E-mail Marketing: An Introduction

E-mail Marketing Introduction

• E-mail marketing has become essential since the internet's introduction.
• Email marketing uses electronic mail to communicate commercial or fundraising messages to an audience.
• Generally the term is used specifically for emails that:
• Enhance the relationship with current or previous customers to encourage loyalty and repeat business
• Acquire new customers or convince current customers to purchase something immediately.
• Add advertisements to emails sent by other companies to their customers.

Advantages of Email Marketing

• It is cost-effective because costs are lower than many other forms of marketing, as there are no advertising fees, printing or media space costs.
• The marketing list consists of people who have actively chosen to receive email communications, meaning that those customers are more likely to engage.
• It has flexible design, so plain text, graphics, or attached files can be sent as needed.
• It is scalable, reaching either large or small targeted audiences.
• Messages can be personalized and marketing lists can be segmented to increase customer engagement.
• Email content can be shared easily through word-of-mouth or viral marketing
• New promotions can include direct links to a call-to-action.
• Measuring the success of a campaign is possible using web analytics software to test variations.
• Results can be compared against others in the industry via email marketing benchmarking reports.
• A/B testing various aspects of emails ensures effectiveness before sending.
• Recipients can read messages at their convenience.
• It is more friendly to the environment than postal marketing because there is no printing needed.
• Through automation, emails can be sent when customers perform an action on a website, such as welcome emails or discount incentives.
• Connecting with customers in real-time is possible through automated triggers.

Disadvantages of Email Marketing

• Commercial email or 'spam' irritates consumers if messages are not targeted correctly which may lead to unsubscribes.
• Poorly designed emails may not get delivered if keywords, characters or incorrect email addresses are used.
• Emails must be designed to display properly across multiple devices and email providers and balance functionality.
• Email file sizes need to be small for quick download.
• A successful campaign requires the right copy, design, and marketing list, which may require outsourcing.

Legal Framework for Email Marketing

• Permission to email the people on the list is needed.
• Do not use misleading header information that refers to "from" name, subject line, and reply-to address.
• The email must be identified as an advertisement.
• Include an address.
• Include a way to opt-out of receiving future emails.

Metrics to track during email campaigns

• Open Rate: Measures how many subscribers opened the email sent.
• Click-through rate (CTR): Measures how many people clicked on the links in the email.
• Conversion rate: Assesses how many people clicked on the link and then completed a specific action.
• Bounce rate: Measures how many subscriber email addresses didn't receive the email.
• Soft bounces track temporary problems with email addresses.
• Hard bounces track permanent problems with email addresses.
• Number of unsubscribes: How many people unsubscribed upon receiving an email.
• List growth rate: Tracks the rate at which the list is growing.
• Spam complaints: Measures how many emails were marked as spam.
• Forwarding rate/email sharing: Measures the percentage of recipients who either shared the post via social media or forwarded it to a friend.
• Engagement over time: The best times of day to send messages.
• Overall ROI: The overall return on investment for the campaigns.
• Email sharing rate: How many times a recipient shared the email through their social media.
• Mobile open rate: The same way as the regular open rate, but it applies specifically to mobile devices like phones and tablets.
• Mobile click rate: Related to mobile devices like phones and tablets.
• Domain open rate: Ensures the success of your deliverability.
• Domain click rate: Allows you to see how many people are clicking on emails in a particular email provider.
• Revenue per email: Analyzes the revenue per email.
• Revenue per subscriber: Allows for a more microscopic look at your ROI(Return on Investment).

Growing Your Email List

• Avoid merely putting an opt-in form on the website, instead, attract people to grow your email list with a compelling offer
• Lead magnets are something awesome that you give away for free in exchange for an email address.
• Lead magnets include:
• ebooks
• A cheat sheet of tips or resources
• White papers or case studies
• A webinar
• Free trials or samples
• A free quote or consultation
• Quizzes or a self-assessment
• A coupon

E-Marketing Tools

• Top email marketing services include:
• Sendinblue
• Mailchimp
• Benchmark
• OmniSend
• Sender
• MailerLite
• OpenEMM is a free open-source software for email marketing and automation.
• OpenEMM is suitable for those who want to do professional email marketing with a reduced range of functions.
• You only need the know-how for installation and administration.
• It meets the criteria of an in-house software and is not associated with any costs.
• Sends date-controlled mails, transaction mails, service mails, and autoresponders.
• Complex, multistage campaigns can be implemented and automated.
• Allows migration seamlessly to the commercial version from the original developers.
• The web-based interface allows access from anywhere without having to be permanently installed.
• Open source means no dependence on a single vendor and the ability to customize the software (for digital sovereignty).
• Fulfills the demand that the public sector should use Open Source.