Every year, something is dying in the marketing industry, according to news outlets and popular social media accounts. Search engine optimization has been “dying” for years, and now we’re hearing whispers of email marketing dying.
But email marketing and cold email are still very much alive and well.
Let’s see why email marketing isn’t dead and also dive into building a responsive email list and how we’re achieving great results with our cold email.
7 Reasons to Ignore the “Email Marketing Is Dead” Crowd
1. 306 Billion Emails are Sent Every Day
In 2020, 306.4 billion emails were sent daily. That’s a lot of emails, and the figure is projected to rise to 376.4 billion by 2025. Over a hundred trillion emails (yes, you read that right) are sent out per year.
2. Email Marketing is in the Top 3 Distribution Channels for Markets
Did you know that 87% of marketers [1]https://kinsta.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics/ use email as one of their distribution channels along with social media, blogs, guest spots, speaking, collaboration spaces and others? In both B2C and B2B marketing, email is within the top three distribution channels.
3. 4 Billion People Use Email Worldwide
Over 4 billion people worldwide use email [2]https://www.statista.com/statistics/255080/number-of-e-mail-users-worldwide/, and this figure is expected to continue growing through 2024. In comparison, Facebook has 2.2 billion monthly users – it doesn’t even come close to email.
In terms of market penetration, over 90% of people in the United States have an email address.
If your firm isn’t leveraging email marketing, you’re leaving money on the table.
4. Open Rates are High for Business Services and Agencies
Your firm has an 18% to 21.56% chance of having an email opened, and agencies have a 16% to 21.4% chance of their email being opened depending on the source. [3]https://kinsta.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics People in your industry continue to open up emails – you just need to send them.
5. 58% of People Check Their Email Before Social Media Every Day
What’s the first thing most people do in the morning? Roll over, grab their phones and check their email. Your emails, if sent at the right time, can be one of the first things that 58% of people see in the morning. [4]https://optinmonster.com/email-marketing-statistics/
6. 59% of B2B Marketers Claim Email is Their Top Source of Revenue Generation
B2B marketers are using email marketing as their top source of revenue generation. In fact, 59% of B2B marketers claim that email is their number one way to generate revenue.[5]https://www.salecycle.com/blog/stats/18-essential-email-marketing-statistics/
7. 40 Times More Effective Than Facebook and Twitter at Acquiring Customers
Using social media to promote your firm? Email marketing is 40 times more effective for acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined.[6]https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/why-marketers-should-keep-sending-you-emails
As you can see from the statistics above, email marketing is far from dead. In fact, people are checking their email more often thanks to their smartphones. The key to success is building an email list that is responsive.
As you can see from the statistics above, email marketing is far from dead. In fact, people are checking their email more often thanks to their smartphones. The key to success is building an email list that is responsive.
4 Tips to Building a Responsive Email List
You need an email list. Why? You own it. An email list that is highly targeted allows you to promote your products and/or services to people that have opted into your list. These people want you to promote, educate and nurture them.
A few ways to build a responsive email list are:
- Develop your list organically. Want to buy a ready-made list? You might get lucky buying a list, but for the most part, developing your own list organically works a lot better. Organic lists are built on trust and value, and they perform much better than their bought counterparts.
- Offer valuable content. You’re reading this very article because it provides you with some form of value. Build your list with this same concept. Provide valuable content to your readers, social media followers and everyone else so that they feel compelled to opt into your list.
- Leverage your network. You have a valuable network already, but it may not seem apparent at first. Even if you just opened up your firm’s doors, you can choose to tell these individuals about your newsletter by posting on LinkedIn, sending emails to current clients thanking them for using your firm and encouraging them to join your list and so on.
- Split test your emails. It’s important that your subscribers find value in your newsletters. Split testing emails will provide insight into what works for your audience and how to maximize engagement. Simple text, subjects and even image changes can make a major difference in the success of your emails.
But you can’t ignore the benefits that cold email offers. When you’re just starting to build your list, it’s an uphill battle that takes time. Cold email helps you generate leads and revenue that you need to keep your firm up and running.
Wait. Cold Email Marketing Still Works?
Building a list takes time, but your firm needs a healthy pipeline of leads now. Cold email is still thriving, and we’re seeing a lot of great success when using this form of marketing with our clients.
But you need to adhere to FTC rules, specifically the CAN-SPAM Act, to make sure that you’re doing everything right.
Doing everything right includes:
- Including a physical postal address
- Writing an accurate subject that reflects the email’s content
- Using routing information that is accurate and identifies your firm
You also must show the email as an ad and include an opt-out option. If you follow these few rules, you can make cold email work for your firm.
Woodpecker analyzed 20 million cold emails and found:
- Personalizing email doubles the reply rate
- Narrowing down your target group increases open rate
- It’s better to send cold emails to fewer recipients that are carefully chosen
- Writing 4 to 7 follow-up mails triples reply rates
Email marketing remains a great way to attract leads to your firm if you approach it properly. Using the tips above, we’ve been able to help firms grow their email lists and increase sales.
Want to take your email marketing to the next level?
Click here to book a call to see how we can help grow your firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Email marketing is still one of the top distribution channels, with billions of emails sent daily and high open rates in the business sector. Ignoring it means missing out on valuable engagement and revenue opportunities.
Start by developing your list organically through valuable content, leveraging your existing network, and encouraging sign-ups. This creates trust and leads to better engagement.
Cold email can generate leads quickly, helping to maintain a healthy pipeline for your firm. When done correctly, it can be highly effective in reaching potential clients.
Ensure compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act by including a physical address, accurate subject lines, and an opt-out option. This builds trust and keeps your firm within legal guidelines.
Utilize split testing to find out what resonates with your audience. Personalizing emails and narrowing your target group can significantly increase open and reply rates.
Consider revising your subject lines, sending emails at optimal times, and ensuring your content provides real value. Engaging content is key to improving open rates.
