The use of Email for marketing has come a long way from academics exchanging messages. It has now become an immensely popular medium for communication, and the number of users is projected to grow to 4.3 billion by 2025 – more than half of the world’s estimated population. Brands can use email as an effective tool to reach their customers, even outside of their own industries, and reach them on a daily basis, even on holidays.
According to statistics, nearly nine out of 10 marketers use email for organic content distribution. Eighty-one percent of small businesses use email as a primary customer acquisition and retention channel. Emails sent to prospective customers have an average open rate of eight percent, and emails with personalized subject lines generate 50 percent more opens. Sending three abandoned cart emails can boost conversion rates by 69 percent. Videos added to emails can boost click-through rates by 300 percent. And according to research by the Direct Marketing Association, 49 percent of consumers would like to receive promotional emails from their favorite brands.
Despite being a highly effective sales driver, email marketing has grown alongside the technological evolution of the 21st century. However, it wasn’t nearly as effective prior to this growth. Gary Thuerk, a former marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corp., sent a mass email to 400 prospective clients via the ARPANET in 1978. The email he sent generated $13 million in sales for the company.
