Is Email Marketing as Effective as it Used to Be?
01. Sep, 2011 
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With the rising popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, there has been a lot of talk about how email marketing is dying out, and that it’s not as effective as it used to be. Margaret Framakis, of Return Path UK, said, “The death of email has been vastly overstated.” She went on to say that while email might not be as flashy, new and sexy as the social media sites are, it is still the most effective way to build a solid relationship with your customers.
Email marketing is definitely not going away. Email marketing generates revenue, and it is great for branding and keeping your company and brand top-of-mind in your consumers heads.
One of the main barriers that keep email from being as effective as it once was is the increase in the amount of spam that is flooding your customers’ inboxes. It’s been estimated that as much as 55% of email messages get deleted before they are even open because people think its spam, or because of the fear of viruses that can be delivered via email.
Gone are the days when people were eager to get new email. Now what’s more challenging is to rise above the noise and stand out in your customers’ inboxes. Your emails must demand attention, be relevant, and the subscriber must recognize the name in the ‘from’ field or they will more than likely delete it.
The best way to make sure that your email marketing campaigns are as effective as possible is that you must first get a clear understanding of what your customers and prospective customers want from you. Ask for feedback, conduct surveys, be open and transparent as you build a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship with your subscribers. Rather than thinking of your email subscribers as a ‘cash cow,’ think of them as your tribe. Think about how you can be a trusted resource for them so that they look to you as someone who provides value rather than someone who always has a hand in their pockets.
1. Always send a welcome email
Send a welcome email as soon as someone signs up to your email list. Walk them through how to white list your email address and set the expectation for how often you’ll be emailing them, and what kind of emails they should be expecting from you.
2. Run your email messages through a spam filter
Before you hit that ‘send’ button, use a spam filter to flag certain words that can raise the potential spam level of your email.
3. Put your full name in the ‘From’ line
4. Don’t use ALL CAPS in the subject line and limit it as much as possible in the body of the email.
This can set off spam filters.
5. Re-direct the live links in the message to your own domain
If it’s done properly, email marketing can be a very effective way to brand your business, build solid relationships with your audience and generate revenue. Take the time to test and track your email campaigns and you should see encouraging results.
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