What is an Electronic Direct Mail (EDM)?

EDM is an email marketing tool that establishes an email database of current and prospective customers.

Blasting EDMs? Yes this may sound very mundane and simple to most brands but do you know that there are SO much more to EDMs than just sending emails to a bunch of subscribers who may not even bother opening the mail. Even in 2020, Email is still a very powerful channel to engage with your brand’s current customer base and to evoke further interest among people who are already interested in your brand but have yet to explore it. It is an effective way to generate leads, nurture them and convert them into paying customers. Still not convinced? Take a look at the infographic below where the effectiveness of Email Marketing and Social Media are being compared:

It’s still not too late to explore the world of Email Marketing and to do it WELL! Let’s dive into some reasons for sending EDMs and why does it seem to work so well with consumers?

Here are three key reasons why:

#1: Forge Closer Bonds with your Customers

Since the content of each EDM can be customised to a certain persona profile that the recipient is in, it is a very effective way to convey the exact message and call-to-action. When done right, EDM is a good way to boost conversions (however you define a conversion in your business’s context).

Furthermore, sending EDMs gives you a great opportunity to learn the needs and pain points of your customers. You can therefore tweak your marketing efforts accordingly to better satisfy their needs and value-add to them.

#2: Cost-Effective Way of Marketing

Another reason as to why EDM is still effective in 2020 is because it is a cost-effective way to present your brand personality and tone to your target audience. Usually, the main cost involved would be to pay for the mailing platform that you subscribe to. Once you’ve got that settled, everything boils down to the way you write and present your content in the email. And your next question might be, ‘Why bother paying for a mailing platform when I can blast EDMs with a free account?’ Our reply is very simple, because there will probably be more template options available with a paid subscription, more useful insights and features for customisation and a larger database of audience that you can blast your EDM to. This is a worthy investment in the long run!

#3: Helps in Brand Recall

Last but not least, sending effective and consistent EDMs to your target audience helps them to gradually remember your brand. The beauty of email marketing via EDMs is that the content is sent right to the receiver’s inbox and if the subject line is compelling enough, the receiver would be tempted to open the EDM and read more. With a consistent effort in sending quality EDMs that resonate with your target audience and value-add to them, it helps them to remember your brand and notice your brand’s personality too.

Here are some tips to writing an EDM that people WANT to read:

#1: Succinct and Relevant Content

Be clear of the objective of the EDM right from the start. Make sure your content is well-structured and to the point. Stay focussed on the message that you wish to bring across and have a well-defined call-to-action.
Have a consumer-centric content so that your target audience can relate to it and be intrigued to read on at a glance.

#2: Targeted Content to a Specific Persona Profile

Segment your mailing list to better meet the specific needs of each of your target audience.
Make sure that your EDM value-adds to what they are looking for and not just something that is generic for everyone. Think in the perspective of the recipient and figure out a day of the week and the time of day to blast that EDM that will be the most relevant and enticing to them. The ‘best’ timing to send your EDMs varies according to the context of it. Some can be milestone-based. An example would be the EDMs for Nestlé Infant Nutrition (NIN), done by Mashwire. These EDMs provide tips for mothers consistently, at every part of their pregnancy journey, from being pregnant, to giving birth to raising the newborn into a toddler. Mashwire brought consumers closer to the brand and enabled the brand to resonate strongly with the consumers by curating targeted content for mothers at different aspects of their parenthood.

#3: Clean Design and Layout

Imagine checking your email after work and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to read something that is so lengthy and dull, right?
Ensure that your EDM is clean-looking, with sufficient white spaces and a reasonable font size and colour.
You may consider using more visuals and some infographics to spice things up a little and allow for ease of reading. Write short sentences instead of a long chunk of words to ensure that you bring the main message across.

#4: Mobile Responsiveness

Since more and more people are viewing their emails via Mobile, it is extremely important to ensure that your EDM has a strong responsiveness on various kinds of mobile devices.
Here are some tips for you:

1. Use a single column layout for your content to avoid having texts that are too condensed.
2. Use an appropriate font size and font design for ease of reading on a small mobile screen.
3. Include alt tags on pictures in your EDM for readers to know what the image is about while it is still loading.
4. Make the max-width attribute to 600 pixels so that your texts are optimised for desktop and mobile screens.

#5: Have a Clear Call-To-Action

Think about what exactly do you want your readers to do after they’ve read your EDM? Ensure that you have a clear button for readers to click and to lead them smoothly to whichever website you would want to take them to.

Here’s an example of an EDM that is personalised to its target audience (TA) which allows the brand to communicate and engage with them on a more intimate level. Spotify, a music streaming platform, made the recipient feel valued for using its platform by using the phrase “top listener”. Spotify also went on to make the recipient feel special by using the phase “be the first to get access”. The brand also used a call to action to conclude this EDM by recommending a song to users to listen on Spotify itself.

Not only is Email Marketing more useful to generate ROI than other marketing channels such as Social Media, its results are also very trackable and measurable, Therefore, it is easier to determine the effectiveness and success of an EDM which enables marketers to tweak their Email Marketing strategies accordingly to better resonate with their TA.

We hope that the few tips and statistics provided above will help you to realise the importance of Email Marketing and to guide you in crafting EDMs that your TA will truly want to read. Thank you for staying till here and feel free to contact us anytime to share your thoughts and experiences with Email Marketing, we are all ears!