Email Marketing - The Pros, Cons & Future of Email Marketing

In the online marketing world, email is still king.

In 2015, email marketing generated $40 billion in revenue alone.

With email being so popular and successful as a marketing tool it’s important to invest time into your email strategy and make sure you’re doing it correctly.

There are many benefits of email marketing, but there are also some drawbacks that you should be aware of too.

Whether you’re just starting out or have an established email marketing strategy in place already, this article will help guide your way through all things email-related!

Let’s dive in.

Why Email Marketing Is Still Important In 2021

Email marketing is still popular because email allows you to be in touch with your customers, prospects, and followers who have subscribed to receive email communications from you.

It’s also an effective way for marketers to reach their target audiences, repeatedly, and on a personal level.

In 2021 email will continue being relevant due if nothing else but the fact that it can’t be replaced by social media or anything else.

Think about it… How do you get your passwords (when lost) from Facebook & Co? How does your bank communicate with you? How do you receive probably 90% of all business communication?

Yep… It’s via email!

Email Marketing Pros & Cons

Pros: email marketing is still popular because email allows you to be in touch with your customers, prospects, and followers who have subscribed to receive email communications from you. It’s also an effective way for marketers to reach their target audiences, repeatedly and on a personal level.

In addition, email can’t be easily turned off or ignored by the receiver (unless they unsubscribe).

Statistics show that we open and check our email inbox as often as 20 times per day!

In my opinion, that’s the perfect place for your marketing messages…

However, there are some cons to email marketing as well:

Cons: email can’t be really tracked as accurately or reliably as other forms of marketing, email marketing often can’t be as personalized and targeted as we want, and email is often met with high SPAM complaints.

It’s harder and harder getting into the inbox of our subscribers.

Developments like the “promo tab” of your inbox don’t make it easier to reach our target audiences.

Future Outlook: Will Email Marketing Be Still Relevant 5-10 Years From Now?

In 2022, email marketing will still be viable and relevant, but email’s future is cloudy.

Will email become obsolete anytime soon?

I don’t think so.

There simply is no real replacement on the horizon.

Sure, we spend more time on apps and social media these days… But again, that’s not a replacement for the quick online communication with your lawyer, right?

I see email being the promotional tool of choice for many online marketers and companies looking to get their message out to their clients, at least for the next few years.

How To Start An Email List?

Email list building is the process of getting email subscribers.

This can be achieved by giving something away (aka lead magnet), offering a free trial or discount for your product/service to email recipients, and just asking people if they want more information on what you’re doing.

You can capture people’s emails via pop-ups, landing pages, or sign-up forms on your website or blog.

How To Grow Your Email List?

There are many email list growth strategies, but the most popular is driving traffic to a dedicated landing page.

This is often referred to as an opt-in or squeeze page.

You can also email your own contacts and ask them to submit their email address, or offer a contest that requires email sign-ups.

In our “How To Start An Email List” section we mentioned free trials as another way of growing an email list… But some people are hesitant to give something away for free because they think it could attract freebie seekers.

But…

How To Drive Traffic To An Opt-In Page?

You can use “free”/organic or paid traffic (advertising) to drive traffic/people to your landing pages.

You can utilize social media, for example, you can post your content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc., where you already have followers/friends & family.

You can also use paid advertising platforms such as Google AdWords or Facebook Ads to attract people to your landing page.

How To Optimize Your Website For Opt-In Page Conversions?

It’s important that the opt-in page is easy to find, has a clear call-to-action, and is easy to fill out.

This will help increase your email list growth dramatically!

How To Create Opt-In Pages?

Some email service providers offer tools that allow you to create opt-in pages with minimal effort.

Most email marketing software like MailChimp also has this feature built-in.

You can also find lots of helpful templates on platforms like Unbounce or Leadpages.

If you get on my list here, I’ll show you a 100% free way to get an opt-in page up and running in no time and host it professionally and fast, for free.

How To Follow-Up With Your List?

Email marketing usually involves email follow-ups to keep your subscribers engaged.

This is called email nurturing or “list nurturing.”

Nurturing email campaigns can include

  • Reminders about free trials you offer,
  • Discounts/special offers for those who haven’t purchased yet, and
  • Updates on new products & services that might interest them.

Also, don’t forget to ask questions and provide value by sharing great tips and content with your list. This will help keep your readers engaged and they continue to open and read your emails.

How To Avoid Spam Filters?

Sending emails is also an art, and the better you get at it, the more successful your email campaigns will be.

Some people still think email marketing isn’t that great because they’re worried about spam filters.

This can happen if you send poorly designed emails or emails with too many links in them.

The best practice for email marketing is to send well-designed, personal, and valuable email campaigns with few links.

Avoid sending emails that contain lots of images or videos and instead stick to plain text email messages.

By following these guidelines you’ll avoid spam filters and ensure your email gets delivered successfully!

Closing Thoughts On Email Marketing

Email marketing has come a long way and email can be one of the most effective ways to grow your business.

In fact, I think it should be the cornerstone of your online business!

And a lot of highly successful email marketers would agree with me.

Lead generation (content) marketing and lead generation advertising will help you to grow your list, nurture/follow up with it, and drive traffic back to your website or blog so you can convert the followers into buyers.

And this is how email marketing works!

If you want to learn more about effective email marketing, check this out.

Stay awesome,

Tim for Online Business Dude