In 2016, Convince & Convert published some very interesting stats on email marketing.
In an article titled “15 Email Statistics That Are Shaping the Future,” the author listed 15 stats presumably gleaned from a marketing panel.
Two stats worth mentioning are:
1. People who buy products marketed through email spend 138% more than people that do not receive email offers
2. 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email
Translation: sending emails to your list will generate more sales than NOT sending emails.
Assuming your emails are effective and of high quality — the more emails you send, the more sales you’ll get.
Based on my work with clients, I’ve found that there are two additional factors that amplify and multiply this outcome:
- Having high-quality subscribers on your list (i.e., those who would make great customers) and deleting all the tire-kickers, complainers, and whiners (whether they’re whining about your prices, or bothering your customer service with too much stupid shit)
- Growing your list full of high-quality subscribers (the bigger your list is, the more people you have to buy from you)
I SO believe in the power of the email list.
Although I don’t consider myself to be an “email marketer,” I write hundreds of emails for my clients every year. Not the spammy, crappy kind — but the kind where readers devour each word, buy the product, and forward the email to loved ones (and of course, reply to us saying, “This email is awesome; your product changed my life!”).
Why would you NOT create frequent, high-quality content for your list? Three reasons: ignorance, lack of commitment, and/or fear.
Ignorance = you don’t know how to create good email content that sells, and refuse to hire someone who knows how to do it well
Lack of commitment = you’re not committed enough to your own business growth and prefer to cling to your excuses
Fear = you’re terrified of what others will think of you if you start being more aggressive and offering your products for purchase.
I’m always astounded that so many businesses don’t send out nearly enough emails.
They’re doing everything else — posting on social media, going to trade shows, doing 1-on-1 demonstrations to potential customers… instead of contacting the very people who’ve already signed up their list, and/or already bought their products.
By refusing to maximize your email list, you might as well be telling the Universe, “I want to play small. I want to struggle financially. I don’t really want to grow.”
Universe is like, “Your wish is my command!”
(If that’s you, then you should probably unsubscribe from MY list right now… because I’ll never be able to help you. Your small thinking has already defeated you.)
Note: if your audience is comprised of the younger generation (under 25), consider Convert and Convince’s stat:
“Subscribers below age 25 prefer SMS to email.” That means substitute TEXT for email regarding everything I’ve stated above.
If you want to maximize your sales with email or text, reach out to me and let’s explore it.
Talk soon,
Michelle
Anti-Marketing Manifesto
P.S. BTW, sorry to be quoting a website called “Convince and Convert.” That’s a terrible name. I’m not a fan of “convincing” anyone of anything — I’m a fan of helping people make the best informed decisions for themselves (with zero pressure and zero convincing).
But those stats were so good, I had to share! Although the author was vague on what his source was, his numbers seem pretty accurate, based on my own experience as an Anti-Marketer.
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 