Why Email Marketing Still Matters in Today’s Digital Landscape
Email remains the most effective digital marketing channel, generating an impressive 3,600% return on investment — that’s $36 for every $1 spent, according to research from email marketing platform Litmus.
Unlike social media platforms that come and go, email provides direct access to your audience on a channel they check multiple times a day.
Key email usage statistics:
- 99% of people with email access check their inbox at least once daily
- The average professional checks their email between 11 and 36 times per hour
- Email reaches virtually ALL of your customers, regardless of which social platforms they use
Getting Started with Email Marketing
Before jumping into email marketing, it’s crucial to have a thoughtful strategy in place. Like all marketing efforts, email requires deliberate planning and a clear understanding of what you want to achieve. The good news is that getting started isn’t all that complicated or expensive.
Platforms That Make Implementation Easy
Email marketing is accessible and affordable for businesses of any size. Platforms like MailChimp (our personal favorite) offer free plans for up to 500 subscribers (though with some limitations in recent years), while services like Constant Contact provide robust features starting as low as $12/month. These user-friendly platforms handle everything from design to delivery, making it easy for even non-technical users to create professional email campaigns.
Creating Effective Email Content
For successful email marketing, every message should provide value by:
- Offering Something Useful
- Free resources (eBooks, templates, tools)
- Exclusive content only available to subscribers
- Special offers or discounts available only via email
- Sharing Something Interesting
- Customer success stories and case studies
- Blogs that offer industry insights and analysis
- Relevant company updates (not just promotional content)
- Providing Timely Information
- Limited-time offers with genuine deadlines
- Seasonal content relevant to your audience
- Important announcements or industry news
Advanced Email Marketing Strategies
Drip Campaigns (Trigger-Based Sequences)
Drip campaigns, sometimes called “trigger” campaigns, are a series of emails automatically sent to recipients based on specific actions or events. These powerful automation tools deliver the right message at the right time without requiring manual intervention. The most effective drip campaigns typically include 4-8 emails strategically timed to nurture leads through the sales funnel.
For example, when someone downloads an ebook, you might send an initial thank-you email with the download link, followed by a series of helpful emails that expand on the ebook’s content, each with increasingly direct calls to action. Amazon excels at this strategy. Notice how they remind you about items left in your cart about three weeks later and then follow up with similar product recommendations? They do this because it works.
That’s the power of the drip.
Transactional Emails
Transactional emails are automated messages triggered by specific customer actions, typically purchases.
These emails serve practical purposes like order confirmations while creating opportunities for additional engagement. Beyond simply providing receipts or shipping information, effective transactional emails can suggest complementary products, offer usage tips, or request reviews.
Unlike marketing emails, transactional messages usually enjoy higher open rates because customers expect and value them. While these are typically one-time communications focused on reinforcing purchases and building brand loyalty, they represent valuable touchpoints in the customer journey.
Email Frequency Best Practices
For most businesses, sending one email a month is plenty. This monthly cadence strikes the perfect balance—it’s frequent enough to keep your brand top of mind but not so frequent that it annoys your audience and triggers unsubscribes.
Monthly newsletters should include a “spotlight” or centerpiece—a primary content focus that delivers clear value—along with additional content for recipients to explore. This supplementary content works perfectly for promoting recent blog posts or resources, and you might be surprised by how many people click through to read this material.
The monthly approach allows you to maintain consistent communication without overwhelming your subscribers’ inboxes or diluting the impact of your message.
Building Your Email Subscriber List
Building a robust subscriber base requires multiple approaches working in tandem.
Start by scouring your existing customer lists for email addresses you can import into your chosen email platform. Next, ensure your website has a prominent subscription option that connects directly to your email system.
Don’t overlook the power of adding “Forward to a Friend” links in your emails—this encourages organic sharing among like-minded individuals. Despite their sometimes negative reputation, strategically implemented website pop-ups asking visitors to subscribe actually show surprisingly high conversion rates.
Social media platforms can also serve as excellent recruitment tools for email subscribers, particularly when paired with targeted ads. Social media advertising campaigns specifically designed for list building can generate highly engaged, relevant subscribers when executed with creativity and a clear value proposition.
Measuring Email Marketing Success
Track these key metrics to optimize performance:
- Open rates (a good average is between 15% and 25%)
- Click-through rates (a good average is about 2.5%)
- Conversion rates from email traffic
- List growth rate
- Unsubscribe rate (try to keep this number below 0.5%)
- Revenue attributed to email campaigns
The Bottom Line on Email Marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective ways to nurture leads, convert prospects, retain customers, and develop brand ambassadors. The lesson here is straightforward: email is an invaluable resource for generating new business and interest in your products or services.
If you’re not leveraging email, you’re missing out on potentially significant returns. With the right strategy and compelling content, email marketing can become your business’s most reliable revenue driver, consistently delivering results that other marketing channels simply can’t match.
As with all marketing efforts, success hinges on providing genuine value in every communication—not glitzy, self-aggrandizing, or in-your-face sales pitches. When you prioritize your audience’s needs over promotional messaging, you build trust that translates directly to your bottom line.
Need help maximizing your email marketing potential? Sign up for our newsletter to receive expert tips and insights directly in your inbox. Headline Consultants offers comprehensive email marketing services and high-quality content development to help you engage your audience effectively.
