EMAIL MARKETING
LOW-COST One of the most obvious benefits of email marketing is its lower cost compared to mainstream marketing channels. Granted, there may be a small overhead for sending thousands of emails at a time, but these costs are far lower than what you would expect to pay using other marketing channels. TARGETED Email marketing is one of the only channels that consumers ask to receive. The majority of businesses utilising email marketing only send messages to those who have signed up to receive them. This can allow for much higher conversion rates as a business is only targeting those who already have an interest in your business. It is, of course, possible to send unsolicited email marketing messages, but this is only likely to annoy consumers and result in a damaged brand image. SEGMENTATION Your email lists can be segmented so that each email can be specific for each segment of your target audience. Rather than mass mail everyone the same message, your email marketing campaign can ensure each email is relevant to the recipient. CALLS TO ACTION Email marketing is great for taking advantage of impulse buying. There aren't many other marketing platforms which allow customers to go from witnessing an offer to purchasing an item within two clicks of a button. With a tempting call to action and a link straight to the checkout, email newsletters can drive sales like no other channel. TRACKING Another key benefit of email marketing is that you can see the performance of each and every email. We can track open, click-through and conversion rates, making it simple to spot how a campaign can be improved. These changes can be made almost immediately too, whereas print or broadcast advertising requires quite a bit of effort and cost to alter. EASY TO SHARE Subscribers can forward brilliant deals and offers to their friends and colleagues at the click of a button. There aren't many other types of marketing that can be shared as easily as this. GLOBAL What other marketing platform lets you instantly send a message to thousands of people across the world? IMMEDIACY Due to the immediacy of email, a business can start seeing results within minutes of its emails being sent. Businesses typically have to wait weeks until they see sales come in as a result of print or broadcast campaigns and, even then, how can they be sure what was responsible for the sale. RETURN ON INVESTMENT In the business world, results are arguably all that matters. With this in mind, the main reason that most businesses invest in email marketing is the fantastic return on investment. In 2011, the Direct Marketing Association estimated that email marketing typically returns £40 for every £1 invested. A number of sources have suggested that this is better than any other platform.