Is email marketing dead?

by. Jared Miller

In a word: nope.

Email usage statistics are impressive, and marketers in many industries have seen great success from email campaigns.

Email marketing is alive and well, but the approach of sending an HTML email to a massive contact list doesn’t nurture every stage of the buying cycle.

Let’s think about the three segments involved in the buying cycle: the researcher, the evaluator and the purchaser. Each segment needs specific content to guide them from the point of thinking about buying to actually making a purchase. At best, an email blast will only speak to one of these audiences. Typically, that’s the researcher: the coldest lead of the three.

Who are these segments and what do they need from you?

The Researcher. Modern consumers are inundated with information on a daily basis, which leads to confusion and the need to research prior to making purchase decisions. Google’s Zero Moment of Truth study has stated that a consumer needs 10.4 sources of information to make a purchase. The researcher seeks educational content to help them decide if they need (or want) the product, what it will cost and who offers it.

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