Email marketing is the use of email to promote products or services, as well as incentivize customer loyalty. It is a form of marketing that can make the customers on your email list aware of new products, discounts, and other services. Email marketing is one of the most effective and popular marketing tools. Email marketing revenue is projected to grow 287 percent worldwide from 2024 to 2032.
In this article we’ll discuss how email marketing – and the usage of promotional emails – can help you to grow your business, and we’ll give you a few tips to help you get started with a successful email marketing campaign.
What is email marketing?
We can define email marketing as follows:
A brief history of email
The very first email was sent in 1971 by a computer engineer named Ray Tomlinson. The message he sent was just a string of numbers and letters, but it was the beginning of a new era of communication. Tomlinson was also the person who introduced the usage of the “@” symbol in email addresses. In 1978, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corp named Gary Thuerk used this new method of direct communication to send out the first commercial email to let people know about a new product. By the ‘90s, the internet had become commercially available to the masses. The way people communicated with one another began to change dramatically, and marketers discovered that email could be an effective way to advertise. The emergence of marketing emails also ushered in the need for regulatory updates; the U.K.’s Data Protection Act, for example, was adjusted to require an “opt out” option for all marketing emails.
Advantages of email marketing
Email marketing can help you build a relationship with your audience while also driving traffic to your blog, social media, or anywhere else you’d like folks to visit. You can even segment your emails and target users by demographic so you’re only sending people the messages they want to see most.
Email marketing also allows you to run A/B tests of a subject line or call to action to identify the best performing message by using email marketing software that can also be configured to easily send out emails. Check out Mailchimp’s email templates to see more of what you can do with email marketing.
Disadvantages of email marketing
While email marketing seems like the perfect way to reach out to customers, create new prospects, and grow important business relationships, there are some drawbacks. In fact, many businesses are opting to use EZ Texting as another form of communication.
Here are some of the significant downsides to email marketing campaigns.
- Spam. It seems like our inboxes are filled with worthless information. “Lose 25 pounds in two weeks,” “Click here for a big discount.” We all get them and nearly instantly hit delete. In addition, we never even see many of these emails because they end up in our junk or spam folders. Unless you are actively avoiding spam filters, these are messages are often just a waste of time for the company that sent them.
- Size. If your email is too large, it might take a long time to load—or even not load at all. In that time it takes to download, a potential customer has just lost interest, costing you business.
- Competition. Disadvantages aside, email marketing is a popular form of marketing, which means that your email isn’t going to be the only one flooding users’ inboxes. This means that to stand out from competitors, you might need to invest in strong copywriters or offer additional promotions to capture your audience’s attention.
- Engagement. Frequently, a customer sees an ad and signs up for emails based on that 1 instance or offer. They may or may not use it. In any case, they are now in the clients’ database, but that doesn’t mean they will keep opening up your emails and clicking through to your site. You have to continuously find ways to engage your audience, or you might find yourself with high unopened rates or a lot of people unsubscribing.
- Design. Today, you can access an email across a range of devices, such as phones, tablets, and computers. This means that unless you’re designing an email for each platform, your customers might see a less than ideal version of your email. Email marketers don’t know what type of operating system the recipient is using. In many cases, what was once a visually appealing email, can have odd breaks, missing visuals, and logos. These are annoying to the recipient and are quickly deleted—especially if the recipient mistakes it for spam or a scam. These emails are hard to read in most cases and are of very little value.
- Cost. While many email services purport to be free, many still charge fees for additional actions such as adding images or exceeding a word count. Make sure that you know exactly what the guidelines are for free emails or understand what additional charges you may incur. When you have someone design an email template, help build a database of relevant contacts, and the dissemination of the email may start stressing the budget.
Email marketing types and examples
There are many different types of email marketing. Each one serves a different purpose and takes a different avenue to engage with your audience. We are going to look at some of the many different types, so you can create the best email marketing campaign for your company.
