Email marketing is not what it used to be. Technology has changed the rules of the game. Back then, people only had a few websites and their email to rely on getting information (aside from traditional media—print, radio and television). Email, particularly, became a very helpful tool for sharing information.
Businesses who ingeniously used email to disseminate information about their brand profited greatly from such a nifty tool. Their email subscribers were the first to find out about the new products they were launching, sales and deals they were rolling out and even events they were organizing. The great thing about emails is its shareability. People could easily forward these emails to friends and family, creating email chains that greatly increased the size of market.
Fast forward to today. New technology has changed the way we receive and share information. Today, information goes looking for you—it is everywhere. It’s on every piece of media device you own, including your smartphones and handheld devices. Almost every device is WiFi-enabled. Social media has hit it big, too. Information is a lot easier to share—even reaching “viral” levels.
But does that make email marketing dead?
It doesn’t. Consider the following:
1. People still rely on email for communication. While social media has become a major venue for communication, people still rely on email for communication. For example, while many brands have set up social media pages to engage fans and followers, most customers will prefer to send an email to the company for concerns, complaints and feedback that are specific to the customer.
2. People still rely on email for account verifications. When signing up online for an account, whether in social media pages or buyer’s account for retail sites, sites still rely heavily on email addresses to verify a person’s identity.
Email communication has significantly changed. What worked in bulk email marketing in the past may longer work today. While many of your customers communicate through social media, this should not discourage you from continuing with email marketing. Here are some strategies that may work for 2013:
1. Improve email segmentation
Your subscribers are a diverse lot, they treat your communication differently. Don’t send a generic email to everyone. Segment your list, focus on each segments need and customize each email based on those needs.
2. Review frequency preference
Ask them how often they want to receive email. Better yet, review your email frequency. Are you sending too many emails that content already suffers?
3. Optimise email design for mobile devices
Consider using responsive design for your email.
4. Integrate with social media
Let them know where else in the web they can find you.