An email is an effective tool used in advertising and marketing to communicate with other businesses, partners, employees, and customers.
A Brief History of Email
An email is an effective tool used in advertising and marketing to communicate with other businesses, partners, employees, and customers. It’s often used in many people’s personal lives as well, especially since it can get a message to just about anyone with internet access — and in less than a second, for that matter. This was significant when it first came out because the only way people could communicate similarly prior to its conception was via traditional mail, which was nowhere near as quick and efficient as it is today.
Nonetheless, it has made quite an impact since 1971, when the very first email was made and sent. In fact, the history of email marketing began with Ray Tomlinson in 1971 when he sent the very first email message that was said to either have read “Test 123” or “QWERTYUIOP.” Just one year later, Larry Roberts created the very first email management system that allowed users to list, select, forward, and respond.
By 1978, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corporation by the name of Gary Thuerk sent out the very first email blast that generated $13 million in sales, and by 1982, “email” replaced the previously used term “electronic mail message.” Six years later, spam made its way into emails, and the term was officially defined in the Oxford English Dictionary for the first time.
1989 is when AOL’s famous “you’ve got mail” track was recorded, and 1991 is when more people than those at work or in college were finally able to use the internet — meaning email advertising was now able to reach a massive market. This was HUGE. In the late 1990s, email services like Internet Mail and Hotmail launched, with HTML being introduced shortly after.
Two decades later and email marketing is the key component of digital marketing for most businesses — and is continuing to grow in popularity among those who have yet to get a taste of its incredible benefits.
The Email Report
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Email hasn’t just changed in technology either. It has also become a more trusted and well-received form of communication compared to its earlier years
Email hasn’t just changed in technology either. It has also become a more trusted and well-received form of communication compared to its earlier years. When emails first started, they were limited to only college students and business workers, so there wasn’t as much spam. When spam was introduced in 1988 (at least officially), and more people could access the internet, there was a lot of annoyance with random emails — particularly promotional ones from brands.
This is primarily due to the fact that there was very little knowledge on what was and wasn’t acceptable in email yet. It was too new to brands and consumers for those sending them to collect all the necessary data and adjust their email strategies accordingly. For this reason, most (if not all) promotional emails were irrelevant to the recipient, sent to as many people as possible, and often filled with no real value for the customer. Any brand emails that may have had any shot were likely overshadowed by less-relevant ones — and therefore, never opened.
Most notably, emails were sent to anybody and everybody without any real method behind the madness. Essentially, if you had an email, you were going to get some kind of random email, and there was no good way to tell if it was a genuine one from your favourite brand or something that would take down your whole computer system (i.e., a hacker). The risk was real, and companies hadn’t yet figured out how to get around that challenge.
Fortunately, that is not the case today. With email companies like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo at the top of their game, it’s less likely that users will be bombarded with hacks. Even better, there is now great software that protects your computers and personal information from being attacked. This has allowed brands to safely communicate their value to customers and build loyalty and trust steadily over time.
Email today has evolved into something much more valuable than it was ever anticipated to be. Sure, everyone knew it would be great for communicating with friends and family that are far away — but even though email was undoubtedly a part of brand advertising since the beginning, it was not as popular or highly viewed as it is today.
Now it’s among the top digital advertising methods above some of the most notable methods known today. In fact, studies like McKinsey & CO and many others have found that “email marketing is still 40 times more effective at reaching your target consumer, than Twitter or Facebook.” This is incredible, considering so many people value social media, both as a personal hobby and as a form of communicating with brands.
Today, brands use emails to send out newsletters and other personalised content that welcomes users, gives tips and tricks, provides assistance on problems, recommends products/services based on previous purchases, sends out big announcements, reminds recipients of abandoned orders, and more.
More importantly, it has changed the way we communicate with our friends, family, co-workers, clients, and prospects. This means that no matter where you’re at in the world, what time it is, and what you’re doing — you can tap into your email and get your message to whomever you need to. Email has made communication instant, worldwide, and flexible.
You can now work remotely and deliver important details to your co-workers quicker than you could if you needed to walk over to their desk — not to mention, there’s also no limitation on work hours when you need to score that big deal and the clock is ticking towards the end of your work week. In fact, you can email any time because email can be accessed anywhere you have internet access, even when you’re on-the-go.
Even more incredible, email has the potential to collect first-party user data that gives brands the information they need to fulfill consumer needs without ever having to ask what they are. And as if it can’t get any better than that — it’s all legal, and it only works if the recipient opts-in and consents to the whole thing.
Now that more laws and regulations are clamping down on consumer privacy and restricting how many brands collect their data — it’s harder than ever to give consumers the personalised experiences they want. This is especially true since they don’t want brands to collect it without permission. That’s the key, though. Consumers don’t want brands to take their information but rather ask for it.
This is why email is what it is today. Brands can collect the necessary information needed to target their specific audience, and it’s all done with the consent of the recipients — a win, win if there ever was one!
