subject: What Makes Email Marketing Such An Effective Tool? [print this page] With advances in technology many marketing activities have progressed towards digital methods such as web advertising, search engine optimisation, social media and email. The main advantage of digital marketing is that it is often comparatively low-cost to implement than other forms of marketing like direct mail and advertising. It is also easily accessible and offers the potential to reach millions of users around the globe. Of all the communicative methods used in digital marketing, email is arguably one of the most powerful tools available to businesses.
If we compare email to direct mail there are a number of factors that make email the better choice. First is cost. Emails are free to use or at least very low-cost to deliver if you employ the services of an email marketing company. Unlike direct mail, email offers the user the ability to contact any number of clients in various locations around the world at any given time. The message is delivered almost instantaneously but gives the recipient the option to read the information you send in their own time when it is most convenient for them.
Naturally a good marketing scheme will ensure that your website retains a high page rank and features in the top ten for certain Google searches. However, if you want to direct traffic to your website, including new and potential customers that may not have been otherwise looking for your services online, then email is a great way of achieving this. You can use embedded links in the body of the email text and images so that readers who are interested in a particular area or would like to find further information can click on a link that takes them directly to your website. Email marketing software also has the ability to trace which recipients have clicked on the links within your email so you can monitor the success and effectiveness of your campaign.
Social media has become an incredibly powerful form of communication today and the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have transformed the lives of many people and businesses. If you want to keep abreast of these advances in communication then it is vital that you regularly maintain a good social media site. However, email is still a valuable form of communication that social media cannot really replace because it is personal and gives the user the ability to truly customise a message with essential links and company branding. In addition, email is currently still the most widely used form of digital communication.
