Email marketing has been around for forty years. And, despite the repeated warnings that email is dead when it comes to marketing, no one seems to have told the customers. Email still rocks in 2018!
The first email was sent in 1971. Just after the Age of Dinosaurs. The first mass email marketing campaign was launched in 1978 or, as Abraham Lincoln might have put it, two score years ago.
And the Internet didn't bother to show up until 13 years after that, in 1991.
As a marketer, or a business owner trying to market your own brand, you might be wondering: Does email still work?
Just the (Email) Facts, Ma'am
Let's take a quick look at the history of email - from a 30,000 foot view:
[graphic via wiredmarketing.co.uk]
As you can see, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since that first, primitive email campaign. As in, if you were born in 1978 you would have already gone to your 20th High School reunion two years ago. And, at your age, you'd probably still remember it!
Has email changed? Yes, but not in it's fundamental form. Has email marketing changed? Heck yeah! Tremendously. But, more to the point, does it still work?
You be the judge.
One of the advantages of a tool like email is that tracking, quantification and analysis is relatively easy to do. And we've had (collectively) 40 years to do it. That's a lot of data - and a lot of emails - and the statistics show a clear picture of the power and effectiveness of email as a marketing tool.
Still skeptical? Fine. Indulge us:
A Mind-Numbing Mass of Email Marketing Statistics
Sometimes the numbers just simply speak for themselves. In the case of email as a viable and effective means for marketing to your audience, be they B2B or B2C, the numbers practically scream.
For example, according to a study by Campaign Monitor, for every $1 spent on email marketing $44 is made in return. Which is a really good thing since 73% of millennials say that email is their preferred means of business communication.
But that's just a sampling of some of the numbers that get crunched constantly by agencies, marketing research firms, and email service providers day in and day out.
Check out this infographic from Delivra.com that highlights a dozen of the more significant statistics from the world of email marketing:
[infographic from Delivra.com]
And it just gets better!
- In 2017, there were an estimated 3.7 billion email users worldwide. Expect this number to grow to 4.1 billion users by 2021. – (Statista)
- 94% of people say they get online primarily to check email making it the #1 activity on the Internet. – (Marketo)
- 92% of adults online use email and 61% of them use it on any given day. – (Pew Research)
- The average ROI for email is between $38 to $44 for every $1 spent, but one in five businesses see an ROI greater than 70-to-1. – (DMA)
- Emails generate 50% more sale sat 33% less cost than other lead-generating tools. – (HubSpot)
- 59% of marketers get most of their ROI with email. – (Emma)
- The average office worker checks their email about every 2 minutes – (Marketing Insider Group)
- 66% of online consumers make a purchase because of an email. – (DMA)
- The most influential sources of purchase information for B2B audiences are colleague recommendations first, then industry thought leaders and, thirdly, email. – (WordStream)
Oh... and don't forget that email is now mobile:
- Of Gmail’s 900 million users, fully 75% access their accounts on mobile devices. – (TechCrunch)
- 33% of emails were opened on iPhones. – (Litmus)
- It’s estimated that 91% of consumers user their smartphones at least once a day to check email. – (Email Monday)
- 89 percent of marketers say email is their primary source for lead generation. – (Mailgen)
- 70 % of millennials are in the age group most likely to check their email from bed, while 57% will do so from the bathroom and even 27% checking email while driving. That's disturbing. – (Adobe)
- In the first quarter of 2014, more email was opened on iPhones than all desktops combined (38% vs 34%). – (MovableInk)
You've Got Mail. (Or Do You?)
If your company has not actively and - dare we say - aggressively pursued email marketing it's time to start. The good news is that, if you already have an email list of clients, customers and prospects, you can begin to see tangible results very quickly.
And there are a number of tactics and tools that you can use to implement an effective email marketing strategy. Creating and using quality content as the basis and substance of your email marketing efforts will allow any business to build their brand and thrive with email marketing.
And email is a kick-ass tool, even though it's considered "old school" by many.
Want to learn how to make your email marketing efforts up-to-date and relevant? Read this post for some actionable tips and techniques. In the meantime, reconsider the time and effort you've been putting into advertising, snail mail and social media posts and seriously shift your focus to email.
Good Email Marketing Needs Good Marketing Partners
Using email campaigns for your Inbound marketing is a powerful approach for building and scaling your business. But achieving your marketing objectives with an inbound marketing strategy takes time. It won't happen with a few email blasts, a one-off campaign, or even a random newsletter.
The fact is that your audience will need to consume your content for a while before they contact you. Yet, without your content compelling them to contact you, your goals may never be met.
The good news is that you don't have to figure out alone. In fact, one of the best investments you can make with your marketing budget is to partner with a solid firm like BroadVision Marketing.
Click on this link to get your free Complimentary Inbound Marketing Session so you can make an informed decision, or call BroadVision Marketing at 707-799-1238.
