An email has long been a crucial tool for business communication. But then it is the content and the messaging in the email that matters the most. Poorly written, unclear, misleading, or ineffective emails not only cause a loss of time and productivity but can also harm one’s reputation by leaving a poor impression on the reader.
An email has a multi-faceted role in communicating with consumers across all stages of the customer lifecycle and not just as a transactional channel. Emails can be the medium to inform and build long-lasting relationships.
Email is the customers’ pick
When it comes to the popularity of the channel, email tops the list. While conducting a survey, customers were asked about their preference for receiving information, including appointments/reminders, customer service, new products, and tutorials. Customers chose email over any other channel hands-down.
The channels that were in the race were Facebook Messenger, Post, Text, Face-to-Face, online, phone, social media, and email. Email commands a monopoly on all aspects of pre and post-purchase customer communication. However, when it comes to demographic usage of technology, social media has pipped email as a preferred choice of 18-24-year-olds’.
Marketers’ communication with their customers
Marketers also reported utilizing email as the primary channel for every information type, following their customers’ lead. However, social media was being increasingly used to inform customers of ‘New products or services’ (61%), ‘Discounts, offers or sales’ (54%), and ‘Advice, information or tutorials’ (52%).
Meanwhile, phone calls are still seen as useful for ‘Customer Service’ (53%) and online ads offer opportunities when it comes to ‘New products or services’ (40%), and ‘Discounts, offers or sales’ (38%).
What do consumers want from their emails?
Alongside tactical usage of other channels for particular information types, marketers are also banking on emails. So is the average customer who prefers to receive an email contact than anything else. Email undoubtedly is the preferred medium to channelize customer engagement.
Speaking of emails, have you ever thought of what kind of content clicks with the customers? It is the influence and opportunity that ticks with the customers. Email’s influence as a means to share engaging content and the latest information with customers is evident. Moreover, the range of information type recorded for this channel extends beyond a channel simply to share ‘Discounts and offers’.
There are, however, potentially missed opportunities for brands in ‘Email receipts’ (28% gap) and ‘Access to other benefits’ (17% gap), with both having a significant disparity between consumers liking this information in emails and marketers seeing them as effective.
“Email continues to evolve to meet the challenge of an integrated digital world by providing a more diverse range of messages than ever before and delivers impact across every stage of the customer lifecycle. With customer experience now being the driving force behind marketing effectiveness, email marketers need to focus their energies on understanding how we can properly maximize its effectiveness in the right way to add value to the customer experience.” Mark Ash
Email content
It is always recommended to think about what you want to write before you do so. It helps in adding clarity to your message. Organize your thoughts or your business messaging in a logical sequence before jotting them down.
Keep your messages clear and brief. Your sentences should be short and to the point. Long and badly structured sentences confuse the reader. The length of your email is also important in determining how effective your message is going to be. Research has shown that people do not have the time or inclination to go through long, tedious emails. It is ideal to keep your emails as short as possible without eliminating necessary information.
Avoid miscommunication by keeping content clear, organized, and contextual. Close the email by stating the outcome you expect from your message and sign off with a polite greeting and your brand or business’s name.
Marketers or small business owners now can even have their own automated email campaign platform to create customized templates for bulk delivery and future campaigns with ONPASSIVE email campaigns. Do give it a try.
Related: 5 Surefire Ways Of Improving Your Video Email Marketing Strategy!
