How Automation Tools changing Email Marketing, We may have no idea it’s happening. We have discussed on the same. So the story starts that one month ago – I made my first online shopping FINALLY. After seeing many of my friends and family members doing the same, I took the plunge. What I got was a well-fitted pair of denims. All good till now, BUT then the extreme happened…
From the very next day of purchase, I started receiving daily emails from this online store. What was bothering to see was that this process continued for the next 25 days. The store didn’t even realize the fact that I hadn’t opened even one of their mails. Or perhaps they did know but chose to complete ignore the fact?
Whatever the reason might be – the point is that their Email Marketing was totally absurd; which brings to my attention the current state of Email Marketing. I am sure that like me there must be uncountable people across the world who must be suffering the same hassle too. So is Email Marketing a dwindling form of marketing?
Surprisingly No
Paraphrasing the words of Andrew Sheridan –
It’s true that Email Marketing doesn’t have the best public image at the moment. Thanks to the concept of email blasts which does not consider the recipients’ needs nor does it analyze the campaign response. As a result, there are several studies questioning its usefulness.
However, in spite of all this criticism about Email Marketing, it is still the preferred channel for generating marketing opportunities.
According to State of Marketing Measurement Survey Report 2014- Email Marketing will be flourishing in the coming years.
Here are a few other startling facts related to Email Marketing:
• 66% of people make an online purchase getting influenced by Email Marketing messages
• 76% of commercial emails are opened within the first two days after an email is sent
• 74% of adults prefer email as the best method of commercial communication
• 7 in 10 people use a coupon or discount from marketing emails
• 82% of consumers open emails from companies
• Email Marketing has an ROI of 4,300%
Surprising right? In fact, it’s totally counter-intuitive. Because if companies are following the kind of Email Marketing strategies that I went through – the scenario should be radically different.
So what is it about Email Marketing that research bodies have advocated it so much? What has led them predict a bright future for Email Marketing in the coming years? How come Email Marketing has attained an ROI of 4,300%? And most importantly, on what parameters have the majority of the consumers preferred Email Marketing as the best channel of commercial communication?
Andrew Sheridan explains – “Marketers tend to get a lot of backlash against the commercial emails they send, but it’s a simple matter of fact that Email Marketing works. It may feel impersonal, but there are a few tricks to fix that.”
And one of the best tricks that have radically changed the face of Email Marketing is Marketing Automation.
It might sound a direct promotion of Marketing Automation tool, but the fact is that this technology has made promotional emails feel a lot more personal – especially when companies are sending emails to huge lists.
For example, Marketing Automation technologies have made it significantly easier for marketers to send mass emails with the receivers name and content tailored specifically to them. And the result for doing this is amazing such as increased mail opens and click through rates.
Jason Gillespi, Online Marketer and Email Strategy Analyst, has been using Marketing Automation technology for a long time. Here is what he has to say in the preference of this tool:
1. Better Engagement
Till one year back, like the other marketers even for me subscription to my emails meant that the readers were reading my mails. However, implementation of the Marketing Automation tool brought the reality upfront. I realized that just because someone is subscribed to the email list does not mean they’re actually reading the emails. .
This is because: most often readers subscribe, often without thinking. Plus, nowadays, thanks to the always-crowded inboxes, it’s quite frequent to miss out on emails. Hence, taking for granted that everyone in the mailing list is getting engaged is a MISCONCEPTION.
And this is precisely where Marketing Automation comes into the picture. Functioning as the perfect savior, it gives deep insight to understand the statistics. For example –
• Which are the recipients who are opening the daily emails?
• How may have clicked on any of the links?
• Which are the recipients who have not shown any form of engagement with the mails?
With all these facts, it is much easier for us to modify our Email Marketing programs. So let’s say if customer A B & C are not engaging at all, we can always inquire them of their email content preferences or even subscription preferences. Accordingly, email campaign can be set for each.
2. Complete Visibility
Using Marketing Automation, we have the benefit to look at the experiences and behaviors of the recipients across all channels and across all emails. Based on which we tailor the Email Marketing program.
So if Customer A shows a strong preference for a particular category of products, the next couple of emails can be made populated with contents related to those. This increases the likelihood of the recipients to make the purchase.
Final Thoughts
Having read all the pointers, it’s clear that what I went through is the old marketing concept followed by a fraction of companies. Majority of fast growing larger and smaller enterprises are using Marketing Automation tools to deliver behavior oriented emails that are more human, relevant, and personal.
And as a result: Email Marketing is definitely here to stay for long. Just the remaining companies need to capitalize upon this fervor by adopting a marketing tool with strong automation capabilities that gives their marketing a human touch.
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