Let me begin by saying print ads used to be the industry standard—“Going to advertise? Great, let’s run a print ad!” But it occurred to me the other day while I was explaining my creative approach to a client, that emails have become the new print ad.
Don’t get me wrong, I love coming up with concepts and campaigns for print, but I’ve found that email marketing offers just as much opportunity for brazen creativity as print, while providing a whole bunch of advantages that print couldn’t touch with a 10-foot QRC code.
It’s time to give email marketing its due.
I have to ask, are you putting the creative firepower behind your email marketing that you should be? I know there are a lot of sexy social options dominating your attention these days, and I know video is red hot this year, but maybe it’s time you started seeing email as your new print ad, too:
- Email is 40-times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter combined, according to McKinsey & Company.
- Businesses sending over 100,000 emails per month enjoy a 94% return on investment while those sending under 100,000 per month see a 139% return, according to MarketingSherpa.
More than a mainstay, email deserves the main stage.
Whether your purpose is lead generation, nurturing, announcing or informing—email offers advertisers priceless advantages, starting with incomparable targeting and ending with the benefits of being able to add links and interactive features. The best part is you turn a call-to-action into an action in email.
The smart companies put their money on email marketing.
Today’s creative standards in this medium are high, and it’s not just the big brands that are doing what it takes to stand out. Clients are spending a lot of money on production for original (un-stock) photography and illustrations. They’re incorporating video links. And they’re using animated gifs—some of the coolest things I’ve seen lately. It’s a testament to the fact that clients value the medium—and more importantly, they value the people on their mailing list.
Email vs. print from a creative perspective.
I use the same approach to come up with great concepts for emails that I use for print ads and the goal is always the same: to look for a great idea based on a simple, single-minded truth. The big difference is that in addition to the concept, headline, text and tagline, there are certain details with email that require careful consideration, and often creativity.
Email details worth paying attention to.
The best email marketing out there treats every element of the email with care and importance, realizing its function as well as its role in the overall impression it’s making in the context of your brand. Important email details include the subject line, preheader text, alt line, links, CTA (Call-to-Action) and from-line.
Make the most of your emails.
Your emails give you the ability to directly address prospects that you can be pretty darn certain are considering doing business with you or have done business with you in the recent past. Not only is that cool—that’s an opportunity you always want to capitalize on by doing interesting, creative work.
Ready for a new approach to your email marketing?
Contact me to talk your upcoming lead generation email, nurturing campaign or promotional blast.
