Is email marketing dead? That’s what a lot of search marketing experts would like you to think, but it is simply not true. While the keyword is still king when it comes to self-directed searches, there is still a push/pull that needs to occur in order to build relationships with your core customers.

According to DMA Interactive, 54 percent of small businesses rated email marketing as the best way to drive traffic to their websites and online storefronts. Email marketing offers a call to action and an urgency that cannot be duplicated in paid search and traditional SEO; plus it is a lot less expensive to implement.

Why should your business run consistent email marketing campaigns?

Targeted Messaging

It used to be that when a business wanted to promote a sale or special promotion, they went to their local newspaper or radio station and launched an ad campaign. But online businesses take a more targeted approach to promotions. Instead of blanketing a geographic area with generic messages, email marketing allows them to segment their audience and send an appropriate message to each group.

Relationship Building

Even if your customers don’t open every single email or newsletter you send, timed email blasts and weekly newsletters keep your name in front of them consistently. Not only will this build a relationship with the customer and educate them gradually about your company; it will ensure your brand is top of mind when they initiate a search.

Cost Effectiveness

Marketing budgets are tight, and you may have had to cut back on more expensive promotions like direct mail and print advertising. Email marketing allows you to stay in touch with your customers and prospects without spending your whole marketing budget. Emails have very low production costs, do not require postage, and can be targeted more readily than any other medium. Studies show that compared to direct mail, email is 20 times more cost-effective.

Proactive Push Marketing

Rather than passively waiting for your clients and prospects to seek you out on the search engines, and hoping you rank well for the keywords they choose, email marketing gives you the upper hand. With regular emails and newsletters, you can proactively communicate with them and give them a reason to learn more. Whether you choose to send emails out to existing customers or purchase targeted email lists, electronic communication is a great way to generate new leads and repeat business, yielding a better return on your marketing dollars.

Immediacy and Intimacy

When you need a marketing program that can turn on a dime, a way to introduce new products overnight, and the ability to speak directly to your customers, nothing beats a well-executed email campaign. With email newsletters and email blasts, marketers can let customers know about a private sale, special promotion or contest. Because there is so little production time involved, email campaigns can generate an immediate response, generally within 48 hours of the launch.

Measurability

With any form of online marketing, the ability to measure a campaigns effectiveness is an important part of its success, but professionally managed email newsletters can be measured in ways that are more informative. In most cases, you will be able to see the results broken down by demographic and geographic targets, as well as which links they clicked on, and which headlines generated the best response.

Stay on their Radar

One of the most important ways to maintain contact with regular customers and prospects is by developing an email marketing program that keeps you on their radar each week. When combined with your other online promotions and SEO campaigns, e-newsletters play an important role in building strong relationships with your target audience.

Branding with E-Newsletters

A well-conceived and interesting newsletter gives your company the opportunity to learn more about your customers while they are getting to know you. After publishing several issues of your weekly e-newsletter, you will begin to see which stories are of interest to your audience because you will see which links are being clicked on. As you learn more about your audience, you will also know which products and services will capture their attention.

When you incorporate regular email newsletters into your marketing mix, your customers and prospects will stay informed about industry trends, new products, and upcoming events. When this informative content is delivered in real-time, you can proactively generate new business.

The Simplicity of Working with Yoobly

When you work with the email marketing team at Yoobly, we will create a professional HTML template that is specifically designed for your business. We will segment your lists and target the email blasts to meet the unique goals for each campaign, and then we’ll track and report the results. You won’t have to spend time wondering if your emails went out, or if they went out to the right list. Yoobly will take on this task and implement strategies that will help you get the most from your email newsletter and marketing campaigns.