The Power of Email Marketing and Automation

Twenty years ago, email marketing consisted of spam. Thankfully, this now ends up in your junk box. In the last 10 years, digital marketing has developed at pace. It could be said that the best example of direct marketing in the digital age remains email.  Right now, there are sophisticated tools that result in email marketing campaigns respecting the end user, which in turn can result in a tremendous impact on your bottom line. With automation platforms readily available, you are in a position to take this even further.

The key component is the list. There are still people selling lists – you’re probably familiar with receiving cold calls offering you access to lists, but those lists couldn’t come close to the advantages offered by a list in which people have opted into hearing from you.

Generally, consumers are expecting something of value when they’ve decided to give you their information. They accept that they’re going to be marketed to, but as long as you are providing value, they are going to be okay with it.

The Technology Available

There are a multitude of email marketing platforms available at a range of prices. These platforms deliver your emails to customers you’ve specifically targeted.

You get what you pay for; you can opt for isolated tools or you could look for something fully integrated like Sitecore.

Whatever you choose, you have similar general functions with email marketing platforms. You can customise your emails, create and manage lists, mast customisations, send emails to a list and track what happens after you’ve hit send. Some providers also offer extended interrogations, insight and the ability to handle large campaigns.

Gathering Data

An email marketing platform produces a wealth of data such as recipient clicks. With this data you can create a multitude of lists, different stages of the buying cycle etc.

You can integrate these tools with your CRM or you could go for something fully integrated, like Sitecore. When you do this, you can utilise all the data you have to send very specific messages. You can access data at speed and send out emails tailored to your customer, and use split testing to see which is most effective. You also have the power of analytics to tell you how successful this has been.

Marketing Automation

The ability to automate messages provides an exceptional advantage. You can automate what messages go to who, based on set characteristics. You start by building your assets – this could be something like a web sign up form. Following this, you define your rules and triggers, deciding what goes to who and when. This sets up a pathway that ideally will bring customers through the full conversion journey and guide users back onto it should they fall away at any stage.

Automation will follow your rules and triggers so that the behaviour of every user will be given personalised content. Linking automation with a CRM is key to gathering and analysing the rich data. A full customer record doesn’t just help with email but will be key to deciding your overall marketing strategies.

There’s a reason why we consider Sitecore to be the strongest choice a business could make. Its integrated features make everything you have read above not only user-friendly but exceptionally powerful. It creates connected personalised experiences to create lifelong customers. There’s a reason why it is set apart from its peers.

Ethisys are Sitecore experts with partners renowned for their knowledge, if you would like to know more, please get in touch.