Other marketing methods aren’t so lucky now that Google announced that they would be phasing out their third-party cookies by 2022, when they will officially be obsolete. “We’ll also continue our work to make current web technologies more secure and private,” the technology company recently said. “As we previously announced, Chrome will limit insecure cross-site tracking starting in February by treating cookies that don’t include a SameSite label as first-party only, and require cookies labeled for third-party use to be accessed over HTTPS.”
This information is less daunting for company’s utilising email because there are already several trust and privacy regulations incorporated into the popular digital advertising tactic. And this is only a fraction of the value email has to offer brands and consumers today.
Email marketing has been around for decades, but its advantages in business and marketing are far from declining with time. In fact, email seems to only get better with time, despite so many other forms of communication that have hit the market — i.e., social media platforms, messaging apps, video call apps, and more. Better yet, you can’t even access your social media channels without first having an email address to set up and log in each time.
Out of all the wonderful email statistics that have come out of recent research and studies, there are a few interesting ones we are following currently. This is because they provide a fascinating insight into what works best in email advertising, or are downright good to know as a marketer looking to take their business to the next level.
Here are Passendo’s top 10 email statistic highlights:
Email usage and volume depend a lot on the country and its consumers in question. It seems that the average statistics are still significant for most countries, while some see much more success than others. Nonetheless, even worldwide statistics show that email marketing is here to stay.
The Email Report
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Benefits of Native Advertising
With general email statistics saying just as much, it’s harder than ever to deny the potential email provides to each business that implements it into their advertising strategy. In fact, research is showing that more and more companies are putting it to use.
B2B Marketing Statistics
According to research, email marketing plays a significant role in the success of B2B companies, and most of them know it — with more than half of B2B respondents reporting good things about the marketing tactic. Studies are also showing that most B2B companies either acknowledge that email marketing can make an impact on its own as a campaign or as a part of other big campaigns like content marketing.
Here are the most impressive B2B marketing statistics as of right now:
Furthermore, success rates are generally great for all industries — although they are beyond exceptional for a select few. As of 2019, Sale Cycle reports the following email marketing statistics based on different industries:
19.13% open rate, 2.38% CTR, 12.42% click-to-open rate, and a 0.17% unsubscribe rate.
30% open rate, 4.90% CTR, 16.32% click-to-open rate, and a 0.22% unsubscribe rate.
31.28% open rate, 4.40% CTR, 14.06% click-to-open rate, and a 0.32% unsubscribe rate.
25.05% open rate, 4.54% CTR, 18.13% click-to-open rate, and a 0.20% unsubscribe rate.
23.88% open rate, 4.15% CTR, 17.36% click-to-open rate, and a 0.26% unsubscribe rate.
26.24% open rate, 3.97% CTR, 15.15% click-to-open rate, and a 0.24% unsubscribe rate.
18.41% open rate, 2.94% CTR, 15.99% click-to-open rate, and a 0.22% unsubscribe rate.
26.65% open rate, 2.60% CTR, 9.76% click-to-open rate, and a 0.22% unsubscribe rate.
33.86% open rate, 3.89% CTR, 11.48% click-to-open rate, and a 0.18% unsubscribe rate.
33.29% open rate, 8.86% CTR, 26.61% click-to-open rate, and a 0.18% unsubscribe rate.
37.40% open rate, 5.02% CTR, 13.43% click-to-open rate, and a 0.26% unsubscribe rate.
21.82% open rate, 3.31% CTR, 15.18% click-to-open rate, and a 0.20% unsubscribe rate.
22.79% open rate, 2.63% CTR, 11.52% click-to-open rate, and a 0.18% unsubscribe rate.
22.86% open rate, 3.71% CTR, 16.23% click-to-open rate, and a 0.21% unsubscribe rate.
With that in mind, Restaurants & Food performed the best in open rates with 37.40%. Publishing performed the best in CTRs with 8.86% and click-to-open rates with 26.61%. However, Agency industries took the lead in unsubscribe rates with the lowest rate of 0.17%, although most industries stayed within the average norm of less than .2% or close to it.
B2C Marketing Statistics
In a similar sense, B2C has also seen a rise in importance and efficiency over the years. This is because consumers are seeing the value of communicating with brands via email over other opportunities.
In fact, the following statistics support email marketing’s success:
Likewise, consumers often choose email as their preferring channel of communication with brands over other big marketing tactics like social media, display ads, print, and direct mail. In fact, more than half (60%) of consumers would rather receive promotional content from brands through email, and less than 20% even enjoy getting promotional messages from brands via social media.
Here are some additional consumer preferences regarding email:
Device Statistics
Email is also used differently depending on the device. Since mobiles can be used on-the-go, it seems they are among the preferred sources of email opens and communication. For this reason, it is suggested that they may have the biggest impact on email marketing campaigns and their results — meaning email campaigns should always be optimised for mobile audiences and have mobile-friendly images, designs, structures, etc.
