Email marketing is one of the first forms of digital marketing (apart from Bulk SMS) that was introduced in our part of the world. Marketers in Ghana & Nigeria could easily relate with it because of their familiarity with bulk messaging platforms. In recent times however, social media and other forms of digital marketing have captivated marketers’ attention and many are questioning whether or not email marketing has any value.
While we have seen an increase in the adoption of social media and other forms of digital marketing, email marketing still has significant value and here are 4 reasons why:
1. Email Marketing is Direct
Like bulk messaging, email marketing provides a way to communicate directly with your clients and customers. There are fewer hindrances in the way of email marketing (apart from the usual spam filters) as opposed to social media where customers are constantly bombarded with so much information that your message could get lost.
2. Email Marketing is largely unfiltered
Facebook with its edge rank algorithm determines how much of your content appears in the feed of your fans. With Twitter, there are so many people tweeting per minute, that people on Twitter tend to create lists and if you are unlucky and don’t end up on your users favourite list, your messages may never be seen. With email marketing however, so long as your emails are permission-based, there is a good chance that it will not be blocked by spam filters.
3. Email Marketing has no intermediaries
When it comes to email marketing, the emails that you have are your assets. Facebook and Twitter don’t belong to you. They could shut down today, and if your digital marketing strategy has been dependent on them, this will affect you greatly. But you own your email list. You choose when to message them. You are directly in control of outgoing and incoming communication between you and your email contacts.
4. Email Marketing can be integrated
Email marketing can easily be integrated with other forms of digital marketing. Why? Because practically everyone on the internet has an email address. You cannot signup on Facebook, join a community or do anything substantial online without one. As such for as long as digital marketing exists, email marketing will be very important because we may always need to capture the data of our customers, and one very important thing we need from them is their email.
What are your thoughts about email marketing? How can companies in Ghana & Nigeria further optimise their efforts in this area?
