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Personal branding, social media trends, AI messaging, influencer marketing: by comparison, email marketing seems to be an outdated strategy. Still, it's still one of the most powerful channels in the marketing mix.
This is not surprising, judging by the usage data. More and more emails are sent around the world every year. In the next few years, we will reach 400 billion emails per day.
Email is used not only by businesses of all sizes but also by people of all ages. From teens to seniors, it remains a reliable and popular means of communication.
Used correctly, email marketing is more profitable than ever. We questioned Philipp Zöld (email marketing and deliverability consultant) on how marketers are successfully implementing email marketing today. In this interview, we discuss the following questions:
Before we explore the possibilities that email marketing offers businesses, let's address the main obstacle: inboxes that are awash in marketing emails. Should businesses really care about email marketing if emails end up in the recipient's trash anyway?
Philipp explains: “We are seeing a slight saturation nowadays. If businesses or individuals subscribe to numerous lists, they quickly unsubscribe. Especially when you realize: “I have subscribed to 50 newsletters, and yet they all write the same thing.””
Therefore, expectations should be clearly communicated even before registering for the newsletter. For example, the expected content and frequency of receiving emails should be
specified. In addition, emails must contain exclusive and quality content to stand out: “Emails must not be trivial blah, but contain really important information.”
It is also important to make it clear to the reader that they are receiving elite content. It must be made clear to him: “Here you will find information that you would not have otherwise obtained via social networks or the website.”
Philipp explains how email marketing offers marketers the opportunity to sustainably expand their marketing and thus become less dependent on third-party platforms such as social media.
Here, Philipp sees a big difference between email marketing and social media: “You are in control of your own data.”
With social networks, I see the risk of the provider suddenly changing their algorithm or the platform crashing for one reason or another. All contacts, groups or entire campaigns then suddenly disappear.
With email marketing, marketers have control over what emails they send, to whom, and when. Data is not controlled by third parties; businesses control it themselves. They can segment their lists themselves, know exactly which contacts are being contacted, and expand their mailing lists.
Philipp explains, “You can ensure that lots of valid addresses are added to your list. You can actively ensure that your prospects access your newsletter via your website. That includes prospects who want to buy your products.”
With the right delivery rate, marketers can reach their recipients with every email. This control is only possible with other marketing platforms if businesses invest in ads to exploit the targeting capabilities of these platforms. This makes it possible to deliver content in a targeted manner to the desired audience.
Philipp highlights: “Email marketing is still one of the most profitable channels. Its return on investment is 1:40. So, for one euro spent, you get back up to $40 (€38).”
We hear this number everywhere, but we have to work on it. You have to organize your email marketing well to reach 1 out of 40. It does not happen overnight. That's why email marketing is a long-term effort, but it pays off in the end.
Newsletters and targeted email campaigns are key elements of email marketing, but what about the daily emails sent by your team? That's where email signature banners come in. These banners make it easy to use every email sent by your team as a marketing channel. They can be integrated directly into email signatures and sent out your campaigns regularly to recipients.
You'll reach your recipients with a high open rate, a more personal approach, and won't compete with other marketing emails. With minimal effort, you can draw targeted attention to your current campaigns, products, events, or webinars.
E-signature banners are a subtle but effective way to strengthen your brand and achieve your marketing goals. For marketers, that means increased visibility, increased reach, and consistent brand communication.
To prevent emails from ending up in the trash without being read, email marketing is a subject that requires work and expertise. To succeed today, marketers need to evaluate their shipments, test formats, offer engaging content, and constantly assess what works and what doesn't.
“It's not enough to send a nice gift; you have to say to each newsletter: “You made the right decision by subscribing to my newsletter.””
Philipp notes that email deliverability is often overlooked. No analysis is also carried out to determine the reasons for the failure of certain campaigns.
“It's not enough to send a lot of emails and not assess the measure.”
When open and click rates are low, people often send more emails. It's an attempt to secretly generate more opens, clicks, or sales. However, the more emails you send, the more likely you are to annoy your customers or prospects.
It is therefore necessary to analyze the root causes:
You have to get to work and identify the problem. Why is my click-through rate low? You have to go back in chronological order and check if my emails reach their recipients.
The frequency with which e-mails are sent should also be examined more closely. Knowing your target audience is crucial.
Philipp explains: “Not all niches and target audiences are the same, so it is important to test. If I start with two mailings per week, for example, that might already be too much for my target audience.
Here, I need to analyze the behavior. For example, recipients have just notified me by unsubscribing that it may be too much or that the content is not relevant. That's where you need to fine-tune things, especially at the beginning.”
Another common email marketing mistake Philipp makes is overloading emails with facts and pure information:
What no longer works today is bombarding people with specialized information and expert knowledge. Email is not a place for continuing education. Instead, we want to read stories and have fun.
We are used to writing emails directly to colleagues, business contacts, or friends. Even when we're reading a corporate email, we're looking for the same sense of personal interaction.
“That's why educational entertainment is so appealing. We try to entertain with our content, but I also add a bit of my knowledge.”
Businesses that incorporate entertaining formats and a human touch into their email marketing build the trust of their readers. If this approach continues, it can lead to long-term customer loyalty.
