Last Updated on May 16, 2023 by Ron
Want to know why email marketing is still important?
If you’re looking for one of the best methods to generate content marketing success, look no further…
One of the most powerful ways to generate traffic, sales, and genuine interest is through email marketing and newsletters.
Let me guess:
You’re probably wondering why email marketing is important or whether it’s even relevant anymore?
The simple fact is that email drives an average ROI of $42 for every dollar spent. This is higher than any other marketing channel.
So:
You may have consistent, quality blog posts riddled with sharp copy that informs and entertains coming out weekly. Your social media strategy and SEO may even be top-notch.
But if your conversions aren’t up to par, it’s time to turn it all around.
That’s exactly what we’re covering in this blog post:
Producing instant results with an effective email marketing strategy.
Ready to get going?
Let’s begin!
The Importance of Email Marketing (And How To Reap The Benefits in Your Business)
- Virtually Everyone Uses Email
- You Can Start Your Email Marketing Efforts Right Now
- Email Marketing Will Rapidly Create Brand Awareness
- Build and Nurture Relationships Via Personalized Emails
- Regularly Attract and Generate Leads
- Email Marketing Can Increase Sales and Give you a Higher ROI
- Referral Marketing is Done With the Click of a Button
- Marketing Automation is Time-Effective & Efficient
- Save Money from Ad Costs
- Email Marketing Will Help With Promoting Your Brand
- Collect Customer Feedback Quickly & Easily
- Email Marketing Provides Value for Your Audience
- Increase Site Traffic and Conversions
- Easy to Track Data & Analytics
How To Perfect Your Email Marketing Strategy
- Create an Email Marketing Strategy
- Use an Opt-in Form
- Think Quality Over Quantity
- Use the Right Email Marketing Tools
- Make the Subscription Worthwhile
- Master Your Timing
- Personalize Your Emails
- Improve Your Email Deliverability
- Stop Spamming Your Subscribers
- Remember the Subscription Requirements (And Comply With Them)
- Underpromise and Overdeliver On Your Subject Lines
- Use a Strong Call to Action or CTA
- Stay On Top of Your Metrics
What is Email Marketing?



Email marketing is a digital media channel through which you can promote a product or service. Since its inception in the 1970s, email marketing has been the preferred way for people to send messages to one another.
According to Statista, there are 4 billion daily email users worldwide, with this number expected to rise to 4.6 billion by 2025.
Even with the rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, and communication platforms like WhatsApp, Viber, and Telegram, email marketing is still the number one choice in terms of communication.
Why?
Email is simple; it’s efficient, organized, and direct. You can share documents with it, track your orders, and stay informed.
It’s easy to see why it’s still the crowd favorite.
So, email marketing is a popular and robust strategy to get your brand’s name out there. By offering subscribers smart, relevant, and informative content, you can build a long-term relationship and, ultimately, trust.
Why Email Marketing is Important



Based on planning, automation, and timing, email marketing is an effective way to:
- Raise brand awareness
- Build authority
- Market products
- Share relevant content
- Attain and nurture leads
- Retain already converted leads
You see, when prospective customers visit your site, they may be ready to buy on the spot.
Or, they may not.
So, if 3% of your customers are buying, that means 97% are leaving you high and dry.
But suppose you have an enticing email marketing campaign or regular value-packed newsletter dropping into a prospect’s inbox. In that case, you can stay in touch, earn trust, and even convert a few readers into paying customers.
Suddenly, your 3% conversion rate can pop up to 5% or 6%, which is an increase of up to 100% in profits.
Impressive, huh?
In fact, by using strategic email marketing, you can convert more prospects into real, paying customers and increase the profit value from each customer.
However:
In order to do that, you’ll need t get a deep understanding of the real benefits that email marketing can deliver.
Let’s discuss…
Free Download: Want help nailing down your content marketing strategy? Download your Content Generation Quick-Start Guide now (It’s Free!)
Benefits of Email Marketing



1. Virtually Everyone Uses Email
As I’ve already mentioned, more than half of the world uses email daily. The simple fact is that we live in a hyper-digital environment, where almost everyone you meet has an email address.
One of the biggest highlights is that you don’t need to be in front of a computer or laptop to send or receive an email. Instead, you can send your electronic mail to people’s mobile devices.
And let’s face it, most of us are attached to them round the clock.
This combination of email popularity and mobile accessibility makes for an unprecedented advantage in executing an effective marketing strategy.
2. You Can Start Your Email Marketing Efforts Right Now
Whether you have a large or small business, the beauty of email marketing is that you can start at any time.
Another plus? You don’t need a large team or have to be a complete techie to get the job done.
Online tools can help you develop, adapt, and send your emails.
Your emails can include logos, creative templates, images, and videos to stand out. However, you shouldn’t embed your videos. It’s a safer practice to take a screenshot and link to it to avoid the spam folder.
Alternatively, some of the biggest companies use plain text emails in their campaigns, implying that the most critical aspect is the content within.
3. Email Marketing Will Rapidly Create Brand Awareness



