The Best, Proven Marketing Tactic for Interior Designers, Stagers & Organizers
Guys, the marketing landscape is shifting. I started to feel it personally in late 2022 when I all but stopped using social media for my business. After that, my own business continued to grow by way of new clients, opportunities, and brand sponsorships all without social media. It felt weird and it was honestly just a test. (In case you're wondering, I now only post an old-fashioned image and caption on Facebook and Instagram once or twice per week.)
My test, which I affectionately dubbed "I'm tired of posting," was effective and the results are in. Even though I run a completely online business and have a target client (you!) who regularly uses social media to make buying decisions, it turns out that I don't need social media to grow my revenue. This fact was further verified when I looked at where my leads were coming from: firstly, my podcast; secondly, word-of-mouth (by way of Facebook groups, industry associations, and client referrals).
After I digested this epiphany, the following message landed in my inbox from one of the best Instagram strategy companies I've ever worked with:
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to...get exposure organically; the competitiveness of Instagram has reached new heights as everyone has realized the value of activity."
— Gram Butler, the owner of mega Instagram accounts totaling 16 million followers
Did you catch that? It has become increasingly difficult to get noticed on social media. That doesn't mean it's just hard to get clients from it. It's even worse than that: It's hard to freaking get NOTICED.
And suddenly I am overjoyed, delighted, and feeling validated because my business doesn't rely on social media for growth. I feel like the oddity because so many of my own colleagues are still all about that 'gram and TikTok.
Then, another piece of news landed in my little universe: Meta (the owner of Facebook and Instagram) is losing money year over year and, in late 2022, they had to fire over 20,000 employees. Meta continues its app battle with TikTok, and business owners like you and me are caught in the crossfire.
Wildly successful social media company Gram Butler has stated point-blank that the best way to get noticed on Instagram is to create more video content (spend more time) and run ads (spend more money). Why? Because Meta needs your cash, yo! Your relationship with them is purely transactional, and they need you to create more content so that they can compete with TikTok.
What part of this whole scenario serves YOU, the business owner? None of it.
What does all of this mean? It means the marketing landscape is already shifting and the social media craze is fading. (I never thought I'd say that...)
If social media is losing its place as king of the marketing hill, who or what is reigning supreme instead? If you've listened to my podcast for a while, you probably already know the answer: Email marketing.
But before you think, "Kate is just going on another rant," you need to know one more thing...
There is a brand named Oatly. Maybe you've heard of them. Apparently, they make oat milk. I have no idea if their oat milk is good, but I do know this:
Oatly rented billboards throughout New York City (and the world, apparently) to promote — not their oat milk — but their email newsletter. Their free, freakin' email newsletter. How expensive is it to rent just one billboard in New York City, you wonder? According to Google, the investment is anywhere from $3,000 to $20,000 per month.
This raises so many questions, including:
Why are they promoting their newsletter more than their products?
Why are they using offline methods to get newsletter sign-ups? Their lead magnet is a literal billboard. My marketing brain can't handle this, and I love it.
Why aren't they at least using these billboards to promote their social accounts, too?
Hmm. Maybe the tides really are turning.
In this blog post, I'm sharing both the expected — and the shocking — information about email marketing that will directly impact how you get new clients in 2023 and beyond. (I would also like to note that the data I provided in this post was sent to me personally by a contact at Tidio. They aren't paying me to talk about them, but I want to give them all the credit for putting together comprehensive information about email marketing that is actually EASY to understand. Kudos, Tidio!)
The Best, Proven Marketing Tactic for Interior Designers, Stagers & Organizers
If you're asking whether email marketing is still useful in 2023, you're asking the wrong question. The correct question to ask is, "Why didn't I start using email marketing sooner?"
To clarify, email marketing is defined as sending a newsletter, creating an automated email sequence, or sending out mass emails for other reasons. The data I'm sharing with you today applies whether you sell services or products. Both are successfully sold via email marketing.
Let's just get into it, shall we?
And the winner is...
Mailchimp is still regarded as the best email marketing platform in the world; fan favorites such as Flodesk, unfortunately, didn't even make it to the top 10. (But it's still pretty!)
The truth of it is that Mailchimp has more functionality and more native integrations, meaning it can talk to the other business tools you use at a lower cost, saving you both time and money. This is why my agency and most of our clients use Mailchimp.
Email Marketing ROI
Email marketing provides the biggest ROI compared to all other digital marketing channels. Current data shows that email marketing generates $36 for every $1 spent. By comparison, if you spend $1 on a Google Ad, you'll make around $8 — buying ads is over 75% LESS profitable than email.
You aren't the only business owner who knows this. In fact, 37% of businesses are increasing their email marketing focus this year. But that isn't even the best part. Are you ready for it? Okay, here it is: Over 80% of small-to-medium-sized businesses say that email marketing is the main way they both attract and retain clients (both B2B and B2C).
Social media comes in second place, but not in the way you'd expect. According to my sources at Tidio, even though social media marketing ranks second highest for effectiveness, over twice as many Millennials prefer to receive updates from businesses via email than social media.
The final verdict? I'll quote my data source directly: "Spread your company name on social media platforms via posts and ads to collect leads and gain more email subscribers for your campaign automation. But keep the majority of your communication on email."
Did you catch that? Use social media to further your email marketing, because you won't get clients from social media like you will from email.
Wowzers, I (finally) no longer feel like the minority here.
How to know if your own email marketing is working...
If you send an email newsletter once or twice a month, you'll want to keep track of just a few things:
How many people are opening your email? The average open rate on a regular email newsletter is 19-22% for the design, construction, and professional services industries; if your open rate is within or above this range, you're doing great. If your open rate is below 19%, here are some things you can do to fix it.
How many people are clicking links in your email? (This isn't very important since the primary goal of a newsletter is for them to hit "reply" versus clicking away somewhere else.)
How many people are unsubscribing? It's normal for a few people to unsubscribe every time you send a newsletter (happens to me without fail every month). If people are unsubscribing in big waves, it's worth looking into why.
Email marketing tips for getting new clients...
Open rates are highest on Tuesdays, but you can also send successfully on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Avoid sending on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Welcome emails have around 86% open rates. A welcome email is an automatic greeting that is sent to anyone who signs up for your lead magnet.
Create your contact list ethically. Don't buy a list of email addresses. Instead, add your friends, family, past clients, and leads to Mailchimp.
Send no more than two emails per month to the same list. In fact, one email per contact list per month is best. Don't err on the other extreme either by emailing infrequently. Monthly is the sweet spot.
Get a Marketing Calendar Specific to the Home Industry
I could tell you all day long to send an email newsletter, but what if you don't know how to do that? Or you don't know what to say? Or you don't have a lead magnet?
You could be really stressed out about this, or you could get my marketing calendar for home pros here. Your choice. 😉
Resources
All infographics and data courtesy of Tideo Email Marketing Stats & Data Library
