Is Email Marketing Dead?
Far from it! Email marketing still remains a powerful part of any comprehensive marketing plan. Somethings may have changed, but those who are doing it right are seeing incredible results.
It is true that for a while email marketing became rife with spam and was being over used and abused to a point where you may have been lucky to see response rates as low as 0.5-2%. However those who are embracing the evolution of email marketing are currently realizing open and response rates consistently upwards of 10% and even as high as 50%.
Getting great results from your email campaigns all starts with your list. Buying super expensive email lists that are 90% junk is the way of the past. Obviously building your own opt-in list is where your focus ought to be. However this can take a little creativity to coax prospects into handing over their email addresses and can take a little time, depending on what you are offering in return. Leading entrepreneurs are now finding ways to cross promote through other company’s already extensive email lists or working with a marketing manager who provides a turnkey email solution.
The days of blasting out flyer type emails and expecting recipients to click through and buy immediately is also history for the most part. Consumers are more cautious than ever about doing business with email marketers. Instead look at your email campaigns as the top of your funnel and a tool for taking them to the next step. Use email marketing to generate more blog subscribers, social media fans and followers and to invite them to webinars, events and other soft sales pitches.
What else can you do to maximize the ROI of your email marketing? Getting them opened is often the biggest challenge. Winning email subject lines are usually well guarded secrets. In fact, they can mean the difference between 1% and 87% open rates. However, you can now use the Subject Line Research tool at MailChimp to compare your ideas with the millions of emails they have sent to gauge whether yours is likely to be a winner. Also consider when you send out your emails, not just which days, but at what time. Finally you now absolutely must be incorporating links to your social media in your email signatures and providing direct points of contact that enable immediate interaction.
