There is an ugly rumor going around that email marketing is dead.  Well, we’re here to tell you that’s just not true!  According to several studies, email marketing continues to dominate the digital marketing landscape in terms of performance.

An additional truth is that the email marketing practices from 2000 no longer work in today’s world.  Wonder what’s changed and how you can adjust to the times?  Not to worry, we have you covered!

Changes in Email Marketing

Let’s talk about the changes first.  Today’s consumers are dealing with a jam-packed inbox, flooded with emails and offers from a variety of businesses.  Thanks to spam regulations, you want to be careful to only email users who give you their permission and you don’t want to over email them.  Businesses who violate these regulations can find themselves blacklisted by ISPs and unable to send emails.

Today’s consumers are super savvy and don’t like being sold to constantly.  When you email your customers keep it real!  You’re developing a relationship with them, so be casual and have fun — talk about what’s in it for them and don’t just give them a sales pitch.

Most consumers will ask their friends and family for their opinion or do research online before making a purchase.  Not only will they compare prices, but they’ll also look at reviews and read articles on the company and not just the products themselves.  This is why protecting your online reputation is so important — you want them to find great reviews about your brand when the look.  Make sure you have a dedicated resource in place to manage this for your brand.

Email Marketing Best Practices

According to a study conducted by RetailDive, more than 20 percent of marketing emails do not reach the inbox.  That’s a huge number and a large amount of massively missed opportunities for your business!

According to the email inbox deliverability exerts, MailMonitor.com, the following are the steps you should take to make the most out of your email marketing efforts:

• Stay on top of your email stats and monitor frequently.
• Never buy email lists — develop them organically.
• Clean and manage your email list regularly — removing old or bounced email address from the list.
• Making opting-in and unsubscribing easy.
• Don’t spam — create a schedule and stick to it.
• Develop a plan for testing emails before you send them to ensure optimized deliverability.