How Email Marketing Assists in your Business Recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unparalleled circumstances that have called for businesses alike to rethink their marketing campaigns. In light of the physical distancing and quarantine measures, direct communication to customers has become more important but more challenging than ever.
It is well established that the pandemic has impacted all aspects of retail and has brought e-commerce to the forefront. Many retailers have had to adjust store hours and staff shifts, revisit their supply chain limitations, as well as reconsider their stock and inventory projections. As consumers increasingly stayed at home, shopping and online habits have changed, causing online engagements to soar.
As more and more customers have embraced digital shopping, brands need to look forward and re-strategize approaches and quality of online engagements. Fortunately, email marketing offers a direct connection with your audience and, when done right, fosters an element of trust and familiarity. According to Epsilon PeopleCloud Messaging, the most critical communication channel between a brand and its customer is email because it is personal, reliable, relevant, and targeted.
With the rise of social media and mass text messages, many have regarded email as a thing of the past – outdated out of the dinosaur age – but that is actually not what we are seeing. Mailerlite reports that during this time of uncertainty, e-commerce purchases through emails have risen from 6,179 to 12,154 marking a commanding 96.7 percent increase. Email marketing, which sends targeted customers with commercial electronic mail to increase sales, has been instrumental in delivering relevant content to customers in a non-invasive manner. It is especially powerful when coupled with other marketing tools such as lead generation and email automation.
Top 3 advantages of email marketing
As you look towards sustainability and maximizing opportunities in the uncertain economy of the new normal, here are the top 3 advantages of pivoting towards email marketing:
1.Hyper-personalized communications: Branding is quintessential to business operations. Brands want to be a part of their customers’ daily lives and as you re-enter the economy, you want to recalibrate and offer a sense of normalcy and comfort. The great thing about emails is that it gives you direct access to your audience. Provide genuine value and be there for your customers, and offer them products and services that resonate with them. A personal touch is best and can still be configured into email campaigns. The most effective email campaigns are those that are targeted and crafted with the customer in mind.
As a communication tool, it can not only keep you in close contact with your customers but have your audience engaged all throughout the year – be it slow or busy seasons.
In order for these efforts to be successful, the right email needs to be sent to the right people at the right time. This is where personalization and segmentation come in handy.
2.Measures engagement: Email marketing can help you gain valuable customer experience feedback that will help you in ensuring continuous interaction and engagement with your brand. From open rates that tell if your customers are interested to hear from you as to your click-through-rate which illustrates how many of your customers go through your email and click on accompanying links. You can also identify which customers are highly interested and ready for conversion through follow-through emails.
Email campaigns are able to provide important metrics that will track the quality of interest and customer engagement and give you an idea of how well your email campaigns are performing. During uncertain times, gaining critical insight on your target audience goes a long way to helping you re-strategize how to steer your brand.
3.Boost sales in a cost-effective manner: When a customer receives an email update on your business, they may or may have not been thinking about your products and services. Email marketing brings your shop within clicking distance to checkout. With a tempting call to action, your email newsletters can update your clients on new items you have in store and drive sales and interest like no other channel can.
The great thing about this type of campaign is that it is extremely cost-effective. In this new normal, everyone has suffered setbacks in one-way or another and the opportunity to mainstream your products with minimal to no fees is definitely welcome. Email marketing does not require a sizable team, just a lean team or a skilled marketer who can make intriguing newsletters and emails, and you are on your way to a stunning yet effortless email campaign.
Results matter and in this new normal, truth be told, results at the soonest time are ideal. With this in mind, investing your time and minimal budget in email marketing will reap fantastic returns. Everything is increasingly online and email is a proven effective marketing channel especially in this world of physical distancing.
Email marketing should be an integral part of any firm’s marketing strategy as they re-enter the economy. Not only is it a great way to reach your audience, but it also improves sales leads and conversions in a cost-effective manner.
