E-mail marketing is the act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using e-mail. It involves using e-mail to send advertisements, requests business, or solicit sales or donations.
In this digital age, e-mail is essential for all healthcare practices to improve and enhance patient engagement, thereby increasing ROI. Studies show that patients who visit websites through e-mail marketing tend to set more appointments.
E-mail generates $42 for every $1 spent, an astounding 4,200% Return On Investment, making it one of the most effective options available.
FUN STATISTICS FACTS ABOUT E-MAIL MARKETING
The global e-mail marketing market was valued at $7.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to increase to $17.9 billion by 2027. (Statista, 2021)
There are 4 billion daily e-mail users. (Statista, 2021)
Active e-mail accounts surpassed 5.6 billion in 2019. (Statista, 2019)
64% of small businesses use e-mail marketing to reach customers. (Campaign Monitor, 2021
Across all industries, the average e-mail open rate is 19.8%, the click-through rate is 11.3%, and the bounce rate is 9.4%. (Constant Contact, 2021)
Marketers who used segmented campaigns noted as much as a 760% increase in revenue. (Campaign Monitor, 2019)
78% of marketers in 2020 said e-mail is essential to overall company success, compared to 71% in 2019. (Litmus, 2020)
78% of marketers have seen an increase in e-mail engagement over the last 12 months (Not Another State of Marketing, 2020)
31% of B2B marketers say e-mail newsletters are the best way to nurture leads. (Content Marketing Institute, 2020)
Brands that always include an A/B test in their e-mails generate an ROI of 48:1. (Litmus, 2019)
Globally, Fridays see the highest e-mail open rates (nearly 19%), compared to the lowest open rates (17%) on Saturdays. (Campaign Monitor, 2021)
23% of brands have already experimented with interactive elements in e-mail, an additional 32% plan to try it soon. (Not Another State of Marketing, 2020)
87% of B2B marketers say e-mail is one of their top free organic distribution channels. (Content Marketing Institute, 2020)
90% of content marketers say e-mail engagement is the top metric they track to measure content performance. (Content Marketing Institute, 2020)
The second-most common technology B2B organizations use to assist with content marketing is mail marketing software. Roughly 85% of marketers say they work with these tools. (Content Marketing Institute, 2020)
“E-mail has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches at scale.” – David Newman
E-mail is a powerful marketing tool only if you use it correctly. There are general principles to follow when creating e-mails for your patients. Here are five basic principles-
Subjectivity-
Subject lines are what your patients see before they ever open your e-mails. It doesn’t matter how unique your e-mail content is. If the subject line doesn’t attract them, the e-mail won’t be opened. Always ensure your subject lines spark interest and leave your patients wanting to know more content details.
Personalization-
Patients love to hear their names, so e-mails should be sent with patient’s names to make them feel like, it was sent individually to them. E-mail personalization can be done quickly through most e-mail software; make sure your e-mail database includes first and last names.
Call to Action-
Make your e-mails clear, concise, and focused on one call to action. What’s the point of the e-mail, and what action do you want your patients to take? That’s your call to action. Your call to action should be clear to your patients from the subject line to the body of the e-mail. There should be one link guiding your patients to contact you or book an appointment. Formatting your e-mails this way will guide your patients to take the steps you want them to, whether that’s booking an exam, buying contact lenses, or attending an optical event.
Unsubscribe-
It’s standard practice and the law to include an unsubscribe button in your e-mails. Ensure that the link to unsubscribe is easy to find to avoid your e-mail being marked as spam. There are comprehensive regulations in Canada and the United States regarding what is and is not allowed in e-mail marketing. In Canada, this legislation is called CASL, and in the United States, it’s known as CAN-SPAM. Reading these regulations will enable which step to take in your practice.
E-mail software is the app to visit when considering e-mail marketing. There are quite a lot of them, but below are the top five to consider.
In conclusion, the key to any good marketing campaign is reviewing your analytics regardless of the medium. Measuring your analytics gives you the ability to know which methods work well and which don’t. It’s the best way to measure return on investment and decide the best use for your marketing dollars.
