Complete Guide to What is Email Marketing, Its Definition, Tools & Advantages

Definition Of Email Marketing

“Sending Business Emails to Convert Customers or Maintain Relationships With Them is Called Email Marketing.”

In Simple Words Email Marketing is the Process by Which Companies Regularly Send Offers, Updates, Newsletters, or Promotional Content to Their Customers via Email, in Order to Maintain Engagement and Encourage Them to Purchase Products/services.

Type of Email Marketing

1. Newsletter Email

This is the Most Common and Simplest Way to Send Emails in Email Marketing.  Companies Use Newsletter Emails to Regularly Send Their Customers Updates, Blog Posts, Tips, and News Related to the Company. Newsletter Emails Are Very Popular. These Emails Often Contain Information About the Company’s New Products or Services, Presented in the Form of Blog Posts and Articles.

2. Promotional Email

Promotional Emails Are Used to Inform Customers About Special Discounts or Sales on Products and Services.  They Are Generally Used to Maintain Awareness and Interest Among Potential Customers.

3. Transactional Email

A Transactional Email is Sent to Confirm an Action Taken by a Customer on a Company’s Website, Such as a Purchase. This Email Typically Includes an Invoice, Shipping Details, or a Receipt.

4. Welcome Email

A Welcome Email is Sent to New Subscribers or Users When They Create an Account.  It is Used to Introduce the Company or Brand and Build a Relationship With the New Customer. This Type of Email Welcomes Customers and Encourages Them to Learn More About the Products and Services.

5. Lead Nurturing Email

This Type of Email is a Series of Messages That Gradually Provides Information About Products and Services to Potential Customers (Leads) to Help Them Make a Purchase Decision. Lead Nurturing Emails Typically Target a Group of People Who Are Interested in a Specific Product or Service. The Goal is to Move Users From the Consideration Stage to the Purchase Stage.

6. Seasonal Marketing Emails

These Are Emails That Are Sent to Customers to Convey Greetings and Offers During Festivals, Holidays, or Special Occasions. Many Companies Use These Holiday Seasons and Special Occasions to Connect With Potential Customers, Such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.

7. Survey & Feedback Emails

These Types of Emails Are Sent to Customers to Gather Their Opinions, Interests, Reviews, and Suggestions. Sending Such Emails to Your Customers Shows Them That You Value Their Opinions. Companies Conduct Surveys Through These Emails and Use the Feedback Received to Improve Their Products.

8. Event Invitation Emails

When a Company Sends Emails to Its Customers or Potential Customers for Webinars, Workshops, Product Launches, or Other Special Events, These Emails Often Provide Information About Upcoming Events, New Product Launches, and Seminars. Most Companies Use These Types of Emails to Increase Customer Awareness.

Advantage of Email Marketing

1. Cost-effective

Email Marketing is Very Cost-effective for Any Company. Compared to Other Marketing Methods, Email Marketing Incurs Significantly Lower Costs.  the Company Spends Less on Marketing and Selling Its Products. There Are No Advertising Costs, Printing Costs, or Space Rental Costs Involved.

2. Flexible Design

You Can Design Emails Using Graphic Design, Plain Text, or Any Other Format That Suits Your Audience.  This Allows You to Send Emails to Your Current Customers, Making Them More Interested in Your Products and Services and Encouraging Them to Make a Purchase.

3. Scalable

Another Advantage of Email Marketing is Its Scalability. Email Marketing Can Be Used to Reach Both Large and Small Audiences.

4. Personalization and Segmentation

With Email Marketing, You Can Personalize Your Messages and Segment Your Email List. This Ensures That Your Customers Receive Messages About Products and Services That Interest Them. This Boosts Customer Engagement.

5. Shareable

Email Marketing Makes It Easy for People to Forward and Share Your Emails. This Shareability is a Major Advantage of Email Marketing.

6. Increase Sales

Through Email Marketing, We Can Increase Sales of Our Products and Services. Email Marketing Helps Us Increase Sales in an Effective Way Because Everything is Automated.

7. Environmentally Friendly

Email Marketing is Environmentally Friendly Because It Doesn’t Involve Any Printing or Paper Usage, Making It Safe for the Environment.

8. Time Saving

Email Marketing Saves a Lot of Time Because Everything is Automated. Through Automation, You Can Set Up Triggers to Automatically Send Emails Based on Customer Activity on Your Website.

9. Real-time Marketing

Email Marketing is a Form of Real-time Marketing. With Email Marketing, You Can Engage With Your Customers in Real Time.  You Can Reach Potential Customers at the Right Time, in the Right Place, With the Right Offer.

Disadvantages of Email Marketing

1. Spam

If You Want to Email Your Customers, You Need to Obtain Their Permission; Otherwise, Your Emails End Up in Spam Folders.  Even After Obtaining Permission, Some Customers May Still Consider Your Emails as Spam. Sending Too Many Emails Can Also Create a Negative Perception of Your Company, and Customers May Unsubscribe.

