• by April Mullen , Columnist, November 20, 2015

During this time of year, I reflect on all that I am grateful for in my life. Closely behind my gratitude for family and friends, is my fulfilling career in email marketing.

Having worked on the client and consulting sides of the business across several verticals and as an adjunct professor of digital marketing, I’ve seen all possibilities for our beloved channel. And even with all those experiences, for me working in email marketing never gets old.  

After years of working in this space, here is what I am most grateful for when it comes to email:

1. Still drives high ROI. Email has long been the king of driving a steep return on investment. For example, a report published this year by a British company said that email marketing drives £38 for every £1 spent: an outstanding ROI. Another report noted that email marketing drives 7% of all ecommerce transactions.  Search tops the list of driving ecommerce, but it requires significant more investment than email. As such, email is still the king of ROI.

2. The only universal online app. Email used to be relegated to a single experience, where people had to set time aside to turn on a personal computer and check their email.  Email now has the portability of an app available on any type of internet-enabled device.  As a result, on average people check email 12 to 15 times per day, making email more relevant and accessible than ever before.

3. Data-driven and measurable. Thankfully, the days of batch-and-blast are nearly over. Many companies leverage rich customer data to determine who gets what and when. Not only is email pushing the envelope on one-to-one marketing at many companies, but it also leaves a rich trail of data exhaust with every sent, open, click, etc. These interactions can be captured and used to drive the logic of future campaigns.

There are very few channels that understand and leverage first-party data as well as email. It’s pretty amazing when clients create positive snowball effects on their email program by using data effectively.

4. Digital key. Email addresses have become the online identifier for consumers. Think about the last time you could create a login, make a purchase, or claim an offer online without providing an email address.  It just hasn’t happened.  Companies will often use email addresses as the main identifier for customers. Dela Quist of Alchemy Worx recently tweeted: “People without an email address are the digital equivalent of homeless.” I couldn’t agree more.

5. Consumers embrace it. Last year, Forrester Research published a report highlighting how consumer attitudes toward email have improved.  This is great news for marketers who focus on providing the best experiences possible via email. While we as a society may gripe about the amount of email we receive, at the same time we can’t get enough of it.

For all those email marketers out there working tremendously hard throughout the year, this post is dedicated to you.  May you be the heroes driving revenue this season, and enjoy all the successes that you deserve!

What are you most grateful for when it comes to email?  Let me know in the comments.