Oh, you thought email was dead? Quite the contrary. Email is a valuable tool for marketers, serving as a cost-effective channel for supporting lead gen and lead nurturing. In addition, email provides a pathway for continued audience engagement—a must in an age when consumers are more mobile and empowered than ever before.
Need proof? A recent Econsultantcy report found email marketing tops the ROI-charts, as over 73 percent of respondents ranked email ROI as “excellent” or “good.” For some context, consider almost a quarter of those same respondents ranked the ROI of mobile and online display as “poor.” It’s obvious the consistency of email as an ROI powerhouse—it’s been at the top or near the top since the first email marketing census in 2008—transcends trends.
The report took a holistic look at the relationship between brands and email marketing, and not every finding was as sunny as those ROI stats. For instance, although email accounts for almost a quarter of all sales, brands generally allocate only about 15 percent of marketing budgets to the channel.
Underfunding isn’t the only issue noted in the report. For instance, some organizations are failing to incorporate data and technology advances into their email strategies, leaving much room for improvement. Those organizations not dedicating enough resources to mobile optimization, automation, segmentation, and personalization strategies are missing opportunities to capitalize on their email campaigns.
Brands that are cashing in, on the other hand, are adept at using contextual clues—such as location and weather—across a variety of devices to better target messaging and bring additional value to consumers when and where they need it most.
On our sister site, The Marketing Scope, Shawn Elledge has broken down the report in-depth, providing valuable insight into the state of email marketing today and offering his clear vision for how your brand can get more out of your email initiatives in 2017.
Read: Email is a Winner for Marketing ROI
photo credit: Christoph Scholz E-Mails @ Computer via photopin (license)
Shawn is recognized as a top marketing influencer, experienced marketing automation and conversion optimization specialist, provides advanced email marketing and database management expertise, and has a proven track record of helping brands develop demand generation and lead generation programs that deliver results.
- Email Marketing Best Practices for Deliverability - February 9, 2018
- Setting the Hook: How to Make Sure Your Leads Don’t Get Away - January 24, 2018
- Lead Gen through Social Media—Making the Most of Your Efforts - December 21, 2017