A potential customer may have stumbled across your website, but brand awareness goes way beyond that.
So, the biggest question you need to ask yourself is, out of a hundred other brands, what makes yours stand out? What is your unique selling point?
Using emails in marketing is an ideal way to create brand recognition because you can continually pop up in a potential customer’s inbox and remain at the forefront of their mind.
While they may not take instant action, you can turn your brand into a known acquaintance of sorts.
An acquaintance can, over time, turn into a trusted friend. This means your reader will heed your advice and even purchase services or products you offer.
4. Build and Nurture Relationships Via Personalized Emails
Once upon a time, before email marketing online was even a thing, marketers would send direct mail to their customers. This would inform them of their best offers or their latest products.
It worked then, and it’s undoubtedly just as – if not more effective today.
Why?
Because communication via email makes the reader feel as though you’re talking to them, not just at them.
There is a sense of inclusion that creates a relationship built on trust.
If you’re consistent with sending out helpful and insightful content to your audience, your credibility is sure to rise, and soon enough, your remote business will reap the benefits.
5. Regularly Attract and Generate Leads
The term lead is used to describe a prospective future client when it comes to digital marketing. Inbound marketing leverages emails to both generate and improve leads.
For example, someone might visit your site and download a lead magnet, leaving their email. You can then push them through your sales funnel and start to build a relationship via email.
6. Email Marketing Can Increase Sales and Give you a Higher ROI



When you share, engage, and convert, you also ensure your email list grows.
More email addresses = more leads.
More leads = more sales.
The most important source of ROI for as many as 59% of marketers, using email for business is a transformative sales strategy and directly influences sales.
Aside from sending discounts and promotional offers through email, you can also let them know about new products, new content, personal stories, or suggest alternative products to try.
The key here is to ensure you’re sending valuable emails in your marketing campaigns that allow for trust and credibility to form in the eyes of the reader.
Sending the right email to the right person is imperative. Not sure how to do that?
That’s OK.
With the use of email marketing software, like ConvertKit for example, you can grow your audience, foster your community, and reap the rewards.
7. Referral Marketing is done With the click of a button
One of the best aspects of email marketing is that forwarding email messages is a piece of cake. Your subscribers can simply send your messages to friends and loved ones whenever they find your content valuable.
You can speed up your word-of-mouth marketing process by using a dedicated CTA button titled “Refer a friend” and offer an incentive such as a discount or gift to make the initiative more appealing. In fact, there is a really great email marketing tool that allows you to easily facilitate this process.
8. marketing automation is Time-Effective & Efficient



Except for being a fantastic booster for business growth, another reason why email automation is important is that it saves you time. Email marketing automation tools streamline your marketing activities.
Scheduling your emails ahead of time means you will not miss reaching out to your audience if you’re unwell, are overwhelmed with your business, or simply forget.
9. Save Money from Ad Costs
If you’re about to launch a new product or service, you might choose to publish an ad in a newspaper or even run ads on Google. While both of these methods are fine, they cost money and often attract lukewarm leads.
Traditional campaigns such as print ads or direct mail can set you back financially, especially when we’re talking:
- Photoshoots
- Location fees
- Printers
- Mailing
- Placement
But if you’ve grown your email list to a sizeable amount, you can let your audience know about your newest addition with the minimal cost of paying your email marketing service provider.
A list of 500 great leads will mean you’re delivering the news to an eager crowd at a fraction of the price for new businesses.
If you’re itching to get started with an excellent email marketing strategy to increase conversions, you can try the free plan from ConvertKit.
10. Email Marketing Will Help With Promoting Your Brand



