June 10th, 2023
In today's digital landscape, where consumers are bombarded with a constant stream of advertisements.
You probably know about the power and importance of your email list, but you feel you aren’t using it to your full potential – if at all.
Your email list is one of your most powerful assets when it comes to driving engagement and sales. More than 376 billion emails are expected to be sent by 2025, clogging up inboxes more than ever before. Testimony to the power of email marketing as an effective and global marketing tool for increasing sales. Email isn’t going out of fashion any time soon.
However, as a sustainable business, you may worry if traditional sales funnels and incorporated email sequences are truly ethical. If you are concerned about how your sustainable brand will be perceived and if your practice will really live up to your promise, read on. There is a way to ensure that your email campaigns and content can drive you profit but also ensure you stay true to purpose.
The power of email marketing:
There is no doubt that email marketing has proven to be a highly effective channel for engaging customers and driving sales. According to a study by DMA, email marketing generates an impressive average ROI of £35.41 for every £1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available. Unlike traditional advertising, which often interrupts consumers' experiences, email marketing allows brands to connect directly with their audience in a personalized and less intrusive manner.
The impact of repetition:
Repetition plays a crucial role in influencing consumer behaviour. The Rule of 7 suggests that a customer needs to see or interact with a product or offer at least seven times before acting. This rule is often the philosophy behind (at least!) the number of emails in a targeted sequence before a customer is likely to make a purchase. Most email sequences start because of an engagement on another platform. This often takes the form of a discount code for email sign-up or another type of lead magnet. Thanks to GDPR, prospective leads must actively opt-in to your email list (and be given the continued option to unsubscribe) but on doing so, often have no idea what your email sequences may involve or quite how many emails they may end up receiving.
Intensive repetition is one of the key issues which may mean your email marketing is not truly sustainable. Constant badgering, sometimes multiple times a day, can not only alienate customers but it can also have an impact on their stress levels and wellbeing – particularly if the over-riding message every time is “you need this” / “buy this now” and “sale, sale, sale!”
Add in the impact on the climate of repeated emails and your email marketing may not be as aligned with your purpose as you think. In his book ‘How Bad are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything’ (2020), Mike Berners-Lee (yes, brother of Tim Berners-Lee, the founder of the Internet) puts the carbon emissions of a single email at between 0.03g and 26g. He further estimates that globally emails could account for as much as 150m tonnes CO2e in 2019, or about 0.3% of the world’s carbon footprint. That is based on around half of all emails sent being spam and the remainder being reasonably useful messages that took the sender 3 minutes to write* and the reader about 1 minute to read. On that basis, the average email usage is equivalent to driving a small petrol car for around 128 miles. [The Carbon Literacy Project]
4 points to remember for a purposeful and sustainable email sequence.
Email provides an excellent opportunity to guide customers through a journey, nurture relationships, and drive specific actions. When designing email purposeful and sustainable sequences, it's important to strike a balance between providing valuable content and promoting products or services for purpose.
Hello: Start with an engaging welcome email to set the tone and gradually introduce subscribers to your brand story, product features, customer testimonials, and crucially, support to live a sustainable lifestyle.
How are you? Not every email should include the ask to buy or another ‘limited time offer!’. (I know it’s hard to hear but too many brands are still doing this). Instead build trust by highlighting the value you provide beyond purchases to both the reader and the planet. Talk about your motivations, share concerns and highlight the good work you are doing in the world without asking people to buy.
Let's get to know one another: Inviting people to join you is another important point for sustainable brands. Stop readers feeling like you only want them for their money and give people the opportunity to opt-in to groups and communities, joining you in a sustainable partnership that isn’t totally dependent on their ability to buy.
See you soon! (But not too soon): Lastly, tone down the frequency of your emails – once a week is more than enough. Less really is more in this case – less stress for your customers and less carbon emissions. The aim is to be that ride-or-die friend who you may not hear from that often but whose conversation is always useful and who you have a strong relationship with. Less like that annoying acquaintance who pops up on your phone several times a day with nothing new to say.
However you decide to develop your email sequence, it is worth considering the footprint of your current strategy and how this is connecting your brand values. Email marketing is often heralded as the ultimate marketing tool and that’s not untrue, but it does carry some concerns if not sent sustainably.
Remembering the above 4 points can really help to keep your brand on track. It’s no good to keep sending multiple “Buy now!” emails and intersperse them with some ‘green’ content (sorry, but many brands are still doing this too!).
Instead weave sustainable messaging for the long-term wellbeing of all people and planet into ALL your copy and content, cut your carbon emissions and only hit Send with purpose.
(* disclaimer – I spend a lot longer than 3 minutes crafting your emails! Why? Because I am a human and I write for purpose, targeting your customer through careful research and strategy.)
