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Published by Incomedia in Guides and Tips · Thursday 30 Apr 2020
The use of chat services and messaging apps is growing before our very eyes. That said, plain old e-mails continue to be an integral part of our daily life. In fact, they play a major role.

Not convinced yet? Actually, the data speaks for itself:

  • Worldwide, there were a total of 3.9 billion active e-mail accounts in 2019, a number which is expected to grow to 4.48 billion by 2024. (Statista)
  • 73% of millennials prefer to receive communications from companies via e-mail. (Adestra)
  • 99% of consumers check their e-mails every day. (DMA Insights)

And if that's not enough, think about your own habits, and that of your social circle...



It's clear that e-mail is an excellent communications channel, and if your company doesn't already do so, you absolutely must start using it as a marketing tool.

So let's take a look at 5 great reasons why e-mail marketing is vital for almost any company.

E-mail marketing is affordable

E-mail marketing has an additional advantage over all the other marketing strategies at your disposal (SEO, SEM, Social Media, Pay per Click, Affiliate Marketing, etc.): it's considerably cheaper. And that's more important than ever during uncertain times like these!  

In practice, the main cost you'll incur is the cost of the e-mail software you'll use to send them. There are many e-mail services available on the market, and the good news is that in general, they all offer a free trial or a free, entry-level plan. Of course, they also allow you to upgrade to higher-level plans, which can be scaled depending on your specific needs.

Follow this tip: take your time and choose your e-mail marketing platform carefully. Your choice of platform will determine your options for personalizing messages, sending speed and security, the ability to monitor the campaign's progress, and other advanced features like polls or social sharing. Evaluate the features and costs to find the best solution for your purposes.

Want another tip? Try Brevo: it's one of the best platforms in the world for managing e-mail campaigns and newsletters. It's easy and you can start for free.

E-mail marketing helps you establish a relationship with your clients.

Ok, so sending e-mails is affordable. But why should you do it in the first place? Now we're getting to the heart of the matter. The answer is simple: because it allows you to keep people informed and to improve your relationship with them. And these factors are the very foundation on which your company's success is built, no matter what business you're in.

Let's take a closer look at what this means with a few examples.

Of course, the first step is to collect e-mail addresses. There are several ways to do this: you could ask clients for their e-mails in person, when they visit your store or restaurant, by inviting them to register for a loyalty card, or to sign up through an online form to receive updates.

Once you have a list of contacts, the fun begins, because a world of new possibilities is now open to you.

First of all, you can send purely sales-related e-mails to notify clients about discounts or special offers. These are especially important, because they help you increase your business, but don't limit yourself to only sending this kind of message: after a while, you contacts may get tired of them, and unsubscribe. Try to be useful. Instead of only sending sales-related updates, share information that could be interesting to your contact list, to encourage them to stay subscribed. For example, in addition to promoting seasonal menus, restaurant owners might choose to reveal a few secret tips or share some of their easier, more accessible recipes. Your objective should be to strengthen customer loyalty: after all, remember that the cost of acquiring new clients is, on average, four to ten times higher than the cost of maintaining clients that are already in your company database.

As your business grows, you'll realise that people like to feel unique, and that e-mail marketing platforms allow you to create targeted, personalised e-mails. The better you target your messages, the better results you'll achieve. For example, try sending e-mails wishing your clients happy birthday, or to celebrate special occasions: these are automated messages that are easy to configure, and that many of your clients will appreciate, especially if you treat them to a little present.

In the end, sending an e-mail is the perfect way to reach any client:

  • you can invite dissatisfied clients to fill out a brief questionnaire, letting them know that you care about their opinions, that you want to improve, and that you deserve a second chance;
  • you can nudge “dormant” clients to make a new purchase, perhaps by tempting them with an offer they can't pass up;
  • you can ask enthusiastic clients to leave a review, which is an invaluable commodity for any business.

E-mail marketing can be integrated with other marketing tools

Another advantage of e-mail marketing is its versatility: regardless of the campaign you have in mind, it's very likely that sending an e-mail to your contact list will give it an additional boost.

Let's say you want to promote an event: if you have the budget, you can certainly publicise it on traditional media (posters, print, radio, etc.), as well as use social media and try to collaborate with online influencers. Adding an e-mail campaign fits right into this strategy.

By directing all web traffic generated by these various efforts to a dedicated landing page for the event, you can collect e-mail addresses from people interested in attending: then, you can send targeted newsletters to these individuals.
Before the event, use e-mails to create anticipation and get people excited about it. It's a highly effective way to remind them of the date, and to encourage them to attend.

Once the event is over, you can use e-mails to share results, maybe share a few backstage moments, or ask participants for feedback: this information can be very valuable for organising your next date.

If you have different goals in mind - like gaining new clients, publicising a promotional campaign, launching a new product/service, etc. - the above strategy remains generally the same, and sending e-mails is still an excellent tool to integrate into the mix of other initiatives you're planning.

Email marketing is mobile-friendly

According to a recent study, 42% of all e-mails are opened on smart phones or tablets. (Litmus)

This means that e-mails offer another opportunity: you can reach and connect with your contacts anywhere they are, and at almost any moment of the day. Consider that around 50% of Americans check their e-mails in bed, and 42% check them in the bathroom (TechCrunch).

It's also interesting to note that 69% of clients are influenced by an e-mail before completing a purchase on their smart phone. (Disruptive Advertising)  

What can we learn from all of this? That with e-mails, we can reach our contacts at the right time and share the information they're looking for, or the right reason to make their purchase sooner rather than later. But it also shows us that it's crucial for our e-mails to look perfect whether they're viewed on desktops or via smart phone or tablet.

That's something you should keep in mind when creating your newsletter: luckily, the editing software offer optimized templates or other features to help you compose your e-mails and make sure they are not only compatible with all major e-mail clients, but also mobile-friendly.

E-mail marketing is the “king of ROI”

If you're not yet familiar with all the acronyms used in marketing lingo, you should know that ROI stands for “return on investment”, and it's simply an indicator of how much you get back for the capital you invest.  

Furthermore, it's important to note that for over ten years, e-mail has proven to be the channel that generates the highest ROI compared to all other tools available.

In fact, it is estimated that every $1 spent on e-mail marketing generates a return or $44 dollars (Campaign Monitor).

This means e-mails are 40 times more effective for acquiring new clients than Facebook or Twitter (McKinsey).

These are all reasons why all major marketers include e-mail marketing in their marketing mix, and they continue to invest in this tool in their future planning.

In conclusion: why is e-mail marketing worth it?

Here's a summary of e-mail marketing's advantages compared to other channels:

  • speed: preparation, sending, and receipt times are so low, they're almost instant;
  • effectiveness: they allow you to reach your contacts directly, increasing customer loyalty;
  • versatility: e-mails can be used in a variety of contexts and are easy to integrate with your other marketing tools.
  • convenience: they are cheap and grant an excellent return on investment.

Now it's time to get to work and try it for yourself! If you want to learn all the tips and tricks in this fascinating world, just keep following us.


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