EDM Marketing: Everything You Need To Know

Within the digital marketing landscape, Electronic Digital Mail (EDM Marketing) is one of the most constructive ways to connect with your customers. However, it’s still a blurry word, and many marketers are curious to know more about it.

Not a problem! This article will round up all you need to know about EDM so that you can confidently integrate it into your marketing strategy.

What Is EDM Marketing?

EDM Marketing, or Electronic Direct Mail Marketing, involves promoting products to prospects who have opted-in via email. The strategy empowers businesses to target a large number of potential customers on various digital platforms, fostering relationships and driving sales via cross-channel marketing.

Although often confused with email marketing, what makes EDM marketing different is that it leverages multiple media channels such as text messages, PPC adverts, social media, remarketing, and more.

Benefits Of EDM Marketing For Businesses

Typically, EDM marketing benefits are similar to email marketing. However, since EDM leverages a multi-channel approach, it offers even more benefits than stand-alone email marketing. 

Here are some of it’s main benefits

Extensive reach

Per January 2022 statistics, in the US, 92% percent of the digital population reported using e-mails as a form of communication, followed by social media (83%) and other online messaging apps (67 %) of all U.S. users. It helps you leverage the benefits of email marketing and other online/offline platforms to reach your contacts.

Time And Cost-Efficient

Once your contact database is organized, you can send emails at a relatively low cost. In addition, captivating emails can easily be created by using email templates or having your in-house design team do so at far lower prices than traditional mailers.

Moreover, It lets you manage everything in-house without depending on delivery services to convey your message to your audiences.

Customization

As EDM marketing offers more touchpoints than email, providing businesses with more comprehensive customer insights. You can leverage the data to create more segmented and personalized subscriber lists and enhance personalization for a more enriching customer experience. 

Noteworthily, it is better to send out emails with targeted promos and offers that your audience will remember and appreciate instead of forcing them to skim through a sea of irrelevant emails. 

For instance, some communications may aim at inspiring potential clients to buy a product or service, while others are to provide valuable content to the reader. 

Suitable For Personalization

It comprises user-friendly personalization tools and features to add personalization to your campaign strategy. These aren’t typically found in conventional email marketing strategies.

For example, you can easily personalize the subject line and motivate opens or the main body of the message and increase clicks.

Drives Traffic

Since EDM marketing leverages multiple channels to deliver a brand’s marketing messages, it naturally gets noticed a lot more than when using a single channel. Done correctly, it can infuse curiosity among prospective customers, thereby driving more traffic to your online channels and increasing footfalls at your physical store.

Facilitates conversions

As it is implemented across targeted lists comprising interested audiences, it generates plenty of interest for your product, which will likely convert into a paying customer sometime in the future – if not instantly. 

Furthermore, EDM facilitates retargeting campaigns, which enables a higher conversion rate as your message reaches the right audiences at the right time. 

Improved Recognition And ROI

Since It uses multiple channels, more people will likely notice and recognize your brand while associating it with specific qualities. 

Likewise, though traditional email marketing still offers among the best ROI, with this, the combined benefits of different channels provide a significant return on investment. 

Build Trust And Loyalty

One of it’s most significant advantages is that it enables interaction with people who have opted-in to receive communication from you. 

For this reason, they will be more interested in hearing from you and engaging with your content. In addition, when you send your subscribers email content that provides them a benefit not offered by your competitors, they will look forward to emails from your company and not delete them.

 Thus it allows you to develop trust with your subscriber audience and eventually convert them into loyal, paying customers. 

Data Insights

EDM marketing offers valuable information by tracking and measuring outcomes. You can also understand how your audiences engage with your communications, the factors motivating their email opens, and their device. This makes it more convenient to try new strategies and track outcomes when integrating other digital marketing channels.

EDM Marketing Campaign Vs. Email Marketing

Many people often use EDM marketing and email marketing interchangeably. Nonetheless, explained below are some critical differences.

1) EDM marketing has gradation and performs at a more superior level. Firstly, it delivers marketing communication via email blasts (email batches sent out to large groups simultaneously). 

While email marketing involves sending a promotional or informational email to a list of targeted users, hoping it motivates a desired response – an EDM campaign is much more complex. 

