We’ve all heard the headlines…
“Email is king!”
“Email is dead!”
“Email, the most addicting drug on the planet”
“How to handle inbox overwhelm”
And on, and on they go.
In the blue corner you have “Expert #1” claiming social media is the way of the future. And email is obsolete and ineffective.
And in the red corner you have “Guru #2” stating that email is the ONLY channel you need to use. And that it has been, and will continue to be the most effective form of digital marketing available.
So who’s right?
Well…
Neither (but the edge in this argument goes to Guru #2).
After all, who in their right mind would say something so outrageously wrong as “email is obsolete and ineffective”? (silly “Expert #1”)
(Brand new to email marketing? Check out this post first: Email Marketing Basics)
Email Marketing Facts
So is email marketing important?
Does it work?
And most importantly…
Is email marketing something you should invest your businesses precious time, money, and resources into?
To answer this, let’s look at a few simple facts.
Fact #1: Email Works
Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook or Twitter.
What makes this fact so impressive is that Facebook and Twitter (when done right) are actually pretty effective tools for acquiring new customers.
So imagine multiplying that by 40, and you start to see the real power of email marketing.
So what makes it just so darn effective?
There are a number of reasons but they all boil down to a couple simple things.
- We all use email for both personal, and professional. This means an email from your Mom is likely to appear right beside a new promotion to a store you subscribe to. This adds trust and credibility.
- Email is a medium that allows the development of a relationship by telling longer stories, including videos, and getting your customers to take action with embedded links. This means you aren’t limited to 140 characters (with Twitter) or the choice between photos, video, or posting a long and detailed story (like with Facebook).
(Pro Tip: Use social media ads like Facebook and Twitter to drive traffic to your email list, so you can follow-up and continue the relationship there. When you combine social media marketing with email marketing you get a powerhouse combo)
Fact #2: Email Is Everywhere
92% of online adults use email
I’ve always wondered about the other 8% that don’t use email.
Who are these people?
Even my grandparents who are 85 years old have (and use) email.
Moving on…
We all use email. (Well… 92% of us at least)
We all need email.
And we tend to trust (at least to a certain extent) the quality of the information we receive there above other places.
Which is perhaps the biggest reason it works so well.
Email is an integral part of our everyday personal and professional lives.
And it is for your customers as well.
It’s fast.
Convenient.
And customers actually prefer receiving promotional material via email over social media.
This means it is OK to sell with email.
As long as you do it tastefully, respectfully, and keep it relevant, you have your customers permission to do so.
Fact #3: Be Seen and Be Heard.
A message is 5 times more likely to be seen in an email than through Facebook.
If you thought your email inbox was overwhelming, just take a quick look at your social media feed.
Chaos!
It’s like a high school talent show with everyone trying to get attention and be heard above the noise.
You also have a limited time to grab your prospects attention, make your point, and get them to take action.
Of course this can be done (and is something we do everyday in our agency) but it’s a lot more challenging to do it in a few short words than with an email where you can include story, imagery, video, links, and more.
Email adds some “fudge factor” and ensures that even if you’re not a copywriting pro – you can still get your message across.
Fact #4: Show Me The Money
Email marketing has an ROI of 3800%
Wait, what?
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that an ROI of 3800% is HUGE! (Some statistics show the ROI is as high as 4300%)
That’s a whole lotta return on your marketing investment.
Especially when compared to average ROI’s in real estate (12% )…
Or the stock market (7%)…
Or even that “super incredible deal” your Uncle Lonny offered you a few years back to invest in his Llama Farm with the potential for an 80% ROI…. (that came bundled with a 100% chance of loss when positioned against uncle Lonny’s previous business “opportunities”)
No thanks!
But I’ll take the 3800% ROI every day of the week.
And suggest you do too.
How To Use Email Marketing
So here’s how to make it all work.
- Email Service Provider
First, you’re doing to need an email service provider.
This is what’s going to allow you to add subscribers, send emails, and keep everything on track.
I’ve tried a bunch, and now use – and recommend – only one.
Forget Mailchimp (pretty limited features) and ignore Aweber (a dinosaur in the marketing world that I happily abandoned)
Save yourself the headaches, and go with Drip.
It’s simply the best one out there, and even has a 100% free plan if you’re just getting started.
- Training
Next, you’re probably going to need just a little bit of training on how to write amazing, revenue generating emails.
I’ve taken more email marketing courses than I can count.
And 1 course stands head and shoulders above all the others.
It’s called AutoResponder Madness and it’s amazing.
It’s relatively fast (can do it in an hour a day, or jam it all into a weekend)
It’s fun (Andre, the creator is a funny guy!)
And it works. (The advice in the course is what others use when creating their own courses and advice. It’s absolute GOLD)
Drip is great, and AutoResponder Madness is great.
But when you combine the two you get a killer combo.
And a secret cocktail of marketing goodness.
- 3 Emails
One of the biggest obstacles to getting started with email marketing is this:
“What am I going to write about?”
Fear not!
You don’t need to be a modern day Hemmingway to write effective emails to your customers.
(Here’s a link to one of my most popular posts and videos: How To Write Great Content)
In fact, in today’s age, authenticity and transparency are far more important than good spelling and grammar.
Add value where you can, be you, be real, and just write.
You also don’t need to come up with a 50,000 word email sequence.
No, 3 simple emails to get you started will do just fine.
For email #1 Solve your customers biggest problem or answer the #1 question you get in your business.
For email #2 Introduce yourself, your business, and your story.
For email #3 Introduce another problem, explain it in a little more detail, and the describe how your product or service solves that issue.
Done!
Congratulations, you’re now an email marketer well on your way to more leads, a better relationship with current and potential customers, and an 3800% ROI.
