Just look at the figures. As of 2022, there are around 4.3 billion global email users. Approximately 333.2 billion emails are expected to be sent and received daily.

Email marketing is the process of targeting and reaching out to your customer base through email. It ensures your customers are always up to speed with what is happening within your business, whether there is a launch of a new product or service or to inform them of an upcoming sale. Connecting with customers through email marketing also allows you to communicate the value of your brand.

Benefits of email marketing

The most crucial advantage is its return on investment (ROI). According to Data and Marketer Association (DMA), in 2019, a business can expect a 42x return on their investment for every dollar spent.

In this digital age, customers want to connect and find meaning with a brand rather than simply make a purchase. Email marketing allows businesses to build authentic relationships with their consumers through personalised engagement, which influences a business' revenue and builds customer loyalty. According to Sprout, when customers can connect with a brand, 57% will increase their likelihood of spending money with a business. Over 75% will shop with them over a competing company.

Best practices in email marketing

Knowing the value that email marketing can provide, it is essential to maximise those benefits by focusing on some best practices to ensure you constantly connect with your customers.  

1) Focus on your customer (list)

The most crucial tip for email marketing is to know who your audience is and subsequently build a strong customer list.  

Make it simple and enticing for customers to sign up to your mailing list: the larger your customer list, the higher your chances of conversion. 

It is then crucial to maintain and constantly update your customer list to reduce the bounce rate. While email bounces will always be an issue, clean up your list frequently before sending out an email to reduce it.

2) The right content

The next step is about what you communicate to your audience. It is helpful to plan what types of content you can create to promote your brand and your product and service offerings.

Two common success measurement metrics of an email marketing campaign are 'open rate' and 'click rate'. The former provides you with a better understanding of whether your audience is interested in your content topics which can be seen from the email subject, while the latter offers valuable insight into what your subscribers are interested in – content-wise.

3) Personalise to stand out

Personalisation is crucial as consumers continue to search for brands to connect with. Once your customers are willing to share their data with you, there is an expectation that you bring value to them. This can be done through solid branding, personalisation or an engaging subject line.

A high click-to-open-rate happens when customers engage with your emails and confirms the effectiveness of your design, message and content. You can also consider A/B testing to see what content works best with your audiences.

4) Choosing an email marketing platform

Choosing the best email marketing software is paramount to the success of your email marketing strategy. A top email marketing software should allow you to create appealing and engaging emails with an easy-to-use interface.

By automating the process through an effective email marketing software, you can ensure the success of your email marketing campaigns without having to commit too many resources.