 There's no doubt that email marketing is thriving, the benefits to businesses and consumers virtually unquestioned. While you've likely calculated the ROI of your e-marketing program, have you thought about the intangible benefits that it also provides?
The Intangible Benefits of Email Marketing
Every company of a certain size is expected to have a Web presence if it expects to be a legitimate market player. Your Web presence makes it easy for your customers to sign up for your newsletter or other email correspondence. And your email campaigns are indisputably cheaper per unit than sending direct mail through the U.S. post office. Email can also be far more timely.
But to what extent do you consider the value of your email campaigns beyond the fact that email is an inexpensive delivery vehicle?
To be sure, any email campaign is, or should be, driven by one or more measurable goals: increased sales, increased Web site traffic, improvements to fundraising via donor contributions, increased issues coverage, or even additional votes come election time. All genuine and worthy goals.
But there are other benefits that are not so direct and measurable. And if you only consider and measure the direct, quantifiable results of your email campaign, you may be understating the value of your email program.
Other returns on your email marketing investment:
- Branding!
Every email you send is another opportunity to connect with your customers and position yourself as you’d like them to see you in the marketplace. Every email is an opportunity to do so much more than simply achieve yet one more purchase, one more clickthrough.
Make sure your messages reflect your brand through your content, language, tone, imagery and colors. Do you have a current ad campaign? If so, integrate either the images or the messaging into your emails.
- Relationship building
Your email campaign may also be an opportunity to manage and further enhance your relationships with your customers. Let them know you’re responsive to their needs and concerns and provide an easy way for them to reach you – via email! In this way, email is a terrific way to attain high touch, without the high overhead!
- Content is king
To effectively build relationships takes care and effort. Therefore, your content should demonstrate how much you know about your customers, their interests and preferences. Speak to them appropriately and they’ll hear the message. Get the tone or content wrong, and that’s all they’ll notice.
In addition to providing your customers with the right message, your message should also be engaging. Is your content written with a certain flair? Does it have engaging graphics? Do your customers read your emails with eagerness?
- Educate and inform
Your emails may also be an opportunity to educate your customers or provide additional information. This can be particularly valuable if your product is somewhat complex and benefits from additional explanation.
If your email results in a purchase or a bit of viral marketing, great! But don’t discount the value of simply sending an email with relevant, timely information - this lets your customers know you’re being proactive by providing them with something they really need and want.
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