The e-blasts are followed by retargeting ads to capture those recipients who have seen the email, supporting social media campaigns, and/or offline marketing in the form of billboards or print ads in magazines.

2) It incorporates a blend of different channels and marketing strategies, including remarketing, social media, pay-per-click advertising, offline advertising, and others. This way, conventional email marketing evolves into a more comprehensive campaign. 

3) EDM marketing is more dynamic than sending emails to potential customers. It straddles multiple channels and opportunities for interaction and leads. These additional channels include an online-offline mix comprising social media, SMS, printed material, and other communications to ensure the campaign engages the right audiences at the right place and time.

4) It facilitates a comprehensive marketing strategy. According to established marketing principles, a potential customer needs to view or listen to your marketing message for a minimum of seven times before they are motivated to act and purchase from you. 

An email marketing campaign enables sending emails, hoping they convert customers. However, It helps you attain those seven touchpoints through a marketing strategy that extends beyond simple email marketing.

EDM Marketing Use Cases

It is an advancement over email marketing and can be implemented wherever email marketing is used. 

As we have seen, it takes a minimum of 7 touchpoints usually before you can convert your email recipient to a customer who purchases your products. Therefore, you typically must identify your campaign goals and the desired customer response to confidently plan your strategy. 

Once you determine how to leverage it, you can reach your audience and showcase your products and services to them.

You can leverage the following forms of communication using this.

Newsletters:

EDM marketing enables you to keep up with the delivery schedules of your bulletins. These newsletters inform your audiences of your company updates and create more informed consumers. It also acquaints them with your brand culture and motivates a purchase action.

Newsletters can be in emails, flyers, and magazines through online and offline channels.

Welcome Emails:

Welcome Emails are sent to new users who have opted in, they contain vital information about your brand and product. Creating a good first impression with a suitable tone and rewarding your contact for signing up is essential – it will likely pave the way for a future sale.

Product Launches And Recommendations:

It helps you update your recipients about forthcoming launches they may be interested in purchasing. You can use email, print media, social media, and other channels to provide information about your newest launch.

Similarly, based on browsing behavior, you can learn what your customers are interested in purchasing. Then, sending product recommendation emails to them will make them appreciate that you understand their needs and thus promote loyalty.

Back-In-Stock Reminders:

EDM marketing can be used to remind a customer who was potentially interested in something that was out-of-stock but has now become available by sending back-in-stock emails. This will help motivate sales and also showcase your commitment to customer care.

Promotions And Special-Day Offers:

It helps you provide details of upcoming holiday sales and promo codes to your targeted audience through multiple channels. It also lets you remind them that now is the excellent time to buy a product they want.

Likewise, birthday/anniversary offers help enhance custom relationships through email personalization. Also, being a time when most shoppers have an extended budget, a generous birthday discount in time will inspire purchase.

Reminders:

Customers often get interrupted when browsing websites and forget to return and complete their purchase journey. Or they may have added it to the cart but not completed checkout.

EDM marketing ‘we miss you’ emails, abandoned cart reminder emails, and other reminders about sales and unused promo codes help attract customer attention again and lead to a potential sale.

When Should EDM Marketing Be Used?

EDM marketing essentially involves leveraging other marketing channels to build a comprehensive marketing strategy.

So, if you observe that your email marketing is not matching up to the expected results, it is advisable to implement an EDM campaign. 

You can begin by retargeting your subscribers who have clicked on your email links. 

However, one crucial criterion is having good quality lists of contacts interested in your product and brand communications. Therefore, at the outset, ensure your contacts database is cleaned, updated, and well-segmented.

5 Practical Tips To Create An EDM Marketing Campaign

Whether you’re familiar with EDM marketing or just getting started, these simple ways will help you craft a flexible, scalable EDM marketing campaign.

