I’m occasionally asked …
“Isn’t email marketing dead?”

My answer is an unequivocal “NO!”

My view on email marketing has remained remarkably consistent over the years. It works. I’ve seen it work. And, I’ve seen the difference when people stop using it and sales drop a bit. 

My most recent (accidental) experiment was with a client who does both email marketing and Google Adwords. The Google Adwords definitely added a boost in sales when they were added to an ongoing email marketing effort. This past spring, there were several weeks when the email marketing effort was paused and the focus was more on Google Adwords.  Sales went down a bit and then we re-invigorated email marketing and the sales went back up.  They didn’t go up from direct clicks through the email though.  I believe that they went up because people were reminded in their email that this company is around and doing business and has the goods that their clients need. So, they might not click through from the email, but they are going to the website to buy!

Social media advertising might be the sexier newer kid on the block and it is effective in some situations. Email marketing, however, is tried and true and still important- even if the email never gets opened. You and your company’s name and subject line are still likely scanned by the recipient and they are reminded that you’re still a resource for them.