| In this age of big data, interactive apps and live streaming, some organisations may now see email marketing becoming as a little old hat. But the fact is many recipients don’t agree and continue to see it as a worthwhile way to receive marketing communications.
So why should public sector bodies in particular keep embracing this approach and how can they get the most out of it?
Well, let’s look at the evidence shall we? According to a study by email marketing software provider Sign-Up.to, average open rates remained stable during 2016 at around 25%. But at the same time, click-through rates rose from 3.42% to 4.19%. Meanwhile, click-to-open rates went up from 10.88% to 11.88%, and average unsubscribe rates tumbled from 0.52% to 0.49%.
Interestingly, public sector organisations were found to have the highest surges in click-through performance. Government bodies also saw the highest open rates at 45%, ahead of accounting on 36%. It’s therefore clear that stakeholders, interested parties and members of the public continue to see email as an effective and valuable way to keep in touch with public sector organisations.
Here are some key findings from the research:
Emails must be mobile responsive
Figures from Sign-Up.to show that around half of all emails are opened on a mobile device, such as a smartphone. Marketing emails must therefore render well on these devices and load quickly if they are to have the desired effect.
Use profiling & personalisation techniques
Public bodies are using increasingly sophisticated methods to ensure all their marketing content is well targeted to the needs of the audience. From behavioural science to audience profiling, the aim is to get an accurate idea of what makes people tick so they can hit them with relevant and timely messaging. If people only receive emails that relate to them and their needs and circumstances, they’re more likely to open and read them and less likely to opt out of future communications.
Marketing automation
Online sessions can often be interrupted for all sorts of reasons, so a person could be, say, halfway through filling in a form when they have to go elsewhere. Organisations could therefore send emails designed to resume these interrupted sessions and at the same time, put across key messages and encourage them to sign up to a mailing list.
Timing is crucial
The average person is likely to be countless mailing lists, many of which they may not even recall signing up for. It’s therefore worth conducting research to see what time of day your target audience is most likely to check their emails and when your open and click-through rates are at their peak. With this information, you can ensure emails are sent at times when people already have their inboxes open so your communication lands prominently at the top.
Promote your mailing list
Stakeholders and interested parties might not necessarily know your mailing list exists, so make sure you actively promote it via social media and other marketing channels such as promotional merchandise like notepads, pens and bookmarks.
Email marketing reaching record highs in click-through rates SmallBusiness.co.uk |
