What Is The Future Of Email Marketing?

Does email marketing even have a future? With every new social media phenomenon opening up new marketing channels, the doubters say no, email marketing is on its way out.

Only it isn’t. If anything, it’s on the rise! Despite all the popular new kids on the marketing block, email continues to more than hold its own.

Why? Because it works, that’s why. It’s more cost-effective, that’s another why. And there is a number of other whys that point to a positive future for email marketing.

Customers Prefer Email Marketing

Perhaps the strongest case for email marketing, however, is that it is far and away the consumer’s preferred method for receiving marketing messages. According to the 2012 Channel Preference Survey, 77% of online consumers would rather get permission-based marketing messages via email over any other marketing channel. How did they feel about Facebook? Only 4% of respondents would prefer to receive marketing messages there. Twitter? 1%.

So while people are happy to like and follow brands through the social media networks, right now that’s not how or where they want to be marketed to.

Email Is BIG!!!

As big as Facebook and Twitter are getting, email is still bigger. A lot bigger. Worldwide, there are three times as many email accounts as all of the Facebook and Twitter accounts combined.

It’s also predicted that email accounts will continue to grow in the coming years, as will email traffic. So, more people on email, sending more emails – it doesn’t exactly sound like a death knell for email marketing, does it?

Email Marketing Is Getting BIGGER!!!

The increase of social media and mobile usage has seen email marketing grow at a phenomenal rate in recent years. The years to come will see even bigger growth as more businesses take up online marketing.

The use of email marketing is growing because it works. It can be far more cost-effective than other marketing channels, and deliver a very impressive, measurable return on investment that social media is still unable to accurately demonstrate. That’s why 63% of marketers plan on increasing their spending on email marketing in the coming year.

Facing The Future

Of course, this isn’t to say that email marketing is a guaranteed success and you can just reap the rewards of its growth without changing the way you use it. Because to get the best from email marketing in the future – the very near future – you will need to ensure you’re moving with the times:

Optimise Your Email Campaigns For Mobile Users

More and more people are reading emails on their smartphones and other mobile devices. That means it’s vitally important that your emails can be easily opened on these platforms, and that they still look good too. Luckily, there is already a move in email marketing software towards innovative solutions for mobile optimisation.

Integrate Your Email Marketing With Social Media Marketing

You no longer have to depend on just your website and email marketing to get your news out, so why would you? Social media can extend the reach of your messages, quickly and easily. Utilize social media marketing by adding share buttons, forward to a friend or any other direct to social icon to your emails – it enables the people that like your content to be able to share it with their networks. It’s ideal for list building too.

Don’t Forget The Kids

If you’re aiming at the youth market, bear in mind that their natural marketing habitat is more social media and mobile than email. They’re more willing to be marketed to through these channels than their older counterparts.

The doubters can doubt, but the figures and consumer mindset point to a very bright future for email marketing.

What’s your views?  Do you think email marketing has a future?  Let us know by leaving a comment below!

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Author: Shannon Forbush