Out of all the digital marketing channels like emails, content marketing, SEO, websites, blogs, PPC, and referral marketing, there is one channel that stands out.
Have you guessed it? Well, there are no points for guessing it right; it is EMAIL. Despite being in use since a long time, it has still not lost its charm. According to Nielsen’s CMO report 2018, email was ranked among the top three “extremely important” digital marketing channels of the year.
6 Components of Digital Marketing Strategy
Digital marketing strategy primarily works to acquire new customers, create brand awareness, retain the existing ones, and yield higher revenue. It encompasses the channels as discussed below:
Content Marketing
If you want to build a great brand, building valuable content is a must. It should be suitable for the customers according to their persona and stage of buyer’s journey. Whether it is the blog articles, infographics or how-to guides and videos, they should be relevant to the needs of your target audience and appeal to them.
Social Media Marketing
You ought to have a social media presence in order to have better subscriber engagement. Use social media to announce the launch of new products, organize contests, and ask interesting questions that would keep the users active and increase brand visibility.
Organic and Paid Search
Organic and paid search practices will help the prospects to find your website and avail your services. It is recommended to create website and blog content according to the terms they search for. Use this content in combination with paid search ads so that they are compelled to come back to your site.
Digital Advertising
Digital advertising with the help of Google or Facebook ads can be effectively used for customer acquisition and filling the sales pipeline.
Email Marketing
Email can be used to send out personalized messages to promote your products or services that the subscriber might be interested in. It allows the marketers to segment the subscribers and deliver highly targeted emails.
Digital Events
Organize digital conferences and webinars to build brand reputation and collect data from the prospects. When the customer signs up, request them to submit relevant personal details like their email address, geographical location, and job title.
Of course, every channel has its own advantages, but email outshines all of them. Here’s how:
1. Email marketing connects all the marketing efforts
Emails allow you to promote all your marketing activities. Whether it is the recently published post on your blog or the contest you are running on your social media platform, email can be used to inform the subscribers about it and get maximum engagement. Furthermore, it can drive traffic to your website, thereby increasing your brand visibility. This makes it clear that email is at the cynosure of every marketing effort you make.
2. Emails yield the highest ROI
Most of the marketers put email as their top priority as it works better than any other channel. It offers the maximum ROI for companies as it is 40 times more effective in bringing new customers when compared to Facebook and Twitter.
3. Email marketing has a better reach than social media
Despite the fact that social media is getting immensely popular in the present times, email still has an irreplaceable role to play. While the reach of social media posts depends on algorithms, no such factors impact the deliverability of your emails. Just send out relevant content that your subscriber could be looking for and you will definitely notice an increase in the subscriber engagement.
4. Email has a longer shelf life when compared to social posts
Social posts neither last nor can be searched for. They hardly last for few minutes and then pass into oblivion (almost). Emails are different in that they can be easily searched for, in the inbox and viewed at the user’s experience.
5. You can personalize the emails based on the subscriber’s interests
It is not possible to have a complete control over who views your social posts. On the contrary, you can segment your subscriber list and send tailormade emails based on the subscriber’s interests and previous interaction with the brand. Such emails can inspire the existing customers to spread the word and assist your word-of-mouth marketing. It will not only encourage the existing customers to convert but also attract new ones.
6. Emails can be used at every stage of the buyer’s journey
If you are aware of the inbound methodology, emails can be used at every stage except “Attract” stage. It is an effective channel for the “Convert”, “Close”, and “Delight” stages of inbound marketing. Let me explain.
Suppose you have a new subscriber on your email list. You can introduce your brand and let him or her know about your products or services. This will inculcate a feeling of trust in the subscriber’s mind and convert a mere visitor into a valuable lead.
As the next step, you can share product reviews or testimonials from the existing customers to build confidence and entice them to make the purchase.
Once you have closed a customer, your task does not end. It is imperative to keep the customers engaged by requesting the feedback or sending a survey. By doing so, you will get an idea about how your customers feel and what improvements you need to make.
7. Email marketing can be used by all kinds of businesses
Email can be an effective marketing channel irrespective of the size of your business. Whether it is a small business or a Fortune500 company, emails offer a cost-efficient scaffold to promote your offerings. In case you are a small business that cannot meet the email marketing requirements, you can consider hiring an outsourcing partner who can work like an extended team for you.
Wrapping up
Digital media investment will touch $120 Billion by 2021. This will include search marketing, display advertising, online video, and email marketing. In view of this figure, you should pay special attention to email marketing as a part of your digital marketing strategy.
We hope the reasons shared above will inspire you to invest in EMAIL and use it to the maximum potential.
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