Our history in email is long, both as an agency (we’ve been Mailchimp Experts/Pro Partners since 2015), and individually as creators. In fact, our founder has been sending email marketing campaigns since the late 1990’s. 

Looking back at that history in digital marketing a lot has changed, in fact there are only two things that still exist in a recognizable format from the last century: websites and email. Every other channel we use, from social media to video to live events, it’s all a lot different (in some cases, it didn’t exist at all). So what does that mean in terms of your marketing strategy? It means that you need to consider your website and your email marketing as baseline foundations for anything else you pursue.

TL;DR

Email remains the best digital marketing channel because it creates a personal, one-to-one connection with customers and allows for high levels of personalization, unlike other channels limited by privacy restrictions and platform constraints.

No, it’s not dead.

The advantage of creating a one-to-one connection in the inbox. When you send someone an email, even if you are using an ESP like Mailchimp, you are landing directly in your subscriber’s personal and individual inbox. To them, it is a personal communication that you’re sending, directly to a very special digital space for that reader…a space that they invited you to by subscribing to your list. 

Email also lets you make the most of that opportunity by offering ample opportunities to personalize that content for your subscriber. From their name to their interests to their past purchases, you can leverage a lot about what you know about your subscriber to make that inbox experience specific to them. While social media might offer a wide reach, the content you present in social media has limits to the level of personalization you can create. The more that privacy laws are developed and enacted, the harder it is to leverage the data you have outside the platform to personalize your touch with your followers. Email, on the other hand, is filled with opportunities for personalization.

Where email excels

As an agency, we have to be responsible with our clients’ budgets. That means not wasting money on marketing efforts that aren’t producing measurable results. Email marketing is one of the most measurable digital channels available. 

While Opens are not the goldmine of data they used to be (thanks to Apple’s MPP updates back in 2021 and since), there is a lot of other data that is highly valuable. From read rates to click throughs to ecommerce purchases, email allows you to measure engagement data with a higher level of reliability than many other channels, meaning that the dollars you spend can find a measurable performance analysis on the other side.

And speaking of reliability, can you name one other channel that is more likely to be opened on a daily basis by most of your prospective customers? Tik Tok influencers aside, email is the most ubiquitous form of digital communication available. You can't guarantee your prospect will open their social media feed or which channel they'll open. You certainly can't guarantee that prospects will visit your website and visit exactly the pages that you want them to see. What you can guarantee is what information is sent to their inbox, how it looks when it gets there and you can measure your level of engagement there.

No channel operates in a vacuum

While we truly believe that email is the best and most effective digital marketing channel, it’s also important to note that it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Every part of your marketing needs to work together in concert in order to maximize your results. That means leveraging email alongside a well-functioning website, an effective social media strategy, solidly-performing ad campaigns and an overall plan that drives results. 

Need to create a better connection with your prospects and customers by email? We’re Mailchimp Pro Partners and email experts with more than two decades of email experience. Reach out today and find out how we can help.