An email list is essentially a ‘subscribers list’ or ‘mailing list’, that is used to send out email notifications en masse to those email addresses on your database. This may be to update them with news, blog posts, promotions, or to announce new products and so forth. It is invaluable for marketing and can make your life a great deal easier when trying to communicate a message to hundreds, if not thousands of clients/customers. The following are just some of the reasons as to why such a list is beneficial.
Streamline and personalise your messages
Following on from the point made above, email lists can get your message out to large numbers of people and very efficiently too. 91% of people check their emails at least once a day, so contacting customers via email has been proven to be highly effective. A well designed process will enable you to filter out the casual onlookers and focus on those who are interested in using your service/making a purchase.
Based on responses to emails and ensuing activities, you can group customers which then allows you to email targeted information to each group. This technique is called segmentation.
Additionally, you can personalise the message by using the name of each individual you are e-mailing. Compare this with a social media feed wherein updates can be missed as there is such an overload of information, making it less reliable as a communication channel. Although most businesses now have a presence on social media, emails come across as more professional, especially when it comes to requests, promotions and so forth.
Proven track record
Think of any major company in the world and you can be certain that they use email marketing. A significant percentage of their marketing budget will be allocated to advertising, with the objective of building the subscriber list. These brands understand that being able to follow up on a lead promptly and efficiently is vital in generating sales. You are 60% more likely to win the business through following up and larger organisations have long since recognised this. Email marketing is cost-effective and has an ROI which can be as high as 4300%.
Driving return rates
According to Google analytics, over 70% of people who leave your website will never return. This is why you may decide to have a pop-up invitation to join the mailing list, in order to capture these visitors; even the casual passers-by. The ability to email these customers with updates regarding your service, new promotions and offers will ensure that they are more likely to return in response to your targeted messaging.
You have full control
In addition to your website, your email list is something else over which you have complete control. The thousands of followers that you may have on Instagram or Facebook, belong to those platforms, as they own their data so the way in which you communicate with your followers is subject to the changing policies of those social media companies. However, an email list is yours, subject of course to adhering to GDPR and other applicable legislation.
Build rapport and trust
Emails are personal and very much a one-to-one form of communication. Whilst you may be engaged in mass marketing via this medium, the appropriate level of persnaisation will ensure that your messages are not received as such. In addition, email enables you to enter into a dialogue with individual consumers regarding any issues they may be facing and how your products or services can help to solve them.
Correctly used, email is a key component in the delivery of great customer service, which builds loyalty and bolsters your firm’s reputation. Anecdotal evidence conforms that happy customers will recommend your services via word of mouth.
Emails are still preferred for business
As we mentioned earlier, most people check their emails at least once a day and its been proven that people still prefer to conduct business via email, despite the multitude of communication methods now available. Nearly every internet user has at least one email account and, in practice, you need an email address to sign up for social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.
According to Racidati, there are 3.8 billion email accounts globally, representing a very significan’t percentage of the world’s population. Emails are clearly going nowhere any time soon and there is a near limitless scope for building a subscriber base and using this to drive your marketing efforts in an increasingly competitive economy.