1) Optimize For Mobile

In a mobile-first world, the importance of optimizing EDM campaigns for mobile cannot be overstated. Here are 3 key steps to achieve this outcome:

Step 1: Understanding The Importance Of Mobile Optimization

• Recognize the Growing Prevalence of Mobile Users – With the increase in smartphone use, 47% of emails are now opened on mobile devices. Failing to optimize for mobile will result in losing a significant portion of your audience.
• Evaluate Current Mobile User Experience – If your emails don’t load properly, have broken links, or are difficult to read on a mobile device, it will impact the user experience. This could definitely lead to higher unsubscribe rates.
• Know Your Audience – Understanding your audience’s behavior, such as the devices they typically use, will help you tailor your mobile optimization strategy.

Step 2. Designing For Mobile

• Simplicity is Key – Mobile screens are smaller, so your design and content should be clear and concise. Use large fonts and buttons, and ensure that your key message and CTA can be understood at a glance.
• Use Responsive Design – Responsive design ensures that your email adjusts to the screen size it’s viewed on. Most email marketing platforms provide responsive templates.
• Test Your Design – Always test your user experiences on different devices and email clients. Ensure your design looks and functions as intended.

Step 3. Ensuring Easy Interaction For Mobile Users

• Clear and Easy-to-Click CTAs – The CTA is one of the essential parts of your email. For mobile, it should be easy to find and click.
• Limit the Use of Images – While visually appealing, too many images can increase load times. Optimize images for mobile, and consider the balance between text and visuals.
• Ensure Easy Navigation – If your EDM includes links to your website or app, ensure they are mobile-friendly.

Pitfalls To Avoid:

• Not using a responsive design
• Having too much text or overly complex designs
• Not testing on different devices
• Not optimizing landing pages and forms for mobile.

2) Profile Your Leads

Understanding how to gather and utilize data related to your leads and better segment and target your EDM campaigns for improved results is crucial. Key steps to implementing lead profiling include:

Step 1. Understand The Value Of Lead Profiling

• Importance of Personalization – Personalized EDMs significantly outperform generic ones. To personalize effectively, you need to understand your leads.
• Enhancing Customer Experience – By understanding your leads’ preferences, you can deliver more relevant content and create a better experience for your subscribers.
• Increasing Engagement and Conversion – Profiling leads allows you to send more targeted messages, which can increase engagement and conversion rates.

Step 2. Collect Lead Profiling Data

• Utilize Subscription Forms – When subscribers join your mailing list, use the form to ask for information such as their interests, job title, or location.
• Leverage Surveys – Periodically send survey emails to your subscribers to gather more in-depth information. Clearly communicate the value subscribers will get in return for completing the survey.
• Monitor Subscriber Behavior – Use tracking tools to understand how your subscribers interact with your emails and website. This can give insights into their interests and preferences.

Step 3. Utilizing Lead Profiling Data

• Segmenting Your Audience – Use the data collected to segment your audience into different groups based on shared characteristics or behaviors.
• Tailoring Content – Develop different content strategies for each segment to deliver the most relevant and engaging messages.
• Continuously Refine Profiles – Lead profiling isn’t a one-time thing. Continually update profiles based on new data and changes in behavior.

Pitfalls To Avoid:

• Not obtaining explicit consent before collecting any data
• Taking consent but not communicating how you will use this data.
• Failing to follow every relevant data protection laws, such as GDPR.
• Not auditing and updating your data security measures regularly.

3) Establish A Robust Landing Page For Your EDM Campaign

Here are some steps to create effective, conversion-optimized landing pages for your next EDM campaign:

Step 1. Designing A Landing Page That Complements Your EDM

• Consistent Branding – Ensure that your landing page aligns with the branding in your EDM for a seamless transition that builds trust.
• Match the Message – The landing page’s content should closely match the message and offer in your EDM to maintain consistency and meet the expectations of your audience.
• Focus on the Offer – Highlight the value proposition of your EDM campaign. Make it clear and compelling to encourage conversions.

Step 2. Critical Elements Of An Effective Landing Page

• Clear and Compelling Headline – The headline should immediately communicate your unique value proposition to keep the visitors’ attention.
• Concise and Persuasive Copy – Your content should quickly convince visitors of the benefits of your offer and motivate them to take action.
• Strong Call to Action – A clear, compelling CTA is critical for guiding visitors toward the desired action.

