6 Reasons to Engage the Persuasive Power of Email Marketing

I hate to admit it, but I’m an email junky. When I hear that ping, something goes off in my brain that compels me to see who’s sent me what…

Oh look, a discount from Williams Sonoma and (gasp!) free shipping…an invitation to cruise with Royal Viking (that actually sounds good right now)…a request for a political donation (ugh, delete).

While it may not be as hip as social media, email marketing is laser focused, can be powerfully persuasive, and in many cases, far more effective than social media, particularly for B2B companies. Here are six reasons why to use email marketing:

ONE: It’s highly targeted.

With email marketing, you have control over who receives your message. This is particularly true if you’ve built your database with a tool like Salesforce or by hand with personal contacts rather than purchasing a list. With email, you have the power to drill down through segmenting based on lead status, demographics, location, or other data points. Targeted emails ensure your audience receives content suited specifically to his/her needs. You and your customers benefit because you can customize a message for each customer based on segment to foster a higher conversion rate.

Here’s an example. An ed tech company used targeted email to put Desktop Metal’s 3D metal printers in front of university engineering faculty, the exact audience for the rapid prototyping machines. Not only was the open rate high – over 40% – we knew exactly who opened the email and thus who to follow-up with.

TWO: It increases brand awareness.

With each email sent, your audience is exposed to your business and your brand. With a strategic plan, persuasive content, an engaging design and consistency, you will succeed in building brand value. The other benefit? You’re more likely to be in front of people when they need your products or services. Back to the ed tech company, we used email to build awareness of their brand and their technical sales team. Emails were always customized to include the appropriate technical sales person so the recipient knew who to contact with questions or to make a purchase. It was a very effective way to put a face on those who could help.

THREE: It reaches people 24/7 no matter where they are.

According to Pew Research, 95% of Americans own a cellphone. Of these, nearly 80% are smart phones. What this means is your customers are plugged into their email round the clock. Want to get a message to your customer? Email them. Pretty simple, right? Try that with a TV or print ad.

FOUR: It inspires action.

Email is one of the easiest ways to get people to act. Do you want someone to attend an event? Send an email. Make it easy by including a link to RSVP. Do you want to to sell a product or service? Include a code for a special offer or discount and a link to a website or landing page where the recipient can buy now. Get creative about the action you want. For client PaizaBio, a pharmaceutical contract manufacturer, I used mass emails rather than one-on-one to secure media stories in global publications. I landed major stories in international trade journals with this tactic.

FIVE: The metrics are great.

Email marketing gives you precise and valuable metrics, including who opened your email, overall delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and subscriber retention rates. These metrics are more than just numbers and percentages. They’re valuable insights into your customers’ behaviors and interests. Use your email marketing campaign as a tool to monitor what information your customers respond to most. From there, you can further target your marketing strategy towards more successful campaigns and topics of interest.

SIX: It’s cost effective.

Email marketing is about as affordable as marketing gets and delivers super ROI. Consider this: the Direct Marketing Association reports that for every $1 spent, email marketing brings in $40. And while you can spend a significant amount on your creative and platform, there are affordable ways to create and manage your email campaigns. My preferred platform, Mailchimp, provides free database management (up to about 1000 email addresses) plus free design templates that are pretty much drag and drop. It’s simple to build your own emails – or hire a content marketer/freelance writer like me to do it for you very affordably and effectively.

There are so many advantages of email marketing – linking to landing pages and digital marketing campaigns – but this is a good start to show how advantageous it can be. If you haven’t considered it in the past or simply didn’t know how to get started, now is the time. With a strategic approach, persuasive messaging and visuals and a marketing partner you trust to get the job done, your business is sure to benefit.