In a world where relationship marketing is the be all and end all, email wins again.
A new study conducted by Lyris and recapped by Marketing Profs, lays out the argument for email (click for infographic).
I’m surprised to see email rank higher than personal referrals. What does that say about the state of our friendships today? Maybe nothing.
Another interesting data point in the graph is how far down mobile devices rank. Mobile is reportedly the new frontier for marketers, although consumers may not see it that way.
This bit from the report is also worth considering:
When consumers research purchases online, 77% say they often spend their time comparing product prices and features. They prefer company channels over independent channels to do this research, by a wide margin.
On the other hand, they rate independent channels as more important for subjective information, such as expert and peer reviews.
People are saying give us “Product pricing and features, please, and save the ‘ad speak’ for another day.” What are we saying back? “Hey look, here’s a shiny new App — it orders pizza for you!”
For me, the takeaway here is people look to email as a trusted channel for receiving pertinent information from trusted friends, family and companies they buy from and are interested in. There’s room for advertising, and content marketing in the overall mix, but there may or may not be room for these things in an email to subscribers.
“Product pricing and features, please.”
To a creative person working in advertising, this sounds impossibly boring. But to a busy person who isn’t interested in what the brand has to say, per se, product pricing and a break down of features and benefits solves their needs, and guides them to a purchase decision.
