SEO glossary: Email marketing

 

Email marketing: Definition

Email marketing is a form of online marketing. The target group receives advertising or notifications by email. As these are sent directly to the subscribers, this is also referred to as direct marketing. The target group is addressed personally and asked to respond.

 

Call-to-action buttons or links are used for this purpose. The aim is to navigate users to the website or a sales platform.

 

Email marketing does not only include newsletter marketing, in the course of which newsletters are sent out. This is only one sub-discipline. Email marketing encompasses many other areas, for example:

 

• Trigger mailing
• Transaction mails
• E-mail signatures
• Service and notification e-mails

 

This means that whenever you send a commercial email to people who have consented to receive your emails, this is email marketing. It is a must for omnichannel marketing.

 

2 types of marketing emails

In email marketing, we basically distinguish between two types of emails.

 

Promotional e-mails

These emails draw attention to an offer or a new product. You can also use them to promote e-books and webinars. Such a campaign usually consists of three to ten emails that you send out over several days or weeks.

 

Informative e-mails

Informative emails create a direct connection between you and the recipients. This is how you can convey messages: Give your readers tips, draw their attention to exciting product features or point out your latest blog post.

 

The focus here is on added value for the reader . You can keep your target group up to date and inform them about changes to your business hours, for example. This strengthens customer loyalty.

 

How does email marketing work?

To implement this form of online marketing, you need an email marketing tool. Special programs or solutions can be used to create mailings and send them to recipients. Such tools also allow you to obtain user consent at the same time. A written declaration of consent is now required in Germany in order to send commercial emails.

 

There are a few points to bear in mind so that users become aware of the emails. In general, however, you can design your mailings exactly the way you want them. Apart from a few mandatory components, you are completely free in the design.

 

Advantages and disadvantages of email marketing

Email is a very old but still current means of communication. Opinions therefore differ when it comes to whether email marketing is worthwhile or not. One thing is clear: email marketing is still very relevant. We have compiled the most important advantages and disadvantages of this marketing strategy for you.

 

Advantages of e-mail marketing

1. Email marketing is cost-efficient. You reach a large number of recipients for little money. Your ROI increases!
2. E-mails are environmentally friendly. Unlike physical advertising, mailings and newsletters are not transported by post and there is no waste. If you also use modern server technology, you can reduce energy consumption.
3. Real-time testing options: Thanks to professional newsletter software, you can collect and analyze a lot of figures and data to continuously improve your emails. Key figures such as open and click rates can be collected in real time so that you can evaluate your campaign immediately after sending.
4. Achieve your business goals: Whether it's increasing your traffic, boosting your sales, increasing customer loyalty or raising awareness of your brand - email marketing makes it possible.
5. Individual design: Depending on the tool, different functions are available to you. The fact is, however, that you can design your emails however you want.
6. Low wastage: Thanks to email marketing, you can implement interest-based campaigns. This allows you to keep wastage to a minimum.

 

Possible disadvantages and risks

Basically, the possible disadvantages of email marketing depend on how you use the functions. There are three risks that you can protect yourself from:

 

1. Your e-mail will be recognized as spam: If you work with very lurid titles, your email can quickly be classified as spam. If users see such emails, they will immediately end up in the trash.
2. Your competitors know email marketing too: and that's why it's so difficult to stand out from the crowd. Your customers' inboxes are probably flooded with information every day. So make sure you stand out.
3. Your emails are loading too slowly: As with websites that take too long to load, emails that are too large can also take a long time to load. A high bounce rate is the only logical consequence. You should therefore make sure that the file size of your emails is correct.

 

 

4 reasons for email marketing

Why should you do email marketing? It's simple: emails can help you achieve your business goals. The following 4 reasons speak in favor of email marketing:

 

1. increase in sales

Email is considered one of the most efficient channels in online marketing. You can significantly increase your sales with it. The return on investment (ROI) in particular contributes to this.

 

2. stronger customer loyalty

As you cover the entire customer life cycle with email marketing, you can build a real bond with your customers. Send emails for birthdays or after the first purchase of a product. This makes your customers feel valued and taken seriously, which makes them want to come back and remain customers.