With that being said, other devices are still commonly used by some consumers, just not as much. Here’s what recent research has shown:
Surprisingly, the device being used also makes a difference when you can expect the recipient to open and engage with your content. For instance, smartphone users tend to open emails the most between 6 am and 9 am, while tablet users tend to open emails after 6 pm.
The Email Report
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Device Statistics
As you’ll notice, there are also some similarities and differences between demographics regarding email usage, generation, gender, open rates, conversions, etc. In fact, some of these statistics are pretty shocking.
The Future of Email
As you likely can already tell from the previously listed statistics, email is far from on its way out, and anyone who believes it is at risk of missing out on a significant opportunity in advertising and marketing. With that being said, some influential trends are making their way into email advertising, and the more you know about them, the better prepared you will be to take advantage.
Here are at least 5 innovations/trends of email advertising and marketing that Passendo believes is on the rise and are likely to impact email now and in the future:
1. Personalisation is no longer an option but an expectation
Personalisation has become an important component of advertising and marketing in the last decade — in all areas, including email. This is because it makes your customers feel more valued and less like ‘just a sale.’ When they know you’ve done your research thoroughly, know what they want, and are willing to position your products and brand where they need to be to meet those needs, they are more likely to go to you for their purchasing needs.
In fact, Campaign Monitor research reports that emails with personalised subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened, 53% of marketers say ongoing, personalised communication with existing customers results in moderate to significant revenue impact, and 94% of customer insights and marketing professionals across multiple industries said personalisation is “important,” “very important,” or “extremely important” for meeting their current email marketing objectives.
Great ways to personalise your emails include sending our birthday emails, anniversary emails, product recommendations, welcome emails, and using the recipient’s name in the subject line and your greeting. The best way to get this information is through first-party data collecting — using their own email habits to form insights into what they like and dislike.
2. User-Generated Content is gaining traction
Much of advertising is already putting user-generated content to use, but it’s also becoming popular in email. User-generated content is essentially any content that is not made by the company itself but rather by other people. It’s much more trusted content because although many of us genuinely believe our products/services are the best, consumers want to hear it from people who have had experience with your product/service.
According to Invespro, 90% of consumers read online reviews before buying from a business, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and customers are more likely to spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews. This means that sharing your excellent customer reviews could make all the difference on that next sale.
Great ways to do this are by posting customer feedback, reviews, tutorials, etc. Better yet — if you have the capability — you should send customer reviews depending on the recipient’s product history and interests.
3. Recipients want more interactive and engaging content
Considering so many emails are sent a day, it can be pretty challenging to set your business apart from the competition. As of recently, customers are finding more value in emails that are more interactive and engaging. This is because they’re playful, entertaining, and often incorporate great deals in the process — adding more value!
HubSpot reports that not only are 62% of B2B marketers are already using interactive content and 34% of marketers using interactive elements in at least 10% of their content, but 88% of marketers say at least 10% of their static content will be made interactive in the next two years. The results are coming out positive so far — with 45% of B2B buyers say interactive content is one of their top three preferred content types — so it’s only a matter of time before these numbers grow significantly.
A good example would be an interactive game in your email that allows the recipient to ‘play to win.’ The prize could be something like first-time purchase discounts, buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deals, or similar
4. Customers are prioritising company’s that show they appreciate them
It’s also important that you keep in mind how many customers now value being valued by their favorite brands. By this, we mean the extra effort you put in to show your customers that you see that they supported you, and you appreciate that support. This is because, believe it or not, a simple ‘Thank You’ can go a long way.
In fact, Inc. reports some studies that show no matter how you choose to thank your customers for their purchase and loyalty to your brand, the results are ultimately positive. “The researchers noted that regardless of how gratitude is expressed, consumers agreed that appreciation should be conveyed by saying thanks directly to the individual recipient (60%) and personalized (44 %).” And the best way to do both is through email.
You can show your recipients how much you value them through emails that offer repeat customers money off on their next purchase, a bonus prize email for recipients who have made ‘X’ amount of purchases, reward and loyalty program mentions, etc.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making its way into email advertising
As technology advances, so does the capability of our most successful marketing strategies. In email marketing, the technology advancement making the biggest impact right now is artificial intelligence. AI is becoming so popular because it reduces all the guesswork that has plagued email for decades, replacing it with algorithms that can pinpoint the best times to send your emails to recipients. This means you’ll be reaching MORE people at the RIGHT time for them.
This trend is only getting more attention now that research is showing that 80% of business and tech leaders say AI already boosts productivity, 61% of marketers say artificial intelligence is the most important aspect of their data strategy, and when AI is present, 49% of consumers are willing to shop more frequently while 34% will spend more money.
The best way to do this is to find the right AI software that fits your business and email advertising needs. AI can do a lot for businesses in all areas of marketing, so it’s important that you discuss your options with different brands to find the best one for you. From there, you will be able to take the technology available to you — for instance, programmatic email advertising — and create memorable brand/consumer experiences for your customers.
The Email Report
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