Email Marketing Isn't Dead: Why Building a List is Crucial

When you’re marketing your business, you may be tempted to flock to the next viral social channel. While there’s value to a multichannel approach, don’t overlook the power of building a list of loyal customers via email.

The truth is, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach and engage your audience. In this blog, we’ll explore why email marketing is far from dead and why building an email list is more crucial than ever.

Is Email Marketing Really Dead?

With the rise of social media and other digital channels, some may think that email marketing has lost its edge. But the reality is actually the opposite. Email marketing continues to deliver some of the highest returns on investment (ROI) in the marketing world. Why? Because emails provide a direct and personal line of communication with your audience, bypassing the unpredictable algorithms of social media platforms. You can tailor your messages to individual preferences, track performance with precision, and build lasting relationships with your subscribers. Far from being outdated, email marketing remains a vital tool for businesses to reach their audience with relevant, personalized content that drives results.

The Risks of Relying Solely on Social Media

Relying exclusively on platforms like social media can be risky. Social media algorithms change frequently, which can significantly impact your reach and engagement. Moreover, accounts can be suspended or banned without warning, leaving you without a way to communicate with your audience. In contrast, an email list is an asset you own and control. It’s a stable and reliable channel that ensures you always have a direct line to your customers, regardless of changes in other platforms.

Top CRM Platforms for Email Marketing

There’s no shortage of CRMs on the market, both free and premium, that you can use to wrangle your email management. Here’s just a few:

• Klaviyo: (Free & paid options) Intelligent email marketing, SMS, and automation
• Mailchimp: (Free & paid options) Marketing automation and email marketing platform
• Acumbamail: (Free & paid options) Email marketing & SMS campaigns
• ActiveCampaign: (Paid) SAAS platform for SMEs
• Convertkit: (Free & paid options) Marketing tools for creators
• Hubspot: (Free & paid options) Inbound and email marketing tools
• Beehiiv: (Free & paid options) Affordable email marketing, built by creators for creators

These platforms offer essential features like segmentation, automation, and detailed analytics. When selecting a CRM, consider your business needs, budget, and the specific features that will help you achieve your marketing goals. A good CRM can streamline your email marketing efforts, making it easier to manage and optimize your campaigns.

Integrating Email Marketing with Other Channels

Email marketing works best when integrated with other channels. For example, you can use email to promote your latest blog posts, social media content, or launches. A cohesive cross-channel strategy ensures that your audience receives consistent messaging, regardless of where they encounter your brand. Using email to drive traffic to your website or social media can amplify your overall marketing efforts, creating a more robust and connected experience for your audience.

Growing Your Email List with KickoffLabs

Building and growing your email list is a critical part of any successful email marketing strategy. KickoffLabs offers a range of tools to help double your email list subscribers. Here’s just a few examples:

Newsletter Referral Campaigns

Creating a referral campaign has never been easier. Choose from a variety of landing page templates or connect to an existing website with KickoffLabs’ popups, embeds, or connect an external form. Leads can signup, get a unique share URL to share with friends generated automatically, and track their stats. Did we mention, there’s no coding knowledge required?

Engage Existing Leads

Let your loyal subscribers know they’re valued by creating a giveaway for them. Easily invite them to the giveaway with our one click instant signup link. When the subscriber clicks the link in their email, they’ll automatically be added to the giveaway all without the hassle of having to enter their details again.

Email Opt in Bribes

Not all incentives need to be a physical item. Provide value to leads by offering a free course, shopping guide, or even ebook via PDF download when they signup.

Best Practices for Creating High-Converting Email Campaigns

To create effective email campaigns, focus on:

• Creating a compelling subject line: The subject should answer “What’s in it for me as a lead? Why should I open this email?” all within a second.
• Creating engaging content: Now that you have the lead’s attention, don’t waste it. Give them the important details, while keeping it short and sweet.
• Creating a strong call to action (CTA): The key piece of the email content should be the CTA. What do you want the lead to do? Signup for something? Use a discount? Whatever it may be, make sure the CTA is both clear and front and center in the email.
• Staying out of spam: Whatever you do, avoid doing these things to keep your emails out of the spam folder.

Personalization is key; segment your audience based on their preferences and behaviors to deliver relevant content. Additionally, testing different elements of your emails, such as subject lines and CTAs, can help you optimize for better results.

Remember, the goal is not just to get emails opened but also to drive conversions and build lasting relationships with your subscribers. Need help on where to start? Check out our best pratices for drafting a welcome email that converts here.

Examples of Successful Email Marketing Campaigns

Need some inspiration? Here are several companies and brands that have mastered the art of creating emails that their audience loves to open (and read).

Airbnb

Email Type: Personalized based on preferences and behaviors
Why we Like it: The hardest thing in marketing is getting leads to your landing page. The second hardest is keeping them engaged. One of the best ways to do this via email marketing is to create content that’s tailored to the lead. Airbnb nails this by sending gentle nudges to leads with additional information about rentals in cities they’ve browsed previously.

Eventbrite

Email Type: Re-engagement
Why we Like it: You can have the best email list, but sometimes leads can become inactive and stop engaging with your content. Instead of letting it impact your open and clickthrough rates, and ultimately sales, you can acknowledge their inactivity and take steps to win back their business. Eventbrite does this in a friendly way by sending a message to let the lead know “Hey, we kinda miss you.” They then proceed with actions that the lead can take if the feeling is mutual.

VSCO

Email Type: Free trial
Why we Like it: For startups who offer a subscription based services, a great way to quickly increase new leads is to offer a free trial. VSCO adds a sense of urgency by stating the offer is going to end tomorrow. Creating the fear of missing out is often the push needed to get the lead to click and opt in.

Conclusion

Hopefully we’ve convinced you that despite the growing popularity of social media marketing, email marketing is far from dead. While social media platforms rise and fall in popularity, everyone has an email address and probably always will.

With the right CRM, integration with other marketing channels, and adherence to best practices, your email marketing campaigns can achieve impressive results. Start growing your email list free today with KickoffLabs and experience the benefits of a well-executed email marketing strategy.