Look, I know self-promotion can be quite awkward at times, especially when it’s in a place where people haven’t opted in to receive updates about your brand. But the truth is, promoting your brand or product is one of the most effective ways to attain customers.
Think about it. Who will buy from you if you cannot sell yourself or your company?
But with email marketing, you will always have a valuable channel through which you can let potential customers know about any new products and their features and benefits.
Your emails won’t be disruptive or unwanted as long as you combine your self-promotion with exciting content.
11. Collect Customer Feedback Quickly & Easily
One of the best things you can do when attempting to build a lasting relationship with your audience is to know exactly what they want.
And how do you do that?
You ask! Simple as that.
To certify that customers remain interactive, engaged, and continue to buy, you must ensure that their experience is good.
With the help of email campaigns, you can obtain feedback or even conduct surveys. This will help you in two ways.
Not only will your recipients feel valued that you want to know their opinions and preferences, but you are also collecting valued data that will improve your business.
This data is a precious asset as it allows you to improve your marketing strategy. But not everyone will have the time or the will to fill out a survey.
To make sure you get your hands on this valuable information, you can offer an incentive in exchange – think an educational ebook, a free coaching session, or even better, a discount for their next purchase from your brand.
12. Email Marketing Provides Value for Your Audience



What’s the one thing your audience loves more than anything else?
A freebie.
But you don’t want to send out discounts on your products or service constantly, right? Because not only would that drive your business into the ground, but it’s also kind of weird.
So, one of the ways to ensure that your audience always comes back is by providing value – even when your customers aren’t looking to make a purchase.
You can provide value by offering them information that they likely need by offering:
- eBooks
- Tutorials
- How-To Guides
- Webinars
Talk about current news topics that may affect them, or just provide them with interesting tips on how to make their lives easier.
To have their desired effect, your emails must be in tune with your target audience. So word your emails using the language or jargon of your market, using a familiar tone and style.
The best part?
You can always throw in links to your other relevant resources and promotional offers. This way, you can build yourself up as an authority in your field and market to those who are genuinely interested in what you have to say.
If you successfully provide your audience with value, more and more will pay attention, and they’ll go from interested readers to raving fans in no time.
Free Guide: Ready to start your own content business and work from anywhere? Download the Content Generation Quick-Start Guide now (It’s Free!)
13. Increase Site Traffic and Conversions



Email is indeed a powerful way to drive people to specific pages on your website and increase site traffic. This is because the subscribers on your mailing list are genuinely interested in your brand. As email marketing is direct, it will almost guarantee a spike in site traffic.
And site traffic equals higher conversions.
Listen, I’m not a math genius, but when you question the importance of email marketing, the numbers say it all. Let’s say you’ve built up your email list to an impressive 100,000 subscribers.
Now, let’s say the average click-through rate is 5 percent, and you manage to send through an email that showcases one of the new products you’re launching. That means you have a whopping 5,000 people already in the know about your latest product.
Pretty cool, right?
14. Easy to Track Data & Analytics
You don’t want to waste your precious time on email campaigns that aren’t proving to be successful, right? Luckily, you can measure the effectiveness of your campaigns through metrics.
The best email marketing software will allow you to easily identify what areas of the campaign need improvement, such as:
- Open rates
- Click-through rates
- Conversion rates
Unlike broadcast or print advertising, which can take a lot of work and time, the modifications can be applied to email quickly and effortlessly.
To grasp which email campaigns are performing better, you should run A/B tests. Otherwise known as split testing, A/B tests via email usually are much more accurate than social media campaign tests.
How to Perfect Your Email Marketing Strategy



1. Create an Email Marketing Strategy
I probably don’t need to tell you this, but you cannot start your marketing campaign without knowing your end goal.
Would you like for more people to know about your brand? Do you wish to attract more leads? Maybe you want to convert some of the leads you already have?
From there, you can figure out which type of email your audience should be getting. These include:
- Welcome email – the best way for your business to introduce itself and build familiarity with a new subscriber.
- New content announcement – If you have a new lifestyle blog, product, webinar, sale, coupon, eBook, or anything else, use this type of email to let your reader know about it. Describe and promote your offer and include a distinct call to action.
- Newsletters – Why are email newsletters so valuable? A regular email newsletter allows your brand to stay imprinted in your customers’ minds. Make sure the subject line is eye-catching, and keep the format the same so your reader knows what to expect each time.
- Segmented email – If you’re hosting an event or even a webinar, you might just want to include a particular group of people within the email. Do this with a segmented email.
- Seasonal campaign – If you’re running a special Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, or Valentine’s Day promotion, your customers want to hear about it – otherwise, what’s the point? Make sure to plan and send these through well in advance and use the urgency of the upcoming holiday as an incentive.
- Confirmation email – If I make a purchase online and don’t receive a confirmation email within a minute or so, I start to panic. Whether it’s something as cheap as a novel or as expensive as a plane ticket – I want to know that my money is safe and the item I’ve chosen is being processed. Therefore, these emails must have a clear subject line, including a purchase summary, the total amount spent, and, if we’re talking about physical products, a tracking number as well as the estimated shipping date.
- Cart abandonment email – People throw things in their virtual shopping carts and get distracted all the time. But a quick email letting them know about their awaiting items and an enticing discount should finalize the sale.
- Lead nurturing email – This is a connected series of marketing emails sent for a particular purpose, whether informing leads about what is happening within your brand or a particular promotion.
2. Use an Opt-in Form
To be able to send your brilliant marketing emails out there for the world to see, you first need willing and consenting subscribers.
So, use an opt-in form on your website, and give some consideration to their design. Make sure it matches the design of your website; use alluring copywriting techniques and large CTA buttons that make it easy for them.
Pro-tip – the opt-in pop-up forms that take up the whole screen tend to work best and convert more, so why not use those?
3. Think Quality Over Quantity



