We’re seeing a sustained trend in companies reinvesting in a traditional form of communication – email.
Yes, multichannel marketing is another trend that’s prevalent in business, but instead of migrating toward a lot of fancy new communication systems, many companies across the board are returning to email as a tried-and-true medium.
The Enduring Popularity of Email
One of the biggest reasons companies are building their email outreach relates to the centrality of communications and how that benefits business-customer relationships.
Multichannel marketing provides a greater reach – getting people’s attention in new venues and virtual environments. But sometimes, the message gets lost in the mix. Sometimes, those other channels are losing momentum, and people are paying more attention to their primary communication method: their inbox. Sometimes, it’s more effort for the customer to pay attention through those other media.
So email is re-taking some of that ground in today’s digital world in terms of where business (and marketing) gets done.
Better Email Marketing Methods
With that in mind, let’s talk about one thing that companies are doing to really up their game when it comes to email marketing.
It involves curating, and caring for, email marketing lists. There are a few different goals here – one is making sure that you have authentic emails, and accurate targeting and reach. Another is making sure that you have the right consent to send potentially sensitive information over email.
Both of these goals can be reached with what’s called double-opt-in email marketing.
Basically, it’s a lot like multifactor authentication for websites.
Here’s how it works – when somebody puts their email into a mailing list, the software generates a return email with a link for confirmation. The user clicks on that link through a secondary account, whether that’s an email or a phone, and the account is validated.
That means you won’t have the kinds of junk email addresses that you get with less sophisticated sign-on procedures.
But what does that mean for your business?
Well, it means that each email you send out will find more of its true audience. It means that your marketing efforts are going to get better conversion. It means you’ll be engaging with your customers online more actively and effectively.
Building Your Online Castle
In so many ways, a company’s digital footprint is like a physical headquarters. You build it, designing and engineering the infrastructure that you want, to get the result that you need.
The double-opt-in strategy can be a part of that. In the parlance of some data science people, you “verify, not trust” and make sure that digital systems are self-enforcing.
These are great tips for many companies, but at the end of the day, every business has its own online needs. Let WebSubstance work with your business to find a web plan that works for you.
