What is Email Marketing and How You Can Benefit

Some say email marketing is old-fashioned. But it’s not.

Actually, email marketing is the most profitable form of marketing online. Nothing else compares.

That’s because email is the best way to turn an interested prospect into a paying customer and it converts so well. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing gives the highest ROI (Return on Investment) on any form of marketing you can do – online or off.

That’s how powerful it is.

So what differentiates email marketing

It doesn’t sound sexy. It hasn’t got the pizazz of terms like social media marketing and search engine marketing (SEM).

But email marketing has something head and shoulders above the rest – it’s capable of making heaps of money.

That’s because, with email, you’re having a one on one conversation with someone whose shown interest in what you have to say and sell. In fact, you’ve been given the privilege of sending informative content directly to their inbox.

That doesn’t happen with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or whatever the latest shiny social space is. Posts on the social networks are quickly lost in a stream of drama and few people see all of their messages.

Again, email is one on one – the start of a relationship.

What exactly is email marketing

Email marketing begins with obtaining permission from your prospect to send interesting and informative emails to their inbox.

It’s sometimes called permission marketing, a term coined and developed by the entrepreneur, Seth Godin in his book of the same name “Permission Marketing”. Seth writes:

Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. It recognizes the new power of the best consumers to ignore marketing. It realizes that treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention.

By obtaining a person’s permission you’re able to add their email address to your email list. Known as subscribers, these people are your audience and they seek the information you provide. They want to find out more and be kept informed.

What email marketing does

On a regular basis, depending on the requirements of your audience, you’ll email them the niche-specific content they’re looking for.

They’ve opted into your email list because they dig what you’re on about and how you tell it. Frankly, it resonates with them and they want to find out more.

This is the basis of content marketing where you take your prospective buyer on a journey from not knowing you, through to wanting to buy from you.

Each email progresses that journey with information to enable your prospective customer to make a decision to purchase. In the process, trust is built and trust helps build your business.

How email marketing works

Quality content your audience needs is produced and emailed to them.

Did you notice I just used the word “content”? That’s because it could be a:

• blog post or article
• video production
• webinar
• podcast
• Slideshare presentation
• and everything in between.

The email could be a one-off if you have a very small email list, or via an email service provider which is the norm.

The type of email your audience receives depends on their relationship with you as a prospect or customer. As an example:

1. They may have just joined your email list, in which case a sequential number of emails would be delivered by an auto-responder over time, so they get to know and understand you better.
2. They may have recently joined your list and are ready to be offered a product or service to buy.
3. An existing customer would receive a different sort of email.
4. Whether a prospect or customer, your audience should anticipate and receive regular and timely information to ensure that you are kept at the forefront of their mind.

Generally, at the end of each email, there is a Call to Action (CTA) for your subscriber to do something. It could be anything, like buying an online course your offering, leaving a favorable review on a podcast, or reviewing the latest chapter of a new book your writing.

And finally …

Email marketing may seem a quaint old-fashioned term but it’s a powerhouse that gives you the best marketing ROI.

The main differentiator to other forms of online marketing is the one-on-one that email marketing provides.

This builds a relationship with your prospect and that, in turn, builds trust. When you know, like and trust someone, you’re likely to do business with them.