Welcome emails
This type of email welcomes customers and encourages them to learn more about your product or service. They often offer a trial or other bonus. It is used to introduce a potential new customer to the business.
Newsletter emails
Newsletter emails are very popular, and they often highlight new products and services. They may also include articles, blogs, and customer reviews. Usually, there will be a call to action to move the reader to do something, whether that is reading a new blog post or checking out a new product.
Lead nurturing emails
This type of email targets a specific audience through a series of emails in the hope of eventually converting them. Typically, lead nurturing emails focus on a group that is interested in a specific product or service and then build their interest through more emails that offer additional information or relevant promotions. The goal is to push users from the consideration stage to the purchasing stage.
Confirmation emails
Those that have recently signed up for emails or newsletters, or have purchased an item online for the first time may get a confirmation email. This ensures the prospect that the information has been received and they are on the list to receive additional information. These are also a way to let users know that their purchase has been received or that their sign-up was successful and can include more actions for them to take.
Dedicated emails
If you want to reach out to only a portion of your email list, this is called a dedicated email. Its list may be based on recent purchases, inactive clients, new members, and other specific types of criteria.
Invite emails
These types of emails often announce upcoming events, new product launches, and seminars. Most companies use these types of emails when there is something special going on to gain attention and increase awareness about special events.
Promotional emails
These types of marketing emails are very common and tend to be generic and go out to a large audience. They are usually used to maintain awareness and may tease new products and services.
Survey email
Feedback from customers is one of the best tools for a business. Sending out these emails communicates to your customers that you value their opinion and want to create an experience, product, or whatever you’re offering that they’ll enjoy. Businesses can also take the feedback from these surveys and apply them to their offerings, creating what is hopefully a better product.
Seasonal marketing emails
Many companies take advantage of the holiday season or special occasions to reach out to their customers and prospects with information on upcoming sales and promotions. They are often tied to holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s, and Father’s Day.
But how do you build an audience of people to send email to as part of your internet marketing efforts in the first place? There are a few ways, and all of them have to do with treating your customers right, taking into consideration marketing best practices.
- Don’t buy email lists. Many email marketing companies (including Mailchimp) have a strict, permission-based policy when it comes to email addresses, which means that sending to purchased lists is prohibited. Instead, concentrate on encouraging folks to opt into receiving messages from you by using lead magnets. You could offer a discount on your customers’ first orders when they sign up for your email list via a custom signup form. Or maybe you can offer new subscribers free shipping on their next order—or give them a chance to win a prize when they join your list. Here are some more tips to help you build an email list.
- Be aware of national (and international) email regulations. Make sure you adhere to any legal requirements and applicable laws in your area when sending automated emails, like the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States, the Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL), or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union for the treatment of personal information. The regulations are based on both your location and the location of your subscribers, and it’s your responsibility to know which laws apply to you.
- Use email to have a conversation with your customers. Email is a great marketing tool, but it can help your business in other ways, too. Consider taking the occasional break from your regular marketing content to send out surveys, tell you customers how much you appreciate them after buying from you, following up after an abandoned cart, or just say hello. Not only does it give your audience a chance to provide you with valuable feedback, but it also allows them to get more insight into the person behind the business.
- Only send when you really need to. Once someone has trusted you with their email address, don’t abuse that trust. Flooding your audience’s inbox with superfluous emails will cause them to lose interest or unsubscribe entirely. Focus on sending them relevant, engaging messages about the stuff they like, and they’ll be loyal for a long time to come.
63 Responses
Your blog post was like a breath of fresh air. Thank you for reminding me to slow down and appreciate the beauty of life.
Your passion for this topic is contagious! After reading your blog post, I can’t wait to learn more.
Your blog post was exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you for the gentle reminder to practice self-care.
Your blog post was like a crash course in [topic]. I feel like I learned more in five minutes than I have in months of studying.
Your writing has a way of making complex topics seem approachable. Thank you for demystifying this subject for me.
