Is email marketing still relevant?

So, what do these statistics mean? Firstly, they mean that email is definitely still relevant. It far outperforms social media on key points and returns 30 times the investment in revenue on average.

This also means that you should be using email, but also that you should be using it in a way that’s most effective for 2018. If you use email intelligently, you can avoid your emails ending up being seen as spam and you can benefit from great returns on investment.

Included below are four key ways to optimise your marketing emails:

GDPR is a piece of legislation brought in earlier this year that has had a huge impact on email marketing, especially in small businesses. I won’t go into specifics on the legislation just now but, broadly speaking, GDPR means that you need to get permission from people to send them emails and have their data, and they need to know what they’re signing up for. You can read more about it here.

This legislation actually provides a big opportunity for some businesses. It means that if they can think creatively about how to attract potential customers to their email list, they will outcompete any competitors who stick to using dated email methods.

Also, GDPR regulation does mean email lists will be smaller but they will now be filled with people who actually want to receive your emails. This is helpful for businesses and can save money for those paying to look after large lists on services like MailChimp.

Segmentation was the highest priority and technique used in email marketing campaigns in 2017. This email technique involves sorting your mailing list into sections (segments) of people with similar traits. This allows you to send these specific people emails which are customised exactly to them. These segments could be location based or even targeted to gender.

Segmentation and personalisation of emails is great for showing your potential customers that you understand their specific needs.

Automation tools are really helpful for both you and your audience. This means that you can have systems in place that deliver automated emails exactly when they’re most helpful. Additionally, automated emails can be sent when users take certain actions, including forgetting to reply to early emails.

Additionally, automation can provide users with emails on birthdays, holidays and a welcome when they sign up for your mailing list. Additionally, this level of personalisation really takes email marketing into 2018, leaving behind the strictly scheduled emails of the past.

Like with every part of your online marketing, analysis is key when it comes to sending emails. Email marketing tools like MailChimp provide you with the ability to carefully analyse what users do when they receive an email: when they open that email, where they open that email, what they click on and how long they read that email.

You can now split test, providing information on what type of email is most helpful for your business and informing your future strategy.