It is very difficult to find companies that are not aware of the increasing importance of online commerce. Consumers have more and more confidence to make purchases online, and this segment of the business continues to grow.
The figures for online commerce do not stop increasing and represent an increasing percentage of total sales.

The latest verified data published in Spain shows that electronic commerce had a turnover of 11,999 million euros in the second quarter of 2019. These are official figures published by the National Markets and Competition Commission, which show a growth of 28.6 % compared to the same period the previous year.

Added to this are the effects of the pandemic, which will foreseeably increase the percentage of online sales over the total.
The stores of non-essential products and services were closed during the confinement and afterwards have suffered various restrictions. Instead, it is always possible to buy online. The restrictions to buy on the street have generated new online consumers and has reinforced the habits of those who already were.

The growth of online commerce highlights the growing importance of digital marketing.

Companies continue to have a need: to communicate their products and services to as many potential customers as possible. However, to the traditional mechanisms, such as the mailbox or the gift of merchandising products, a new set of techniques is now joined that allow the use of communication technologies to reach the potential consumer through their mobile or your computer.

What is email marketing?

This is the essence of so-called email marketing, a direct online marketing technique that, if this asset is used correctly, can be very profitable for companies.

The definition is simple, and in a certain way, it might seem that it resembles the traditional mailbox: it consists of sending emails to the addresses of a contact database, usually with potential clients.

However, email marketing differs from mailing because it is not spam: the goal is always for the consumer to notice the email they receive. It is also about improving the image and, ultimately, selling the product or service.

This is achieved by taking care of the mail that is sent, personalizing it, creating segmented databases that allow fine-tuning with the content that is sent to each recipient, and tracking the emails. In short, doing the opposite of spam. We will return to this later.

What is email marketing for?

Social networks, online branding, Google Ads … Today there are endless techniques for online marketing.
Email marketing provides a differential element for several reasons: communication with the client is fast, direct and allows to offer an image of closeness.

In addition to these general characteristics, experts value this technique for the following reasons:

• It is profitable: if used properly, with a strategy that adds value, it offers a very high return. The recipients are interested in the product and can buy it.
• Show the brand and the product: sometimes, email marketing can reach potential customers who were unaware of the brand. But email marketing also allows you to offer new products to customers who already know it, and who trust it. In this way, it is a communication channel that, once opened, will bring the company closer to the customer. In this sense, newsletters are a very useful tool to recommend new products.
• It is accessible: unlike other online tools, email has a very high penetration in all sectors and ages. It is a tool that generates trust and that is already established.
• It is customizable: email allows you to address your audience directly and establish a direct communication channel without interference. In this sense, it is important that you personalize your email marketing strategies, for the reasons that we are going to explain below.

Email marketing is not spam

One of the great advantages of email marketing is that, with the indispensable help of a good database, it is a tool that allows you to reach a very large number of potential customers. But as we said before, this is also a danger: if you use email as spam, you will not achieve the expected benefits.

Therefore, it is important that you segment shipments and make selective use of databases. If the people who receive your emails have not previously requested it, you can generate an effect contrary to what you intend.

A good way to avoid this is to run your email marketing campaigns in a permission-based system. so that users can register voluntarily. Keep in mind that automated emails can create a bad brand image.

In any case, once you have designed a good campaign, it is recommended that you have an online marketing tool that allows you to maximize its benefits.