Connecting with consumers through email

Email is still a powerful, useful and needed tool in a digital marketing strategy.

According to optinmonster.com, a survey showed 58 percent of people check their email as their first task of a day, followed by social media at 14 percent. In addition, checking email is also a complementary activity. People do it while watching TV (69 percent), in bed (57 percent) and on vacation (79 percent). People can do this because of how many people have smartphones, which is 3.6 billion worldwide, according to statista.com. That's up from 2.7 billion in 2017.

What email does is gives you direct communication to your followers, customers or potential customers. So, despite the shift toward digital and this era of social distancing, interpersonal communication in some form is still valuable and wanted.

Here are some things that can help you in your email marketing.

Personalization

Like mentioned previously, email provides businesses the opportunity to communicate directly to their customers or potential customers. Social media is more of a generic, wide-spread message.

With many email marketing software programs, you have the option to put in a person's name in a subject line or the body of the email itself. Make it sound like you're talking directly to them.

Celebrate your customer(s)

Show your appreciation of their business, salute their loyalty to your business. Offering exclusive offers is one way to show you're appreciative of their business, but you also want to keep them engaged.

Mobile experience

When putting together your emails to customers, make sure the emails are mobile friendly. Remember, more than 3.6 billion people around the world have a smartphone. Hubspot.com research indicated:

• Mobile opens account for 46 percent of all email opens.
• 35 percent of business professionals check email on a mobile device.
• 73 percent of millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email.

Create positive overall experience

A well-designed email is also important. And well designed doesn't mean it has to be loaded with graphics, for example. Sometimes, simple is better, or less is more.

This is especially useful when considering mobile. Users can't see everything on a screen at the same time as you do on a desktop. Making users scroll and scroll and scroll will frustrate them. Then, you've got a negative experience and likely a future open lost.