Emails have long been a tool for SMB marketing. But the internet has evolved since the introduction of such a method which raises the question of the effectiveness of email marketing. Is it still an effective tool for SMB, and if so, why? Here are a few reasons why you should not be so quick to abandon email marketing.
People like their habits
People are creatures of habit. This applies to online activities as well as to the physical world. It is estimated that 4.1 billion people will be sending or receiving emails by the end of 2021. This is double the amount of Facebook users. So, while social media does play an important role in marketing, businesses should not turn away from the 4.1 billion people who receive and check emails every day.
It should be noted that, on average, each person receives over a hundred business emails a day. This is where many businesses have difficulty. While many emails are received and sent every day, many more just get deleted. Does this mean that emails are ineffective? Not necessarily.
Meaningful Emails are being read.
If your email campaign is not receiving the ROI that you desire, it could be that the method in which your message is being delivered is wrong. Avoid adding titles to the subject, which are likely to be filtered as spam. A simple search of the most common terms found in spam messaging will help you know what to avoid.
Additionally, knowing the key SEO phrases about your business will help in your email marketing. Ominous titles tend to be those from long websites, use all caps, and use symbols or emojis in the subject title.
Newsletters vs. Junk mail
Email marketing is effective when you are reaching the intended audience. Sending blanketed emails is of little effect, mainly because the audience you are trying to reach is a hit or miss. However, emails which are sent directly to the target audience are good for marketing. One of the main positives to newsletters over emails is prioritizing and categorizing the email by Gmail, Microsoft, and other email hosting platforms. Traditional emails with certain subject lines are directed to the junk mail folder as the receiver has not opted to receive email from that address. However, when you have a targeted newsletter marketing campaign, the emails get directed to either the social, promotional, or directly to the inbox depending upon the platform you use. As such, the probability that your email will be read increases.
Newsletters are also a way of email marketing through forwarding and sharing the content. Adding images, coupons, and social media content to the newsletter emails allows the reader to do some marketing for you. Emails which are forwarded from a group email list are highly likely not to be read. This is due to statistics and email algorithms that weed out these emails from day-to-day conversations. Statistically, forwarded emails contain the most viruses among emails and are thereby avoided for the most part by receivers as being suspicious or untrustworthy. Algorithms look at the forwarded email and see that several people have received the same content and therefore flag the email and send it to the potential spam or junk mail folder.
Newsletter emails cause the email to be directly forwarded, which is different from a group forwarding to specific people whom the original receiver thinks would benefit from the information. Additionally, any information shared socially from the email is posted and can reach an enormous amount of new potential clients in your target demographic.
Short and Sweet
Elongated emails will not show a large ROI. There is just no demand for lengthy emails in today’s market. Think of the average Facebook post, blog, Tweet, or push notification. While emails can be slightly longer than these, you do not want to exceed what can be read easily in two minutes. If your information is more than this, consider adding a read more hyperlink to your blog or website.
Effective email marketing for SMBs
To have effective email marketing, SMBs should focus on creating emails directed to a specific target audience. The emails should go beyond the traditional text but should be void of HTML content as this is usually a flag for email filters. Instead, use images embedded into the email. When attempting to direct your audience to a web address, have a button or clear indicator that this is the intent of the email. Again, mix the text with the embedded content, focus on the visual and the message, and avoid using SEO phrases that will be flagged.
Email marketing is effective so long as the emails are up to date with today’s current trends. Practice diligence in your SEO words and phrases, know your target audience and make an email that you would read, and your marketing campaign will show ROI.