E-mail marketing is a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fund-raising messages to audience. E-mails, directly or indirectly, influence 48 per cent of marketing budget of an average size enterprise and are used mainly for promotional and informational purposes. E-mail marketing is a potent tool in the hands of a skilled marketer. It is much more than product and technology.
It is actually about building an eco-system where marketers identify a class of curious buyers, qualify them as prospects, engage with them and make an appropriate pitch to convert them into customers.
Numbers Speak
- The total e-mail marketing size is around Rs 50-crore and “it is expected to grow up to Rs 500 Crore in the next few years.
- Around 80-90-million Indians have access to e-mails. “
- The main sectors that benefit from the email are BFSI, retail and most importantly Ecommerce.
- Social media marketing is more powerfully in creating a brand response while email marketing provides offers, deals and promotions. They co-exist.
- Two of the sectors that have increased spends in the digital medium are telecom and consumer durables.
- Speaking about the challenges in the email marketing space, Kalpit Jain, CTO, NetCORE Solutions, said, “How to increase opt-in subscribers, getting ROI and how to get the mail in the target audiences’ inbox are the three main challenges that worry marketers.”
- With the exponential increase in the number of e-mail accessing Indians, the market for e-mails is expected to grow at over 100 per cent every year.
- 87% of India’s 94mn internet population log on to internet to check emails. For every $1 spent on email marketing gives back $43 in 2009 which is more than any other direct marketing medium.
Important of e-mail marketing
- E-mail marketing is probably one of the effective ways to attract new customers.
- Keep in touch with existing ones
- Minimise operating costs.
Growth of e-mail marketing – Factors
- Broadband connectivity
- Reducing prices in devices.
- 3G technology
- Cheaper smartphones
- Flat rate data plans by the providers and more number of emails being read on mobiles
Challenges
- Email is spam (“91% emails received by a corporate are SPAM. Spam filters are getting better nowadays and this has its effect on email marketing where the creative planner needs to plan the communication with a lot of limitations)
- How to increase opt-in subscriber
- Getting ROI
- How to get the mail in target audiences’ inbox
Source: From Google and Wikipedia
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