We complain about all the emails we get during day. Between work, friends and all the mailing lists we feel we were conned into signing up for, it seems like a set up for disaster not checking email at least every 30 minutes. But believe it or not, this onslaught of electronic mail actually works – nearly 40 times as well as Facebook & Twitter combined with an average purchase rate 17% higher than social media.
The reasoning is simple. 91% of US consumers use email at least once a day. This isn’t to say that marketers should spam their mailing lists at a whim, but that there is real pull behind a well-written subject line and thoughtful email design.
Marketers should remember that the subject matter and aesthetics of an email are just the first taste in hooking a consumer. If it leads to a standard home page, he’s like to shy away. But custom landing pages that takes him straight to what he clicked on in the email means being one-step closer to a purchase. A non-mobile compatible site also deters consumers from purchasing and, according to Google, 61% of users won’t return to an inaccessible site.
In short, and marketers should keeping the messages short, personal emails related to a customer’s interests and shopping habits still reign supreme in effectiveness. This isn’t to say that social media and other digital should be entirely abandoned for email; there is still a time and place for those platforms, especially with shareable content. But if marketers are looking for solid conversions, they may want to consider a more anti-social route.
Sources: Forrester & McKinsey
