We’re often asked by clients and prospects if there are still valid reasons to consider email marketing. Our answer? Yes, there are definitely clear benefits especially in a B2B context.

As we are bombarded by eye-watering stats about the ever-increasing use of social media, it’s easy to think of email marketing as old news – and ignore it when planning your marketing strategy.

However, we know from experience that a well-written and expertly designed email campaign still has plenty to offer, especially when you’re trying to communicate in a business context. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. It’s extremely cost-effective

There are no print costs and no postage costs – and transactional fees per email are tiny in comparison, especially if you can subscribe to monthly retainers on a platform like MailChimp or Campaign Monitor.

So you can stretch your budget and spread your message.

2. It’s highly targeted

If you’ve built your list correctly over time then those receiving your emails should be doing so because they have asked to receive the messages and information that are in there!

You’ve got a captive audience – so tell them what they want to hear.

3. You can see how people react

Email marketing is extremely easy to measure – with quick and simple access to useful information including click-throughs, open rates and link popularity. Plus, online retailers can even track sales from a click in the email to a purchase in store.

If you spot something isn’t working then you can always change that in your next campaign to ensure that your messaging is spot-on, every time.

4. It’s immediate

One of the main benefits of email marketing over other channels is its immediacy.

Having a flash sale or need to react quickly to changing circumstances? With email marketing you can set up your communication and make sure it’s with your customers in minutes.

And, with a little bit of list wizardry and some time spent planning up front, you can even create a targeted set of emails that are triggered to send automatically by a date, event or subscriber activity.

This could help generate product reviews, renew memberships, follow up from events and much more.

Whatever your need, you benefit from less admin and more engaged customers.

5. It more than pays for itself

When you look at the finances, it’s hard to argue against using email marketing.

The latest research from the Direct Marketing Association shows that email marketing delivers a return on investment of £38 for every £1 spent.

The numbers certainly add up!

In summary:

Email marketing still has a role to play in an effective marketing communications mix.

When to choose it, what to say and how you combine it with other marketing tools will ultimately define success.

But with an impressive ROI, it’s safe to say that rumours of its demise can certainly be marked as junk for now.