What is Email Marketing? Explained in detail by Digimagg

Email marketing is a digital marketing approach where businesses send emails to willing customers and leads to enhance engagement and increase profits. Whenever you subscribe to a newsletter or make an online purchase and subsequently receive emails containing various information, from news to sales offers and discounts, that constitutes email marketing.

For modern businesses, having an email marketing strategy is essential, similar to maintaining a well-functioning website and social media presence. Email marketing is so impactful that it can generate $44 for every $1 spent on software.

It serves as a means to drive sales; for instance, showcasing a new product in an email can pique customer interest. Even without a specific promotion, sending periodic reminder emails can effectively maintain brand awareness and foster loyalty and trust.

What makes email marketing significant for your business?

Remaining top-of-mind for customers is a fundamental aspect of business success. Unlike traditional advertising channels like billboards or TV commercials, email marketing offers precise control over when and to whom messages are delivered. Moreover, email marketing is more accessible than conventional advertising methods, which often require significant financial resources and limited time and space availability.

Email marketing offers distinct advantages over other digital marketing methods. Unlike social media marketing, which can miss its target audience based on their log-in schedules, or Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which faces fierce competition for visibility on Google, email marketing allows for precise audience targeting and message delivery timing.

The broad reach of an email list coupled with the ability to control when messages are received contributes to its high visibility and makes it a highly successful investment, with a potential return on investment (ROI) as significant as 4,400%. With nearly 4 billion people checking their email daily, email marketing offers access to an extensive user base, representing around half of the global population.

Investing in email marketing software provides tools for building brand recognition and loyalty, direct communication with potential customers, increasing repeat business, and optimizing digital marketing performance.

Benefits of email marketing software

In addition to its cost-effectiveness and adaptability, email marketing offers numerous concrete advantages that differentiate it from other marketing approaches. These benefits include:

Personalized content

Research indicates that incorporating a recipient's name in the subject line can boost email open rates by as much as 35%. Email marketing tools enable you to customize your content for each recipient, enhancing the sense of personalization and intimacy in each message.

Collect feedback through surveys

Email marketing tools facilitate communication with your customer base, enhancing your overall business strategies. You can design emails featuring embedded surveys to gather feedback from customers post-purchase or otherwise. These surveys typically involve a single-button response to answer a basic question, but you can also customize them for more detailed feedback if your audience is receptive.

Build contact lists

Email marketing tools aid in organizing and customizing marketing content for your audience by categorizing your current customers into lists according to demographics, location, or behavior.

Send timely campaigns

Suppose you have a busy month ahead with various offers and promotions. Email marketing software enables you to plan and schedule your marketing campaigns in advance, ensuring they are sent out at the most relevant times. This eliminates the need to remember or repeat the process multiple times.

A/B testing

To enhance your marketing effectiveness, it's crucial to experiment with different strategies. Email marketing software offers A/B testing capabilities, allowing you to compare different options. For instance, one group of customers might receive subject line A, while another group gets option B. By analyzing the results using the platform's analytics, you can determine which option performs better. This testing can be applied to email templates, calls to action, and other elements that influence recipient engagement.

Custom templates

Email marketing platforms offer a selection of pre-designed templates for you to choose from, or you can create your own. This eliminates the need to build every marketing piece from the ground up, ensuring that all your communications align with your brand identity while saving time.

Analytics

Analyzing metrics like engagement and open rates allows you to identify successful strategies and areas for improvement in your email marketing campaigns. By leveraging these insights, you can refine your approach and enhance the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Additionally, email marketing software often offers supplementary features like customer relationship management (CRM) and social media management, further supporting your business operations.

Additional features of email marketing software

Although most email marketing software includes common features like list management and analytics, top providers often offer additional, less common features that can be valuable for users.

Analytics

We discussed analytics earlier, but it's a broad concept. While all software provides some level of analytics, certain platforms offer more comprehensive analytics than others. For instance, some platforms provide click maps to show where recipients click in your email, or platform tracking to monitor how recipients read their emails (e.g., on their phone or Gmail). Mailchimp and Constant Contact are our top recommendations for robust analytics.

Social media marketing

Email marketing software isn't limited to just managing emails; some platforms offer additional features for managing social media accounts, such as scheduling and sending messages. These platforms also provide analytics to track the performance of your social media posts.