Philipp explains: “Every effective email or newsletter keeps you in the minds of your target audience. Each email builds trust and reputation. Countless examples where subscribers read a message for years, were contacted by an email and finally made a purchase.”
Email marketing is therefore a channel that businesses must use over the long term to build trust with their recipients. Only then does every email have a chance to build trust and trigger a purchase.
“When it comes to email marketing, you should always be aware that you won't make huge sales with the first 10 emails; today we buy based on how much trust we have in a supplier.”
“Without that trust, no matter how many emails you write, they simply won't be opened or clicked.”
Philipp points out that now more than ever, it is important to stand out through email marketing. As mentioned earlier, email marketing is not just an information channel. Businesses must show their personality and allow readers to participate in its developments.
To achieve this, they can, for example, highlight their employees in their newsletters, share the projects they support, present the events in which employees participate and share their impressions, or inform readers about the latest developments in the company.
Philipp also advises marketers to test different email formats and content. “Not only the subject line, but also the content, structure, and even positioning of the content.”
Philipp offers another tip for using social networks to increase the number of subscribers to your newsletter:
“If you already share good articles on social networks, you can suggest short teasers for your newsletter. 'If you liked this article, subscribe to my newsletter; you'll get more regular content in your news feed than here on LinkedIn or Instagram! ' ”
In the B2B sector in particular, examples of truly effective email marketing are rare. Philipp explains why:
“I feel like the more a business grows and the more important their email marketing department is, the more emphasis is lost on providing an email or newsletter with a subject and a CTA.”
“When I look at today's B2B newsletters, I always see long tables of contents that cover ten topics.”
This list of catchphrases is only scanned briefly after opening, redirects the reader several times, or the content of the mailing does not appeal to the recipient in itself.
In email marketing, the golden rule is this: focus your email on a single topic and a single call to action. It's the best way to understand what your recipients really want to read.
Through testing, marketers discover the topics and formats that work with their target audience. These emails can then be expanded.
“Repeat this message with the topics that work. You can then adapt and resend emails that were really successful.”
Good examples of email marketing can often be found among B2C businesses that are currently expanding their businesses and working to build long-term customer loyalty.
Philipp quotes the company Duschbrocken as an example.
Duschbrocken produces natural shower soaps for body and hair. As the name suggests, these soaps seem to be cut in stone. The company attaches great importance to respecting the environment and therefore avoids plastic packaging.
Philipp explains what makes Duschbrocken's email marketing successful:
Duschbrocken stuck in my memory as a positive example because they told their company story in a simple way. In various mailings, they showed how they started modestly. At the time, in the kitchen, where they prepared and shipped everything themselves, how they developed, and then moved on to a larger office or to the production workshop. Thus, over the years, they have succeeded in getting readers to share the company's history with readers through each mailing.
Duschbrocken writes a personal newsletter featuring the company's products and stories. Here is an excerpt:
Their strengths in terms of engagement are, for example, the participation of their subscribers in a survey on the name of their next product.
Each department made three suggestions and then interviewed the target audience. Around 6,000 subscribers then took part in the survey with a single click. The results of this survey and the new name were then presented in the following mailing.
In this way, they manage to motivate readers to interact through relevant storytelling and, ultimately, convince them to buy. For me, it's a positive example of how effective and intelligent email marketing works today.
The rapid development of AI is constantly raising the question of whether certain fields will be replaced by artificial intelligence. Philipp doesn't see AI as a threat to email marketing, but rather as an opportunity for improvement.
“AI offers us, as email marketers, more possibilities than ever. I think it would be helpful if marketers and writers simply had the ability to write emails that were more relevant and relevant to their readers.
AI could represent a major advance in improving the deliverability of relevant emails. In this case, I will not simply send an email to Ms. Müller every Thursday at 5 p.m., but I will rely on what the email tool has learned thanks to AI: every Saturday evening at 8:15 p.m., on her couch, she opens her emails and buys with a 50% probability. Then, thanks to AI, we can personalize the sending times and the content, thus improving email campaigns.”
But new technologies also have their drawbacks. Philipp sees a threat from cybercriminals who hijack AI for their own purposes.
“AI is increasingly making it easier to write phishing emails that are so deceptive that it's impossible to recognize them with the naked eye using the methods we've learned so far.”
Today, phishing emails are relatively easy to spot. Their content is often poor, lacking a polite formula, or even a greeting. Thanks to AI, these identifying characteristics will be a thing of the past.
“I think these emails will be so deceptive that more phishing emails will enter the system. It may be objected that AI manufacturers may establish ethical guidelines and rules that prohibit the sending of phishing emails using such tools.”
At the end of the day, every technological advance comes with its own set of opportunities and risks. For Philipp, however, the advantages of email marketing outweigh the disadvantages.
I am convinced that AI can be of great help. That's why I see email marketing gaining in importance in the years to come thanks to AI. If you can personalize your messages even more and send more relevant emails, businesses and individuals alike will see email as an even more important channel.
In summary, email marketing provides businesses with a direct, personalized, and cost-effective way for businesses to reach customers and strengthen relationships. It allows targeted communication and leaves room for content that evokes emotions and highlights everyone's personality. This allows marketers to achieve high conversion rates.
A big thank you to Philipp Zöld for this interview!
