What Do You Think? Is Email Dead? Share your Thoughts…

Friends, A crazy thing happened in 1888… Yes, 1888… over 130 years ago.

What happened?

Sears launched its first catalog.  You could almost order anything from anywhere in the United States by postal mail.

You could buy an entire HOUSE from the catalog!

At the time, it was so revolutionary that many people called for the end of retail.

YES, the end of retail.

Sounds oddly similar to the calls for the death of retail because of Amazon!

Anyway…

It’s crazy to think that someone called for the death of retail back in 1888… but it did happen.

And that’s the lesson for today.

When the world calls for the end of something, it’s often a big lie.  And as a result, you need to take these prophecies with a grain of salt.

Take for example the death of email marketing.

OMG… if I had a nickel for every time someone asked me is email was dead… I’d be able to buy a really nice steak dinner… with a great bottle of wine!  (Far Niente Wine anyone?)

Look, just because some GURU calls for the end of email doesn’t mean you need to drink the Kool Aid.

Look, I’m a huge believer in the power of text message marketing.  😉

I love text marketing as a marketing technique… and I think it’s important for every business to use.

Heck, I think it’s the most powerful marketing channel around today…

But, you’ll notice I never call for you to abandon your other marketing channels entirely.

No way.

You need to use social media for marketing…

I love to use email for sharing information and training…

And, if you’re really good, you should give direct mail a try too!  (YES – direct mail. Print a letter and mail it to people…)

You never know what marketing channel will really work for you.

A quick story.  I talked with the head sales person at an advertising firm a few months back.  They work with a ton of different publishers and were always trying to stay front of mind with readers.

So, they tried something strange.

Instead of sending a normal email… or text message… they sent out a physical letter.

It went to a limited group of current and past customers.  It was carefully crafted, and had a very special offer.

Their response rate was off the hook.  (That means good, if you don’t watch Guy Fieri on TV.)

She said they did an outreach for getting the mailing address… they were able to connect at that time… then they sent a physical letter to people… and that resulted in a ton of responses… and they of course did a follow-up to make sure people got the letter.

Their responses were amazing… the send resulted in thousands and thousands of dollars in new business!

Is Email Marketing Dead?

Here’s the million dollar question… is email marketing dead?

Not by a long shot.

Many businesses use email marketing to stay in touch with prospects.  They share news, events, educational information, and updates over email.

Billions of emails are sent and read every day.

The best lists have engagement rates of 20% or less.   And open rates are falling quickly. Over eager spam filters, combined with tidal waves of email messages, and decreasing attention spans of consumers all lead to lower engagement rates.

What should you do as a marketer?

You need to communicate more with your followers, not less.

But, before you rush out and send another basketful of emails… pump the brakes.

Don’t send more emails, change up your delivery.

I’ve found if I send an email… then a few hours later follow-up with a text message letting people know I just emailed them some important information… my engagement rates jump.

My prospects and customers read the text and realize they missed something important.  They dig through their email and eventually find my original note – skyrocketing open and click rates (and that helps for future delivery!)

Try this hot tip, to see your email open rates improve.

Now that you have a great idea, go put it into action.

And remember, no matter what the GURUs say… forget the death of EMAIL or the death of any other marketing channel… and use them all.

Here’s where I want your opinion…

Do you use both email and text marketing?

Are you having more success with one or the other?

Do you think email marketing is dead?

Email me your opinion… and your story… (Brian@betwext.com) and we might include it in a future article!

For tips, tricks and best practices on text message marketing, you should download our free book about text marketing for small business…