 

3. increase your brand awareness

Thanks to the one-to-one communication that is possible through email, you can increase awareness of your brand. If you use your brand name regularly, it will remain in the minds of your readers - even subconsciously. In this way, you can strengthen trust in your brand in the long term.

 

4. new customer acquisition

Email marketing is not only good for deepening relationships with existing customers . You can also effectively generate new customers. If interested parties sign up to your newsletter and receive suitable promotional emails, this can lead to a purchase.

 

Who is email marketing suitable for?

In general, it can be said that email marketing is worthwhilefor all companies. After all, email marketing campaigns don't cost a lot of money and help you to achieve a variety of goals. The sector in which your company operates and the strategy you pursue are therefore irrelevant.

 

• Online stores: As companies in the e-commerce sector usually have a large address base, email marketing is particularly worthwhile here. For example, you can advertise popular products from your store directly in the mailings and provide individualized product recommendations.
• Media companies: Companies such as media houses or publishers can automatically integrate content from their editorial system into the mailings and send them out. This allows you to serve many addresses individually in a short time.
• Insurance companies and banks: Compliance with data protection requirements is particularly important here. Thanks to high-quality software, a high level of data and legal security is possible.
• Agencies: Those working in the project business can also benefit from newsletter marketing.
• Tourism: Companies in the tourism industry can send out travel tips, booking coupons and current offers from travel portals. Here too, it is worth customizing the newsletter.

 

How tos: Contents, design, timing

Professional email marketing is characterized by the fact that your emails stand out from mass mailings. That's why you should focus on personalized and target group-specific communication .

 

If you want to address your target group individually, you should focus on the following three aspects :

 

• Contents
• Design
• Time

 

Contents

The content that is suitable for your mailings depends on your target group and what you want to achieve with it. For example, if you want to boost your sales, you should provide product offers.

 

It can be helpful to segment your recipients. This way you can create individual offers that are absolutely interesting for everyone. You should also send an informative newsletter to those who are interested in information and promotional emails to those who are looking for good offers.

 

You can only achieve success with email marketing if you focus on the right and appropriate content.

 

By the way: Mandatory content includes your legal notice and an option to unsubscribe from the newsletter. This should definitely not be missing!

 

Design

You have different areas within an email that you can design. It is important to coordinate the components in order to achieve a harmonious overall picture. You should keep the following how-tos in mind when designing mailings:

• Above the foldThis is the first area recipients see when they open your email. The central content and your CTA should be placed here.
• CTA: Your emails need CTAs - i.e. call-to-actions. Terms such as "Get bonus now", "Access now" or "Get voucher" work particularly well as they are not generic.
• Colors and contrasts: Work with colors to create an appealing look and draw the user's attention to certain parts of the email. You should also ensure a recognition value here and ideally use the same colors as you use on the website.
• Images with alt texts: Images are eye-catching and add value to your newsletter. If they cannot be displayed for some reason, it should still be clear to readers what can be seen there. You can achieve this by using alt texts.

 

Time

The time of dispatch plays a major role in mailings. For example, you tend to reach B2B customers better on weekdays between 9 am and 6 pm. You should write to end consumers at the weekend or in the evening.

 

However, the same applies here: The perfect time is just as individual as your target group and individuals are. It is therefore important to experiment a little here.

 

What do you need for email marketing?

In order to implement email marketing, you need two things above all: email marketing software and contacts to whom you can send your emails.

 

Email marketing software

To get started with email marketing, you need the right software. There are many different providers that offer different options. However, the basic functions are the same:

 

• Create e-mails
• Creating mailing lists
• Sending e-mails
• Measuring important key figures

 

You also receive the necessary infrastructure to ensure that your emails are delivered reliably.

 

Mailing list

Email marketing does not work without contacts to whom you can send your emails. That's why you need a mailing list. It is one of the two basic components of email marketing.

 

When it comes to email contacts, data protection is essential. To ensure that your mailings are GDPR-compliant, you may only send them to people who have expressly consented to receiving emails.

 

You can embed a corresponding registration form on your website, landing page, blog or even on your social media channel. This way, anyone who wants to can voluntarily sign up for your newsletter.

 

This process is also referred to as opt-in. If someone unsubscribes from your e-mailings, this is called opt-out.