Direct Emailing making a comeback in 2021

Invented in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, email was one of the first digital long-distance communication channel. It came to use roughly a little more than 20 years before the first social media platform, SixDegrees.com.

Every year, with the creation of more apps and platforms allowing people to communicate, we find ourselves thinking that people will cease to use emails; that companies would rather try to reach their clients through their social media profiles where they are way more active or that customers would contact their supplier via their website or whichever digital channel they have setup and the list goes on.

And why not? We have noticed that response rates from customers are higher when campaigns are done on social media pages. There are ongoing discussions on the campaigns; whether they are positive or negative sentiments.

Well, despite all the new channels being created and some becoming more popular as the days go by, emails have stuck and have lately been used quite more than usual. I guess that it goes without saying that this most likely linked to COVID and its friends: confinement, quarantine and remote work.

People being estranged and not being able to socialize, but instead being bombarded with webinars and zoom meetings, they started craving a personal touch in the way companies reach out to them. A personal touch that programmatic ads on web pages or social media platforms cannot provide. Marketers look to connect on a more personal level with their clients since they cannot go on face-to-face meetings as they usually do.

Emails used on a one-to-one basis (B2C) or used for email campaigns can be personalized. A name mentioned here and there, personalized content targeted to the right audience, an approach considerably more personal than a general ad campaign.

Marketers! The opportunity to make an impression on your customers is right in front of you. With most companies trying to reach their customers via social platforms, you have considerably less competition via email. Clean your databases while users are active, segment your lists and get to your keyboards!