You could send out an email every day just to keep in touch with people, but you’d be veering toward creepy. Plus, it would be downright annoying and would ensure your unsubscribe rates go through the roof in a few days.
I cannot stress this enough.
Anticipate your clients’ expectations and deliver. Quality content that will somehow make your recipients’ work or life easier is always a winner. And make sure to keep your subject lines accurate.
Nobody likes to get tricked into participating or reading poorly written emails.
It’s important to form good habits right from the beginning.
4. Use the Right Email Marketing Tools
No matter your level of experience with email marketing, the right tools can help you hit the ground running.
Choose from a rich library of templates for different types of emails that can easily be integrated with your logo and the design of your website. An email builder will allow you to use intuitive drag and drop features, and change font size, colors, and custom fonts.
Other benefits include automated campaigns, real-time performance tracking, advanced segmentation, and round-the-clock customer service.
ConvertKit helps you segment your subscribers into interested prospects and those that have already bought from you, so you can personalize your emails easier. There is also the added bonus of offering incentives and content upgrades with email signup forms.
5. Make the Subscription Worthwhile
It’s always important to honor your loyal email subscribers.
How can you do that?
Allow them to be the first to find out about special events, let them know about sales in advance, or do an exclusive giveaway.
The truth is, emails pile up quickly, and inboxes are generally overcluttered with many emails that are just one click away from ending up in the trash. To avoid this, make sure your content is fresh and valuable.
6. Master Your Timing



Successful business owners will tell you that timing is everything when it comes to digital marketing strategies.
For instance, if you’re organizing an event and have well-timed emails arriving in prospective inboxes, it could mean that registration for that event soars.
Not to mention the hype you will create prior to the event itself.
Setting up triggers based on time and actions is likely to be a considerable part of your email marketing success.
7. Personalize Your Emails
It’s difficult to cut through the noise of a busy and overflowing inbox. This is why you cannot overlook the benefits of email personalization.
As many as 82% of marketers see an increase in open rates using email personalization, and 75% think it yields higher click-through rates.
While personalization will not be your only ticket to success, the lack of it is a surefire way to less engagement.
Why?
If a prospect feels as though you understand them, it builds trust and makes them feel secure enough to make a purchase.
Essentially, it makes them believe your product or service will solve their problem.
8. Improve Your Email Deliverability
Taking hours to perfect your email marketing campaign only to realize it wasn’t delivered to your subscribers is heartbreaking, to say the least. Email deliverability, also known as inbox placement, determines where your email ends up.
This could be your recipient’s inbox, a random folder, or a fate worse than death – the spam folder.
Deliverability consists of:
Identification – A defined set of protocols that ultimately prove you are who you say you are.
Reputation – If you generate excellent subscriber behavior, it boosts your trustworthiness and reputation score.
Content – This element explores whether your message is relevant or appropriate for your recipient. Poor formatting combined with weak copy means you’re providing an insufficient experience for your reader.
If you want to see whether your emails are being delivered right now, you can run a spam test.
9. Stop Spamming Your Subscribers



Spam is a huge problem with email marketing, so much so that certain countries such as the US and Canada have introduced anti-spam legislation.
“Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL) is one of the toughest laws of its kind in the world, making its application and interpretation particularly thorny…that will apply to all electronic messages (i.e., email, texts) organizations send in connection with a commercial activity.”
It includes:
- Unauthorized alteration of transmission data
- The installation of computer programs without consent
- False or misleading electronic representations (this includes websites)
- Unauthorized collection of electronic addresses
- Unauthorized collection of personal information
The point?
Spamming is a serious problem and can leave you and your business with a substantial fine.
To avoid your carefully crafted emails getting sent straight through to the spam folder, it’s best to avoid these specific trigger phrases:
- Limited time
- No cost
- Fast cash
- Offer expires
- Apply now
- Meet singles
- Click here
- Don’t hesitate
- Congratulations
The good news is that avoiding these overly salesy phrases and creating useful content means your email will end up in the right inbox and be opened.
10. Remember the Subscription Requirements (And Comply With Them)



