Email is a solid part of the modern marketing mix. It’s not going anywhere.
But like any practice, it can get stale, even ineffective, if you’re not trying different tactics and using fresh data. That’s why we regularly bring benchmarking data on how customers are using email and the results they see with our Chart of the Week project.
We wanted to package a few of the choicest charts on email marketing here. You’ll probably want to print these out and keep them near your desk, or email them to colleagues.
1. More Emails Don’t Mean More Click-Throughs
We’ve all heard it before: Less is more.
Every organization needs to look at how frequency impacts conversions, and ultimately leads. We examined 6 billion emails and found that an increase in the number of emails sent to a contact may lead to more read emails, but not more click-throughs. It’s a balancing act – and you’ll want to be on the right side of it.
2. Make it Work for the Weekend
The best time to send an email is on Monday, right? Well, no.
It may be the time people are settling back into work, but our analysis of 1.5 billion emails shows weekends might be better. In fact, the highest click-through rates came from emails sent on Sunday. Meanwhile, the number of marketers taking advantage of the weekends is low.
3. The Personal Touch Works
It’s a given that the more targeted you can make your messaging the more likely it will resonate. The same is true for email.
Looking at more than 200 emails, we found that adding the recipient’s name and an additional piece of personal info (say, their location) in the subject line dramatically increases open rates. So if you’re not adding a personal touch, perhaps it’s time to re-think the strategy.
4. …And Sign It
While we’re talking about personalization, don’t forget the importance of signing off in a personal way. It’s now possible for marketers to attach personalized signatures from sales reps to the emails they send, ensuring a personal touch.
What’s the impact? Our analysis showed that adding personalized signatures led to a 5x increase in open rates and nearly 3.5x increase in click-throughs.
5. Social Isn’t Replacing Email
I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: Social media is not making email obsolete. An email address actually serves as the key for many social networks.
The research bears this out. Our analysis over several quarters demonstrated that email drove more traffic to customers’ web properties than social referrals. While social is definitely on the rise, email remains more than relevant.
The data doesn’t stop at email. Modern marketers need more. That’s why we have 40 more charts on a wide range of issues – from social to search to events. You can explore them by visiting the 40 Must-See Charts for Modern Marketers site here.
This is well done, thank you. I agree that personalizing your e-mail message will reach more subscribers. Great graphics here as well :}. I also agree that social media is not going to replace e-mail. It just enhances or compliments it. There’s a wonderful book I just finished by Lisa Anderson, which covers this topic called, Leverage Social Networks to Drive Business Results. I highly recommend this one. http://www.lma-consultinggroup.com/