Why 2023 Will Be the Year of Email Marketing
Here’s what I’m predicting.
As a new year rolls around, there is a plethora of trend predictions and updated reports trickling out. (Some of my favorites are Well+Good’s Annual Wellness Trends report, Pinterest Predicts, and Forbes tends to put out a lot of great trend reporting articles this time of year.) But I’m also putting my stake in the ground. 2023, I’m predicting, with be the year many small businesses will focus on email marketing — or at the very least, start putting more of an emphasis on having an email strategy up and running.
2022 has us feeling drained from social media. Not to say social media is no longer important, but rather, many business owners are recognizing what a beast it is to feed — and that they’d rather allocate at least some of that energy towards content people will more likely see (*eh hem, email*). Side note: I saw a lot of entrepreneurs take a little social media this summer and over the holidays. And honestly, I love that.
Aside from my anecdotal experiences with clients wanting more email support, I wanted to dive into the numbers. Below are a few fun facts to help encourage you to send more emails in ‘23!
Most people check their email daily. And 30% check it 10 times a day or more. Basically, email is an oldie but it is definitely still a goodie as far as marketing platforms go for frequency of consumer consumption.
Email is still where the people are. 92% of adults in the US use email vs. 80% who use Instagram.
As a small business that needs to be mindful of where you spend your marketing dollars, I believe email marketing is one of the smartest channels to invest in. In 2022, the average ROI for $1 spent on email marketing was over $40 (Omnisend).
Consumers prefer it. I thought this stat was interesting: 61% of people say they prefer email as the way to be contacted by brands. As much as I like to see cute outfits and items I never thought I needed appear in my feed, personally, I am way more likely to click and shop from an email that I subscribed to than a social media ad.
IMO, email is a seriously great way to tell your brand story! Because emails go out over time, this communication channel allows you to build the story of your values, your style, and the flow of your business. To put a bow on this point, I'll share a little blurb from a recent Forbes article titled 3 Ways to Improve Your Marketing Strategy for 2023. Here's what I particularly liked:
"The most memorable ads and websites tell a story. Marketing strategies that integrate branding and storytelling instead of just promos and PR tend to make emotional connections. Brand stories and values inspire audiences and give them reasons other than a rock-bottom price to buy. Storytelling also humanizes a brand and builds customer relationships. It’s what differentiates a company from competitors offering similar solutions while appealing to a target market’s unique motivators.”
What about you, what are your feelings about sending out your emails? Will you be sending out more, less, or about the same this year?