Email marketing still the most effective
A new piece of research has found that using email marketing to promote your brand is still the most effective method by which to attract British consumers. The report compared different forms of marketing and advertising and asked respondents how likely they would be to interact with an online retailer if they received these messages.
The data for Give as you Live, a price comparison site, was compiled from 4,234 consumers during November 2014. It showed that more consumers take notice of email marketing pieces than items they see on social media news feeds or through traditional advertising. Consumers who receive information direct to their email inbox are more likely to click on a link and carry out a transaction with the retailer than if they had received another form of marketing literature. In total, 64 per cent of consumers would open these emails and click through to the website, thus proving the effectiveness of email marketing.
Social media an inefficient approach
These results may surprise some people in the industry, especially with the supposed dominance of social media in our daily lives. Consumers tend to be bombarded by email messages every day, but this research shows that they are able to filter through those that are less important. This enables them to select the messages that are most attractive and useful to them.
Although many consumers use the likes of Facebook and Twitter every day and follow their favourite retailers and brands, this route is still a less effective form of marketing than email. Only 10% of recipients would click on a link received through their news feed. Traditional advertising is also not as effective, with just 10 per cent of those who saw the ad opening up the website and buying an item.
The least effective form of marketing, according to this survey, is pop-up ads. When these appear as consumers are browsing the internet, just 7 per cent would click through to the website being promoted.
Fashion brands are the most distracting
When it comes to identifying which brands are more likely to tempt consumers to click on a link, fashion retailers come out on top. 42 per cent of those surveyed would open an email from these retailers, making them the most attractive. Following fashion were travel brands, with 28 per cent of people tempted to open the email. This was followed by gaming and DVD retailers with 25 per cent of consumers attracted to their messages.
The survey found that consumers in Britain receive around 604 distractions a year from online brands. This means that it’s essential your messages stand out from all the others, to make them effective at attracting shoppers. They also need to be targeted at the right people, delivered straight to the inboxes of consumers who are likely to interact with your brand, thus increasing the effectiveness of email marketing.