Forbes Technology Council — Did you check your email today? Did you get through all the email marketing messages or leave some unread? How many opened emails have taken up residence in your inbox, waiting for further action? Going through your inbox can be overwhelming, so you most likely delete some messages without reading them.
If you own a business and use email as one of your primary marketing tools, this fact is quite concerning. But it doesn’t mean you need to give up on it.
According to Statista, in 2022, there were 4.3 billion email users worldwide. By 2025, that number is expected to grow to 4.6 billion, or more than half of the global population. This clearly illustrates the reach of email marketing, but you need to be deliberate in the way you use it and make sure your email efforts sync with the rest of your marketing strategy.
Making The Most Of Your Email Campaign
Email is a cost-effective way to reach a large audience, especially when compared with television and print advertising. It’s also easy to use email campaigns to target specific segments of the market based on factors like age, location and interests. And email is a great way to drive potential customers to your website or social media sites.
But there are a few things to keep in mind: Recipients are more likely to open your email if you have a catchy subject line—something that makes them curious about what you have to say. Keep it simple. Once the email is opened, follow up with something of value. Maybe it’s a worthwhile discount or a link to a blog that teaches something (and ties in your product or service).
Be sure to write in a personal, conversational style and avoid using language that sounds like you’re selling something. Make sure your emails have a clear purpose and call-to-action in order to generate the desired results.
If, despite all this, your email open rates are consistently low, your email marketing likely isn't resonating with your customers. It may be time to try a different way of reaching them.
Direct Mail: Another Tool In Your Marketing Toolbox
Smaller businesses, or those trying to reach a very specific customer base, may find email is not as cost-effective as other marketing strategies, such as direct mail.
The average person receives most of their bills and personal correspondence in their email, leaving plenty of room for your physical message to stand out. New Mover Marketing and Postcard Marketing, for example, can be effective for that reason.
New Mover Direct Mail Marketing reaches a new audience each month, which helps to avoid wasted coverage. New movers are a niche market—yet a very large market with approximately 28 million people moving in the U.S. in 2021, according to Census data—and, for many services, they have yet to form business loyalties. This is your chance to get them to try your business before they try your competitors. In fact, according to respondents to an Association of National Advertisers survey, direct mail has an ROI of 112%, compared to an ROI of 93% for email.
How Digital Marketing Ties It All Together
Regardless of what kind of company you own, you’re likely to see your highest response rate if you supplement your direct mail campaign with a digital ad campaign.
Direct mail can encourage recipients to explore a company’s website and social media. A consumer who receives a direct mail piece from a business may be more likely to choose that brand if they then see a Facebook ad, as the repeated messaging can reinforce the brand’s presence in their mind.
Ultimately, however, the success of any multi-channel marketing campaign depends on keeping your message consistent. You need to know what your brand represents and who your customers are and make sure it’s clear in all your communications with consumers.
As mentioned earlier, don’t abandon your email marketing efforts; instead, consider how to make them more effective. In this world of constant messages, combining them with direct mail and digital marketing can help your brand to stand out.
Article by Forbes Technology Council Member and President/CEO/CTO of Our Town America, Michael Plummer Jr. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.
Brittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations.