Platforms like HubSpot and Zoho are ideal choices if you're interested in integrating social media marketing into your strategy. They support integration with various social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

CRM integration

CRM, short for customer relationship management, refers to how your company engages with current and potential customers. CRM software is a separate product, but some providers offer the ability to integrate CRM services with your email marketing software. This integration enhances your ability to nurture your customer base and build trust with both new and existing customers.

While it's advisable to integrate your email marketing software with a single CRM software of your choice, it's wise to select software that supports a wide range of CRM integrations. Mailchimp leads the pack in this regard, offering integration with 50 different CRM providers, followed by ActiveCampaign, which supports 30 CRM integration options.

Transactional emails

Transactional emails are distinct from typical marketing emails in that they are sent to individuals following specific transactions, such as password resets or receipts. Constant Contact and GetResponse are two platforms that facilitate the setup of transactional emails. Automating these emails can be highly advantageous for businesses with limited time to handle individual customer requests.

How does email marketing function?

To engage in email marketing, you need specialized software to manage tasks like creating templates and surveys. Once you've selected the right software, you integrate it with your business email account. Then, you use the software to compose emails and manage your customer lists.

Building your customer lists is crucial, and ideally, they should consist of individuals who have willingly subscribed. You can facilitate this by integrating your website with your email marketing software, allowing visitors to subscribe easily. Additionally, include email sign-up options on receipts and during account registrations.

However, it's essential to obtain permission before adding anyone to your email lists. Sending emails to individuals who haven't consented or have opted out can harm your reputation and violate regulations like GDPR. Always prioritize obtaining explicit consent to ensure compliance and maintain positive engagement metrics.

Email marketing examples

Email marketing involves a delicate balance between artistic expression and strategic marketing. Should your logo be prominently displayed, or should it be more subtle? Where should images be placed for maximum impact? These questions often have no clear-cut answers, so relying on your intuition (or better yet, your analytics) is key.

To gain insights into effective email marketing strategies, we've compiled examples of some of the most successful campaigns from the past year. This can offer valuable insights into what resonates with audiences and what doesn't.

Rolling Stone

Unlike Broadway's simplistic style, Rolling Stone Australia's weekly newsletter takes a more comprehensive approach. It compiles their top headlines of the week, offering clickable previews of each article.

Since subscribers opt in knowing what to anticipate, they're likely to either browse through the content for something of interest or opt out altogether. In cases where audience preferences are straightforward, a functional presentation may suffice.

Broadway.com

Broadway.com boldly introduces its latest production, "Matilda," with minimal text on the screen, relying heavily on the promotional image to convey the message.

While this marketing campaign may seem audacious, it could resonate well with customers eagerly awaiting updates. Confidently delivering what your audience anticipates can make a strong impact.

Jaybird

Jaybird, a headphone manufacturer, begins their marketing campaign with a striking image of their product, accompanied by a brief yet informative description of the headphones. A "Shop now" button encourages immediate action. Below, another image displays the available colors and case options.

Although this campaign follows a conventional approach, it effectively captures attention and prompts engagement without overwhelming the viewer.

WDC

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) employs a poignant approach by showcasing a distressing image and sharing facts about whale slaughter. Their call to action button, labeled “I wish to end whaling,” directs users to either a donation page or a petition.

Starting with a compelling message related to your business or cause can serve as a catalyst for action. Emotion plays a significant role in all marketing endeavors, as evident in the powerful call to action utilized by WDC. Leveraging emotions effectively can be advantageous in driving engagement and support for your cause.

What is email marketing automation?

Email marketing involves sending mass emails to your audience and using software to track metrics like open rates and clicks for optimization. You can tailor emails based on factors like seasonality or past performance to meet business goals.

Email marketing automation, often integrated into the same software, allows for automated email campaigns triggered by specific events. For example, a welcome email sent upon a user's subscription request is a common automated message tailored to the individual who triggered it.

These automated campaigns can include single transactional emails or a series of pre-written marketing emails sent at intervals to convert subscribers into customers. Some platforms offer email sequences, adjusting the chain of emails based on customer behavior such as opening previous emails or engaging with their content.