Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Google+. The explosion of social media has changed marketing in ways we could never have imagined 10 years ago. But there is one tool that was effective then, and is still powerful today: Email marketing continues to be one of the best ways to reach clients and cultivate brand loyalty.
The biggest companies all have a presence on social media. Not to do so would be a big mistake. At the same time, they haven’t abandoned email in their campaign to keep their brands at the forefront of their customers’ awareness.
Though you may hear some people say that “email is dead,” we really haven’t seen any evidence that we should move all our communication to Twitter, etc. Here is why this oldest form of electronic communication is still king:

• Email is everywhere

Everyone has email. It’s one of the most portable and reliable communication systems we have today. You can access it anywhere and anytime. You need email to keep in touch, to conduct business, and to be on any social media site. It’s the one tool that ties together everything you do online. Even if your customers are not on Twitter or Facebook, they most likely will have email.

• Email marketing is low-cost

As a business owner, your company’s email newsletter is one of your best assets. You can use it to send communications about company news, sales, discounts, surveys, and more, all at a fraction of what it would cost you to send printed material.

• Email is personal

When you email someone, you greet that person by name, and personalize your communication. The same is true for email marketing, even if the content is intended for a big audience. When clients sign up to receive your updates, they choose to let you inside their inboxes, and may provide both their first and last names. Addressing someone by their first name helps establish your brand’s familiarity and connection to your customers.

• Email marketing is targeted

When people opt-in to your mailing list, they are telling you that they are interested in what you have to offer. Whether it’s information about your industry or offers for coupons, you already know that the emails you send are welcome in their inboxes. Email marketing is not a scattershot approach, where you send something out to the ether and hope something sticks. Your email subscribers are already part of a client base that you can count on to be interested in what you have to offer.
Email marketing also allows you to target specific communication pieces to subsets of your larger subscriber list. Some subscribers may only want to receive coupons or notification of upcoming events. Others may be interested in receiving both. You can manage your email list in such a way that subscribers get exactly the type of communication they want and are most likely to engage with.

• Email marketing is measurable

One of the benefits of email marketing is that you are able to gauge your clients’ reactions to your emails. Whenever you send out a piece of communication, you’ll be able to measure certain metrics that tell you which promotions are most popular, and which ones get your customers to a purchasing decision. It’s also easier to tweak an email marketing campaign than one done through printed mailings.
Email marketing is a very effective and low-cost way of keeping your clients informed about what your company is doing. It’s a tool you can use to gather feedback and build brand loyalty. You essentially have a captive audience when you send out emails to your subscribers.
Email continues to be an indispensable component of inbound marketing for any company. Used properly, a healthy email list is one of the best ways to grow your business and turn casual clients into loyal customers. Contact us today to learn how our clients benefit from email marketing, and how your company can do the same.