Email Marketing: I Ain’t Dead Yet
Recently, HubSpot surveyed more than 6,000 marketers and sales professionals; asking about their companies’ priorities, challenges, strategies, and trajectories when it comes to inbound marketing efforts. HubSpot compiles these insights to create their comprehensive report, which was released today: The State of Inbound.
After reading the report, I created a list of my 5 biggest takeaways to help you keep a finger on the pulse of the industry and stay ahead of your competition. Today I will focus on the continued value of email in marketing efforts.
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People have been talking about the death of email marketing for years, but like John McClane, it just won’t die. Not only is email marketing one of the most cost-effective methods for reaching your prospects, but the 2017 State of Inbound report also shows that 86% of professionals surveyed prefer email for business communications.
via GIPHY
Hearing that email for business is almost as popular as ice cream might surprise you, but it is a huge opportunity to reach both your current customers as well as prospects…but only if you do it right. As marketers get closer to the sales process, the issues that our “smarketing” (sales + marketing) teams face become more prominent. Survey respondents share that the 3 most difficult aspects of growing revenue are:
1. Getting a response from prospects
2. Closing deals
3. Identifying/prospecting good leads
All 3 of these struggles can be alleviated through lead nurturing, an essential part of the buyer’s journey designed to develop a relationship with prospects through education and conversation (instead of bluntly telling them to buy your product or service). Trying to convert prospects into clients is similar to petting a wild animal: if you move too quickly, you will scare them away. Email nurturing campaigns allow you to hear prospects’ needs and show your company’s solution to those needs in a personal, non-aggressive, and value-building way.
Stay tuned for part 2 of my 5 biggest takeaways. If you want to learn more about lead nurturing and how it can improve your company’s conversion rate with prospects, set up a time to brainstorm with us.