Step 3. Optimizing And Testing Your Landing Page

• Mobile Optimization – Like your EDM, your landing page should look and perform well on mobile devices.
• Fast Loading Times – A slow landing page can lead to a high bounce rate. Keep your page’s loading time to a minimum.
• A/B Testing – Regularly test different aspects of your landing page to understand what works best for your audience and continually improve performance.

Pitfalls To Avoid:

• Disconnect between the EDM and the landing page
• Not clearly stating the value proposition
• Slow loading times
• Neglecting mobile optimization

4) Set up Autoresponders

Here’s how to effectively set up autoresponders and learn various instances where autoresponders can enhance customer engagement.

Step1. Planning Your Autoresponder Strategy

• Identify Opportunities – Pinpoint moments in the customer journey where timely, automated communication can enhance engagement and move customers further down the funnel.
• Match Content with Triggers – Determine what content should be sent in response to each trigger. This should be relevant and beneficial to the recipient.
• Define Your Goals – What do you hope to achieve with each autoresponder email? This could be improving open rates, boosting conversions, or enhancing customer relationships.

Step 2. Setting Up Autoresponders

• Select an Email Platform Supporting Autoresponders – Your chosen email platform should offer robust autoresponder capabilities.
• Define Your Triggers – Triggers could be actions like opting into your list, making a purchase, or visiting certain pages on your website.
• Craft Your Automated Emails – Your automated emails should be well-written, relevant, and include a clear call to action.

Step 3. Opportunities For Using Autoresponders

• Welcome Emails – Automatically send a welcome email whenever a new subscriber opts into your list.
• Transactional Emails – These include order confirmations, shipping confirmations, and abandoned cart reminders.
• Special Occasion and Behavior-based Emails – Send birthday or anniversary greetings or emails recommending products based on a subscriber’s browsing behavior.

Q: How can I ensure that my autoresponders feel personal and not robotic?

A: You can do this by using the subscriber’s name, sending relevant content based on their behavior or preferences, and maintaining a friendly, conversational tone. Undoubtedly, making your interactions feel personal and human will lead to much better engagements.

5) Track Your Success

Here’s how to implement effective tracking strategies and use data to improve your EDM campaigns continuously:

Step 1: Establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) For Your EDM Campaign

• Understand Your Goals – Before measuring success, you need to define what success looks like for your EDM campaign. This could be increased website traffic, higher conversion rates, more sales, etc.
• Select Relevant KPIs – Based on your goals, select email KPIs that will effectively measure your campaign’s performance. This could include open rates, email click-through rates, conversion rates, or revenue generated.
• Set Benchmarks – Use industry standards and past campaign data, or set specific targets as benchmarks to evaluate your performance against.

Step 2. Implementing Effective Tracking Strategies

• Use Analytics Tools – Tools like Google Analytics or analytics provided by your email service provider can help track your campaign’s performance.
• Implement A/B Testing – This involves sending two slightly different versions of your EDM message to different audience segments to see which performs better.
• Test One Variable at a Time – To accurately determine which changes lead to improved results, only change one element at a time when A/B testing.

Step 3. Analyzing Results and Adjusting Your Strategy

• Regularly Review Your KPIs – Keep a close eye on your KPIs throughout the campaign to catch any issues early and to understand what’s working and what’s not.
• Understand Your Audience – Use the data you gather to understand your audience’s behavior and preferences better.
• Adjust Based on Results – Use the insights gained from tracking and analysis to refine and improve your EDM campaigns continuously.

How Large should my subscriber list be for effective A/B testing in an EDM campaign?

In general, you should aim for a sample size in the thousands to ensure your results are statistically valid. If your list is smaller, consider testing over multiple campaigns to accumulate more data.

Summary

EDM marketing involves a sustained and well-planned effort to provide customers with a unique brand experience that helps convert prospects into loyal customers. As a result, different industries can effectively use it to reach more subscribers.

Notably, both EDM marketing and email marketing work together to enable businesses to generate the right ROI and revenue. Its versatility allows it to straddle multiple marketing channels adapted to the business needs. 

If you’d like to take your marketing program ahead with expert guidance, contact our full service email marketing agency.

Our team will create a personalized EDM marketing strategy and help you fast-track your business objectives.