In quite a few countries around the world, to send emails, you must comply with the following requirements:
- The sender must have consent
- They must also provide identification information
- Provide recipients the ability to unsubscribe
Ensure that you have these three requirements before sending out any emails, particularly offering your reader a simple process to unsubscribe.
You can also use the double opt-in for your email subscription by sending out a confirmation email to the address before adding the contact to your list.
Free Guide: Ready to start creating your own content? Download the Content Generation Quick-Start Guide now to help you with your strategy. You’ll be glad you did!
11. Underpromise And Overdeliver On Your Subject Lines
We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s important not to abuse the trust of your audience.
If your subject line is juicy, and they’ve taken the time out of their busy day to open your email, you don’t want to let them down. It would be a hard loss to come back from.
Put yourself in their shoes.
Imagine ordering a jacket online that you’ve been eyeing for the better part of a month, only for it to be delivered looking nothing like the one you’ve ordered. The only way you know it’s the same jacket is because the color is similar – and even that’s off.
Would you repurchase from that store?
I know I wouldn’t.
It all boils down to this: don’t exaggerate your subject lines and don’t make false promises.
Save the trick or treating for Halloween.
12. Use a Strong Call To Action Or CTA



You’re sending your email for a reason, right? There is a method to your madness, so why let it all go to waste by skipping out on a strong call to action.
Rather than sending your recipient straight through to your website with the overused “click here” CTA, why not try something a little more specific, such as “shop more styles” or “refer a friend.”
Using something more original will also mean that your carefully curated emails will not end up in the dreaded spam folder. And that’s a win in my book.
13. Stay on top of Your Metrics
One of the most notable benefits of email marketing is that you can quickly discover where you’re going wrong with your strategy and what elements you can improve by properly analyzing your data and analytics. Don’t be overwhelmed by the terminology; it’s easier than you think. Here are some common terms:
- Open rate – This is the percentage of people who have opened your email. If the rate isn’t as high as you’d like it to be, your mailing list might not be well segmented, or your subject lines aren’t up to par.
- Bounce rate – These emails are sent from your server but never manage to reach your recipient. It can either be caused by temporary technical issues or if the address is not valid. If this is far too high, you should be checking your mailing list and manually removing any stale or invalid addresses. Should your emails bounce regularly, your internet service provider will issue warnings or even suspend your account altogether.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) – One of the most fundamental metrics to measure your email marketing success. This shows the number of people who have opened up your email and have also clicked on at least one of the links you have included based on the number of emails delivered. If your CTR is too low, it means your emails are not engaging enough, or the message you’re sending isn’t clear.
- Click-To-Open Rate (CTOR) – Your click-to-open rate is an imperative metric to measure. This is simply the number of clicks your emails receive based on the number of unique opens. This will inform you of the perceived value of your content because it measures the effectiveness of those who have actually seen the content.
- Conversion rate – Lets you know whether the recipient is performing the desired action of the email, whether that’s filling out a survey, form, reading a blog post, or purchasing a product.
- Email forwarding rate – You know your email is brilliant when your reader wants to share it with loved ones. A great email marketing tool will let you know when recipients forward them.
- Unsubscribe rate – This is something you don’t want to happen. You’ve worked hard to get those leads, only to lose them. It means that your content is either inconvenient or unhelpful. But you can always learn and grow from this. That being said, having a small percentage of unsubscribes is a normal part of the email marketing process.
- List growth rate – Your list growth rate will tell you how effective the content you’re sending out is and how your business is performing with its overall email marketing strategy.
Final Thoughts on the Importance of Email Marketing



The importance of email marketing in 2022 is paramount when it comes to the success of your business and raising brand awareness.
Is email marketing the only way to get your message out there?
Of course not!
There are many options when it comes to digital marketing strategy, and you shouldn’t use only one.
What should be a definite part of your marketing arsenal, however, is email marketing.
Why?
Not only is it a direct line to your customer without having to fight restrictions or pay to play, but it’s also the most effective.
A carefully crafted campaign sent to the right people at the right time nurtures relationships and builds trust resulting in more sales and higher returns.
Are there any disadvantages of email marketing?
I cannot think of any that outnumber the vast benefits that will come your way once you get your foot in the door – or rather, the inbox.
Email marketing is not a question of if, but how.
And the best news?
You can work remotely from anywhere and It’s never too soon to start.