Over the past few weeks, I have immersed myself in building my digital strategy for my business for 2021. With the changes that have taken place in the marketplace over the past 12 months, I have had to rethink my approach to creating brand awareness, attracting potential new prospects, and converting them to loyal customers. Pre COVID-19, many of my marketing efforts and dollars went to attending live networking events and conferences, sometimes as a speaker, other times as an observer. Post COVID-19, I have to develop a strategy that provides the same credibility level in an online environment.
My digital marketing efforts in the past have focused primarily on social media posts, digital ads, link sharing, etc. Social media coupled with my in-person engagement efforts have worked well in the past in attracting and converting prospects. Now, however, more effort must be put into building that credible presence online. I’m sure we can all agree this is a difficult task to accomplish when dealing with new prospects. When I researched the tools available, my focus kept coming back to eMail marketing. I don’t know about you, but I am bombarded with hundreds of marketing emails daily. Why would I think that I can compete in an environment that is saturated already?
My ongoing research answered my question for me. First, let’s understand the WHY behind any digital marketing efforts. The purpose of any marketing effort is lead generation. Not just leads in general but qualified leads. Just look at these statistics:
- More than 65% of US. Internet users (online consumers) have bought something after receiving promotional emails.
- A staggering 91% of online consumers visit their email inbox daily.
- 72% of purchases made via mobile were motivated by marketing emails.
- When compared to popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, email marketing campaigns yield a 50-100 higher click-through rate.
- 47% of Internet consumers prefer being communicated about products/services via email.
If that is not enough proof for you, Adobe, in support of their efforts moving into the digital campaign arena with Adobe Campaign, states:
- Ninety-one percent of US adults like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with. (MarketingSherpa)
- Email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in helping your business acquire new customers. (McKinsey)
The key to launching an effective digital marketing campaign is understanding that it is not a ready, aim, shoot approach but rather an aim, ready, shoot approach. Establishing your target goal is critical to hitting your mark. Email not stand alone in its marketing approach. It takes an average of 12 touchpoints for viewers to take notice before acting. Therefore, an integrated approach utilizing several proven digital tools is needed to produce the results wanted.
In my approach, I am utilizing Social Media and captive messaging to attract interested prospects who are directed to a landing page to capture their information. They are then carried on a journey through digital email to an end goal resulting in a platform for growing the relationship. Building my email list is critical to a successful campaign. My list is produced by offering value that speaks to the problems my ideal prospect is experiencing. This is done through my social media efforts. By the time my email campaign is launched (which happens simultaneously), the prospect has already become familiar with my brand and offering and wanting to learn more. This is how you stand out in your prospect’s inbox.
In response to the subject matter of this blog, “Is eMail Marketing Still Viable?” I would say it is a resounding YES! The data and statistics alone speak to its viability, as long as the campaign is set up correctly and targeting the right market. The most appealing aspect of digital marketing is the cost. Small and Micro businesses alike can take advantage of eMail marketing’s benefits on a small marketing budget. There are many eMail Marketing platforms on the market today, namely Constant Contact, HubSpot, Active Campaign, AWeber, Adobe Campaign, and much more. These can range anywhere from FREE to $500 per month, depending on the size of your mailing list and the services involved. Capterra offers a run-down comparison of the top 10 platforms. MarketAtomy has partnered with Constant Contact representative The J R Solutions to provide a complete digital marketing campaign package for small businesses. For more information, reach out to me at danna.olivo@marketatomy.com.
MarketAtomy, LLC is a growth development-learning environment for small and medium business owners with one goal in mind…to empower them with the tools and knowledge needed to build their business on a rock-solid foundation. Through foresight and fortitude, entrepreneurial dreams become a reality. For more information, please visit marketatomy.com. Visit MarketAtomy.Academy to find out about the only Learning Management System developed for early-stage business growth.
