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5 Reasons Why Email Is Essential to Your Marketing Strategy

September 5, 2019

By: Leah Rodgers

With all the attention edtech companies are lavishing on social media these days, it would be easy to ignore email as a marketing tool. There’s always a vocal minority declaring email “dead,” but in reality, email marketing is alive and well. A report from MDR says the email delivery rate in the education market is set to only trend upward. The number of global email users is set to grow from 3.8 billion in 2018 to 4.4 billion by 2023, and according to an article from OptinMonster, “email marketing has a 4400% ROI. That means that every dollar you spend on email marketing has the potential to bring you a $44 return.” Sounds like it’s worth a try, right?  

 

Email Marketing

 

In past posts, we’ve written about the who, the when, and the how of email marketing. Here are five reasons why a strategic email campaign can help your company build relationships with your desired customers at various stages of their buyer’s journey.  

  1. Email marketing is a cost-effective way to communicate your company’s message to the people who will be most receptive to it.

    You have the potential to reach an enormous audience via email, but it’s less about reaching the most people and more about reaching the right people. Using a contact list you’ve obtained organically though downloadable content allows you to connect with users who are already familiar with your product or service.

    If you decide instead to purchase a list, you have the opportunity to reach users who match a certain demographic and psychographic that your product would appeal to. In both cases, you’re only reaching out to people who have a good chance of needing your product or service.


  2. Email campaigns tell your story briefly—and also in depth.

    Social media ads and video can limit the amount of time and space you have to tell your story. With email, you can establish your company’s story and messaging in the email itself, then link to further readings and content offers or give more background. A well-crafted email campaign serves as a medium to solidify yourself as a thought leader and ultimately build relationships.


  3. Targeting users in all stages of the buyer’s journey keeps your marketing flywheel

    Simply hitting the “send” button allows you to reach people at various stages of the buyer’s journey. You have the opportunity to reach people at the right time with valuable information. You’re not limited to current customers. You can keep the conversation going with prospects who have visited your website or downloaded your content offers. An email notification is a little reminder to potential users that you’re around if they need anything. You’re nurturing your relationships one email at a time.

    Playbook: Inbound Marketing in Education. Start creating content for someone, not just anyone.
  4. Sharing email templates strengthens the partnership between your marketing and sales teams.

    As a marketer, it’s exceptionally easy to create email templates and pass them along to your sales team. Your salespeople know your product or service, and they’re out there every day interacting with customers. They have stories to tell, and email templates can help them organize their surprising or heartwarming anecdotes into viable marketing messages. Templates are an easy way to get new employees up to speed, too.


  5. Personalization builds relationships.

    Strategically written and deployed email can be an exceptionally powerful way to personalize messages. Paying attention to your target audience can make or break a potential relationship. If you’re talking to a superintendent versus a teacher, the language and tone you use will be different. If you’re pitching a 2nd grade writing program, only educators responsible for purchasing or implementing it will be receptive to your message. Reaching out to the superintendent of the district will only waste your efforts and alienate your brand in their eyes. When it comes to education standards, if you’re using terms fit for a Florida educator but you’re sending an email to a Montana educator, they’ll take note. If you don’t pay attention to your contacts, your contacts will lose interest and start to see your emails as a nuisance. But if you take the time to tailor your message, they’ll see you as a person and partner, and they’ll be much more likely to want to work with you.

 

As you can see, email is far from dead. Sure, the old “batch and blast” method will most likely earn you more unsubscribes than revenue, but carefully crafted and targeted messages are a vital part of any edtech company’s marketing mix.

 

Thanks for sharing!

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