Authors: Melody Edwards, Creative Director & Tracey Hofmann, Marketing Communications Coordinator
Email, what would we do without you?
#RaytheonBBN
Back in 1965, an email system was used at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology called MAILBOX. The earliest email was a message that was placed in another user’s file directory for people using the same computer. The system was not attributed to any one founder.
In 1971, American computer programmer Raymond Tomlinson took it a step further. Tomlinson had the idea to allow one computer user to send emails to another user on a different computer via the same network (ARPAnet). He did so by developing a program that sandwiched the not-so-popular @ symbol in between the username and hostname. From out of the depths of obscurity the @ symbol came. Although Tomlinson’s first message was just a few letters and numbers, its impact was huge. Recognized as the “Father of Email,” Tomlinson was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2012 for this amazing contribution that has evolved over the years with the help of other innovators and changed the way the world communicates. More than 333.2 billion emails are sent per day according to recent EarthWeb data. That’s a lot of communicating!
Email marketing
Jump forward a few years to 1978, a gentleman by the name of Gary Thuerk, a Marketing Manager at Digital Equipment Corp in Boston, wanted to reach ARPAnet users on the west coast to invite them to see a demonstration. He decided to use email to do so. After crafting the invitation and adding close to 400 addresses from the ARPAnet directory, he sent the message and birthed email marketing. Although he got a little heat for his actions, it worked! The invite resulted in 40 people attending the event, which generated $12 million in sales. The email still exists today and Thuerk became the “Father of Spam” or, a more friendly term, the “Father of E-marketing.”
In the lead
According to a 2022 Constant Contact article, email marketing continues to outperform other digital marketing channels and boasts many advantages over traditional marketing channels. While TV and radio ads can be costly, email marketing has a reasonable price tag. Plus, marketers can reach a large number of subscribers and see the return on their investment.
RCG Custom-tailored e-blasts
Riggs Creative Group offers email marketing campaign services for business owners and organizations who want to reach existing and potential clients/supporters in this way but don’t have the time to do it themselves. Here is our 3-step process:
1. Uncover the purpose and strategy for your email marketing campaign
2. Design a customized template that highlights your brand and messaging
3. Choose the appropriate email automation system to fit your needs and finalize your design
Purpose & Strategy
When first approached to conduct an email marketing campaign for a client, we delve into purpose and strategy. Who are you trying to reach and what do you want them to learn about your business or organization? Do you simply want to stay in touch and at the forefront of your clients’ minds? Do you want to make them aware of new products, special offers, or events? Do you want to validate your hard work by sharing your successes? How about all of the above? A strategic and consistent email marketing plan can provide it all.
Custom-Design
Once the purpose of a particular email is determined, we collect assets like photos, videos, logos, taglines, testimonials… anything that tells your company’s story. Our graphic designers use software such as Photoshop or Illustrator to incorporate the assets into polished and professional initial designs, tweaking the style and look to your liking. Our copywriters assist by wordsmithing provided content or penning new content.
Email Automation Providers
If you don’t already have one as part of your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, we create an account through providers such as Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or MailerLite, email automation platforms that house campaigns and send out your custom-designed email messages. We move your approved design to one of these platforms, add content block links to drive traffic to your website, and upload optimally-sized images for online viewing. As our last step, we send an email test to be sure images are crisp, links are working and the overall strategic message is effectively conveyed.
Although email marketing gets a groan or an unsubscribe here or there, its overall benefit far outweighs the gripes. If you haven’t already taken advantage of this digital communication tool to grow your audience, you may want to consider doing so either on your own or with the help of a marketing firm. The stats don’t lie. EarthWeb data shows that 99% of email users check their inbox at least once a day. You have to admit, with those kinds of numbers, email marketing is where it’s @.
