Email still remains the most popular and preferred communication channel for both consumers and businesses, despite the rise of instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Slack, and Messenger. The numbers speak for themselves – in 2019, there were 3.9 billion email users, and this number is expected to grow to 4.3 billion by 2023 and 4.6 billion by 2025. Email has proven to be a reliable platform for various types of content, including personalized marketing messages. Users have control over which emails they receive and can mark certain addresses as ‘SPAM’. Businesses have also recognized the effectiveness of email marketing, as it provides a high conversion rate from opted-in subscribers and offers a higher ROI compared to other digital marketing options like social media and PPC.
While many businesses believe they need to use an email service provider (ESP) like MailChimp to access audience-targeting features, there are third-party solutions that offer customized Gmail mail merge options. This allows marketers to utilize their Gmail accounts for email marketing. However, Gmail’s built-in mail merge feature has limitations, such as a lack of extended merge fields for personalized content and limited campaign tracking. Third-party providers offer solutions like bypassing Gmail’s sending limit, automated delivery of campaigns, targeted segmentation, and personalized content with attachments, all while adhering to email marketing best practices.
In order to engage with your target audience compliantly, it is crucial for businesses to follow customer data protection and privacy laws. This involves understanding how your business captures, stores, accesses, and uses customer data, as well as adhering to laws and anti-spam acts. Ignoring these laws can result in hefty fines and damage to your brand reputation. Implementing email authentication protocols is also important to reduce the chances of your emails being rejected or marked as spam. Email authentication confirms your identity as a sender and ensures that your emails are delivered to the inbox instead of being treated as spam.
When it comes to the content of your emails, less is more. Sending targeted emails to subscribers who have expressed interest or meet certain criteria is more effective than mass emailing your entire list. Catchy and concise subject lines with limited characters and appropriate emojis help improve open rates. Personalization is key to engaging recipients, so make sure to address them by their name and provide content that is relevant to their interests. Consistency in your messaging across emails and your website is important, and preparing ahead of time with an email drip campaign can help build anticipation and drive conversions.
In conclusion, email marketing continues to be the preferred choice for marketers and recipients alike. As long as businesses prioritize their customers, implement best practices, and deliver engaging and relevant content, email will continue to outshine other communication channels and provide a higher ROI.
