your earnings. 

In 2019, the overall average open rates across all industries in North America was close to 20%. This translates to one out of five people opening email messaging. Compared to other forms of marketing, this number reflects a positive outcome. 

Retain Customers

Communication between business owners and customers has been proven to be the key to retention. When you acquire a new customer, communication is crucial to maintain and strengthen brand loyalty. Ongoing engagement is one of the only effective ways to maintain existing customers. If you’re not continually interacting with your customers, you are allowing your customer relationships to become nonexistent. 

Not only does email marketing allow you to build relationships with your customers, but it can also help with your brand credibility. When readers receive relevant and informative content, you are establishing your business as trustworthy and credible. By simply emailing industry specific newsletters to your customers, you are allowing yourself to stand out amongst other competitors. Consumers want to rely on your knowledge, sending consistent and applicable content will help build confidence in your business, which in return results in a stronger brand reputation as well as customer advocacy. 

Consumers prefer communication via email simply because it is convenient and fast. So when the question arises whether or not email marketing still matters, the answer is quite simple – of course it does! When customer interaction increases, customer loyalty is maintained and multiplied. Your customers want to hear from you, and email marketing will do just that.

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. If any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add, please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!