Email has been around long before the internet even existed. Ray Tomlinson, the man who would eventually become one of the forefathers of the internet, sent the first email through his computer back in 1972. Fast forward to today, email is still relevant and is the most matured player in the digital marketing game.
Many would take it literally though; that email is old fashioned and not as effective as its contemporary siblings – mobile marketing and social media. There’s no denying that mobile marketing and social media have the ability to reach a huge amount of people you otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach. But email gives you an avenue to have intimate and genuine interactions that other channels simply cannot compare to.
With over 293 billion emails sent daily, data continuously proves that email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools a digital marketer can use. Here are 10 mind-blowing statistics that will show you why email should always play a big part in your digital marketing strategy. Ready? Let’s do it.
1.There are over 3.9 billion email users worldwide
To put things perspective, there are over 3.9 billion current email users which means that over 50% of the world’s population is reachable via email. This doesn’t mean you should ditch your social media and SEO campaigns just to focus on email marketing alone, but you get the picture.
Success social media and email are two different ball games and winning at both can definitely drive your business forward. The number of email users just proves that it’s still an effective channel that shouldn’t be overlooked.
2.Email’s return on investment is 4400%.
Email has an . For every dollar your business spends on an email campaign, you can potentially acquire a return of $44. Compared to other customer acquisition channels such as PPC that have an average return of 1:3, email boasts the biggest ROI.
3.Email is the most widely used smartphone feature.
Now that the world is fast-paced and people are always on the go, around half of all emails are now being opened on mobile devices. Just like any social platform, messaging app, or streaming service, having an email client on a smartphone plays a big role in the average person’s digital lifestyle.
With over 3.5 billion smartphone users in 2020, this statistic shows that email will continue to a vital tool for both marketers and consumers.
4.Consumers actually enjoy receiving promotional emails.
Contrary to assumptions that people don’t like getting promotional emails, 61% of customers state that they actually enjoy being sent relevant promotional emails weekly. The caveat, of course, is that they know the brand they’re receiving promotional emails from.
Since people don’t like spam mail or other messages that take up space on their feeds, you have to make sure your recipients know who you are and that you’ve acquired their contact information in an ethical manner.
5.Email has the power to influence purchase decisions.
According to Hubspot, 59% of consumers state that promotional emails help them influence their purchasing decisions.
Customers who buy products marketed through email tend to spend more than those that do not receive email offers at all. Apart from shopping and finding the right deals, email helps you stay connected with past clients and increases their chances of doing business with you again.
6.Email is a great tool to know your customers better.
41% of businesses mine their data from the performance of their email marketing campaigns.
Aside from the explicit data customers willingly provide (Name, birthday, age, gender, among other things), there are countless ways to understand your customers better through their email activity, engagement, and behavior.
Product reviews and email surveys are also great ways to gather information. If you want to sure that the action is completed, you can follow up by offering incentives to boost your conversion rate.
7. Automated emails convert better than traditional marketing emails.
Marketers love automated emails because they set them up one time and they are automatically sent out on specific triggers. Apparently, recipients like them too.
In fact, automated email messages have 70.5% higher open rates and 152% more click-through rates than “business as usual” marketing messages. Furthermore, transactional emails (emails triggered by user’s purchase behavior) have 8x more opens and clicks than any other type of email and can generate 6x more revenue.
Not bad at all, especially from something that doesn’t require so much effort.
8. Millennials actually like emails.
Know about that ever-popular generation that was born and raised in the digital age?
Millennials are known to be heavy users of social media and messaging apps, but that doesn’t mean this is the best way to reach them. They may be available on different kinds of platforms but when it comes to business and other related transactions, 73% of millennials actually prefer email as the primary communication channel.
9.Email marketing is the most effective digital marketing channel in driving sales
There is a never-ending argument regarding what strategy is more effective: email marketing or social media. Well, it depends!
According to Tidio, one of the most interesting email marketing statistics they’ve pointed out is that 20% more Millennials prefer to receive updates and promotions from a company via email than on social media. So, it’s a good idea to keep the bigger part of communication on email while still being active on social media to spread the word about your company and collect new leads.
10. Email marketing is the best channel for retail.
It’s not just consumers who like promotional emails, retail professionals think they’re the best strategy for customer acquisition and retention too. Research states that over 80% of business owners rely on email marketing to optimize both their customer acquisition and retention efforts.
Other customer acquisition tactics preferred by retail professionals are search engine marketing, content marketing, and social media, but even these tactics fall short when it comes to customer retention. Only email marketing is considered best for both acquisition and retention, as well as ROI.
11. B2B marketers consider email essential to business growth.
Email isn’t just for retail or consumer brands, B2B organizations also depend on email to grow their businesses too. Hubspot states that 83% of B2B marketers highlight newsletters as the main driver for their content marketing efforts.
Since content marketing helps businesses sell the idea of their brand, having an optimized email strategy ensures that the information you’re providing reaches the right set of people. Since email lets businesses have genuine and personalized engagements with their audience, over 93% of B2B marketers are currently making good use of the channel.
Converting Prospects the Old-Fashioned Way
When implementing an inbound/content strategy, email links everything in the B2B marketing funnel together. From the initial sign up to the lead nurturing process to closing the sale; through every stage of the journey, from turning visitors to leads and leads to paying customers, email is the consistent line of communication between the company and its clients and prospects.
And now that you have an idea just how many opportunities you’re taking for granted when you don’t take your email marketing seriously, it’s time to make some major changes in your email strategy and be a better, smarter email marketer.