2. Deliverability Issues

When You Send Emails to Customers, They May Not Even Reach Their Inboxes.  They Might End Up in the Spam/promotions Folder or Bounce Back Altogether—this is Called a Deliverability Issue. This Issue Can Occur Due to a Poor Sender Reputation, Low Engagement, Spammy Email Content, or Using an Invalid Email List.

3. Website Shutdown

If a Customer Reports Your Email as Spam, the Email Provider Can Report You and Your Company to Your Web Hosting Provider. If Your Web Host Believes You Are Engaging in Spamming Activities, They Can Shut Down Your Website.

4. Design Issues

Email Marketing Also Involves Design Challenges. Your Email Must Be Designed to Look Consistent Across All Devices and Email Clients. You Might Have to Compromise Between Design and Functionality. Design Issues Are Very Common in Email Marketing.

5. Resources and Skills

For a Successful Email Campaign, You Need to Ensure You Have the Right Copy, Design, and Marketing List. If You Lack the Necessary Time and Skills in-house, You May Have to Outsource Some of These Elements, Which Increases Your Costs.

How to Get Email Addresses

When We Take Our First Steps Into Email Marketing, the First Thing That Comes to Mind is That We Need a Large Number of Email Addresses.  Just Like With SMS Marketing, Where You Need a Large Number of Phone Numbers, for Email Marketing, We Need a Large Number of Email Addresses. So, Where Do We Get These Email Addresses? Let’s First Understand the Sources From Which We Can Obtain Them.

1. Newsletter

The First Option for Collecting Email Addresses is a Newsletter. You’ve Probably Noticed That Many Websites Offer a Newsletter Signup Option. When You Enter Your Email Address There, Your Email Gets Added to the Advertiser’s Email List.  the Advertisers Then Use Email Marketing Tools to Run Automated Campaigns, Sometimes for Direct Advertising, and Sometimes to Nurture Their Relationship With You.

2. Webinar/online Webinar

When a Company, Organization, or Marketer Hosts an Offline or Online Webinar, They Require Attendees to Complete a Registration or Sign-up Form. This Form Typically Asks Participants to Provide Their Name, Email Address, and Sometimes Their Mobile Number.

This Allows the Organizer to Create an Email List of Interested and Targeted Individuals, Which Can Then Be Used to Send Promotional Emails, Offers, or Other Marketing Messages.

3. Blogs/lead Magnet

We Try to Collect Email Addresses Through Blogs. You Probably Read Many Blogs, and You’ve Noticed That They Often Include a Call to Action, Offering You the Option to Enter Your Email Address.  Alternatively, We Can Offer a Lead Magnet Through the Blog, Such as a Checklist.  We Might Tell Readers That if They Want to Download the Checklist, They Can Fill Out a Form.  Through This Form, We Can Collect the User’s Name, Phone Number, Email Address, and Other Information.

These Types of Emails Are Very Effective Because They Are Based on the User’s Consent; the User Has Explicitly Allowed Us to Send Them Commercial and Promotional Emails.

4. Buying Email Lists

Another Option is to Purchase Email Lists. However, These Lists Are Often of Low Quality, and You Won’t Get Very Good Results. This is Because You Are Essentially Buying a Pre-compiled List of Email Addresses From a Third-party Data Vendor. These Lists Contain the Email Addresses of Various Individuals, to Whom Marketing or Promotional Emails Are Then Sent Directly.

Email Warm-up and Delivery Rate

One of Our Main Concerns in Email Marketing is Email Warm-up.  There’s a High Probability That the Emails We Send Will End Up in the Spam Folder. To Prevent This, We Need to Pay Attention to Several Different Aspects, Which is Essentially What Email Warm-up is All About.  It Involves Specific Strategies and Technical Processes Used to Gradually Build Up Your Email Sending Reputation, Thus Improving the Delivery Rate and Ensuring Your Emails Don’t End Up in Spam.

Objectives Of Email Marketing

Building Brand Awareness

Acquiring new customers

Retaining existing customers

Increasing sales

Generating leads

Nurturing leads

Improving customer engagement

Promoting products or services

Educating customers

Driving website traffic

Boosting social media presence

Enhancing customer loyalty

Gathering feedback

Conducting surveys

Announcing events

Sharing news or updates

Offering discounts or promotions

Cross – selling or up – selling

Recovering abandoned carts

Tools For Email Marketing

Keep in Mind That You Cannot Perform Email Marketing Using Gmail.  There Are Many Restrictions With Gmail; You Cannot Set Up Complex Automation, Send Large Volumes of Emails, and There Are Many Other Limitations.  Fortunately, There Are Many Email Marketing Tools Available in the Market That Address These Limitations.

1. Mailchimp

2. ActiveCampaign

3. GetResponse

When It Comes to the Pricing of These Tools, the Pricing is Usually Based on the Number of Emails You Can Send. For Example, You Might Be Able to Send 5,000 Emails Per Month for a Certain Price.  Alternatively, You Can Set the Number of Subscribers You Have Within the Tool, and the Price Will Be Based on That Number.  Subscribers Basically Refer to the Contacts You Have Within the Tool; for Example, if You Have 500 Email Addresses in the Tool, Your Subscriber Base Would Be 500.  as Your Subscriber Base Increases, the Price Will Also Increase Accordingly.