Your blog post challenged my assumptions and forced me to reevaluate my beliefs. Thank you for broadening my horizons.
Your blog post was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Thank you for brightening my mood!
Wonderful beat I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site how could i subscribe for a blog web site The account aided me a acceptable deal I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea
webside er virkelig bemærkelsesværdig for folks oplevelse, godt,
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you are but definitely you’re going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
webside er virkelig bemærkelsesværdig for folks oplevelse, godt,
O conteúdo existente nesta página é realmente notável para a experiência das pessoas,
It contains fastidious material.|I think the admin of this website is actually working hard in favor of his site,
reading this weblog’s post to be updated daily.
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You definitely know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
I was very happy to uncover this web site. I need to to thank you for your time due to this wonderful read!! I definitely really liked every little bit of it and i also have you book-marked to look at new things on your blog.
Hey just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.
Hey would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re working with? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m having a difficult time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique. P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask!
Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have developed some nice practices and we are looking to exchange methods with others, be sure to shoot me an e-mail if interested.
I’m not sure why but this weblog is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later. Many thanks
I enjoy what you guys tend to be up too. This kind of clever work and coverage! Keep up the superb works guys I’ve included you guys to my blogroll.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Introducing to you the most prestigious online entertainment address today. Visit now to experience now!
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this post and also the rest of the website is really good.
I quite like reading a post that will make men and women think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!
Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My blog goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you are interested feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
In addition to underground storage, we’re also looking at the ocean for permanent CO2 storage.
It’s nearly impossible to find well-informed people for this topic, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog. An excellent read. I will certainly be back.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
The woven design makes them soft yet durable, and their 15-by-25-inch size allows for absorbency.
This is a topic which is close to my heart… Cheers! Where are your contact details though?
I have been following your blog for a while now and have to say I am always impressed by the quality and depth of your content Keep it up!
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after browsing through many of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m certainly happy I discovered it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly.
Introducing to you the most prestigious online entertainment address today. Visit now to experience now!
Lightweight and beautifully crafted, they bring a vintage charm and trendy flair to your jewelry assortment-best for on a regular basis wear or that particular night time out!
The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it does not disappoint me just as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, but I genuinely believed you would have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something you could possibly fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.
Introducing to you the most prestigious online entertainment address today. Visit now to experience now!
Hello, Neat post. There’s an issue with your site in internet explorer, could check this… IE still is the marketplace leader and a huge part of other people will miss your fantastic writing due to this problem.
Simply a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw great style and design.
Remarkable! Its genuinely awesome article, I have got much clearidea concerning from this piece of writing.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
Normally I don’t read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, very nice post.
I want to express my appreciation for the writer of this blog post. It’s clear they put a lot of effort and thought into their work, and it shows. From the informative content to the engaging writing style, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Thank you for providing this info.
Hey there You have done a fantastic job I will certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends Im confident theyll be benefited from this site
I might suppose half a dozen good video games a day, daily, is likely to be a perfect number, although for those with busy lives, perhaps hard to attain.
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article. Many thanks for supplying this info.
Introducing to you the most prestigious online entertainment address today. Visit now to experience now!
BWER is Iraq’s premier provider of industrial weighbridges, offering robust solutions to enhance efficiency, reduce downtime, and meet the evolving demands of modern industries.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
I appreciate how this blog promotes self-growth and personal development It’s important to continuously strive to become the best version of ourselves
What’s up Dear, are you really visiting this web site regularly,if so after that you will absolutely take nice knowledge.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results. If you know of any please share. Appreciate it!
I was recommended this website through my cousin. I am no longer sure whether or not this post is written by means of him as no one else recognise such distinct about my problem. You’re incredible! Thank you!
Not to place too high quality some extent on it, Deus Ex turned too much much less lifelike as time went on.
I like this post, enjoyed this one regards for putting up.
I have been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.