Email marketing statistics run into lots of numbersWe’re only halfway through 2014, but there are already quite a few amazing email marketing statistics out there that demonstrate the staying power of email. Why do we need numbers to make the case? Most marketers realize that rumors of email marketing’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. But there are still skeptics – and this information proves that email continues to be a powerful tool in the hands of those who know how to use it.

These facts also make it clear that the days of batch and blast are long gone, and that in order to take advantage of the continued expansion of email and mobile usage around the world, it’s time to make absolutely sure that your email communications are personal, relevant, and highly targeted. Take a look at these 10 stats; you might get a few new ideas about how to better engage your prospects and customers.

  1. The number of email accounts is exploding: According to the Radicati Group, the number of worldwide email accounts is projected to grow from over 4.1 billion accounts in 2014 to over 5.2 billion accounts by the end of 2018. That’s almost 27% growth, to look past all those billions.
  2. Plus there’s an increase in the number of email users: Radicati also predicts that the total number of worldwide email users, including both business and consumer users, will increase from over 2.5 billion in 2014 to over 2.8 billion in 2018. That’s 12% growth.
  3. Mobile is making up a lot of that volume: A whopping 72% of US online adults send or receive personal emails via smartphone at least weekly, says Forrester.
  4. And it’s not just the United States. According to recent figures from eMarketer on mobile usage, by the end of 2014, 1.76 billion people worldwide will own and use smartphones every month, up more than 25% over 2013.
  5. Sometimes it feels like half of them are in your inbox: MarketingProfs says that 122,500,453,020 emails are sent every hour.
  6. But here’s a reason marketers keep hitting send: Email is almost 40 times better at acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter,McKinsey & Company found.
  7. It’s a stalwart, even in the face of social media: Econsultancy discovered that 66% of marketers rate email’s ability to deliver ROI as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, while only 41% feel the same way about social media marketing
  8. Because people actually like (targeted) email: A survey conducted by Harris Interactive found that people actually like emails based on previous shopping behaviors and preferences. In fact, 81% of US digital shoppers surveyed said they were at least somewhat likely to make additional purchases, either online or in a store, as a result of targeted emails.
  9. Email also creates new leads: 42% of businesses say email is one of their most effective lead generation channels. And for B2B marketers, 88% cite email as the most effective lead generation tactic, as reported by Circle Research.
  10. And it delivers great returns: MarketingSherpa found that companies sending over 100,000 emails per month see a 94% return on investment. They also found that companies sending under 100,000 emails per month see a 139% return.

So what are you going to do to fine-tune the results of your next marketing campaign? In addition to creating more targeted, relevant email messages, it’s important to leverage the power of marketing automation so you can integrate email with other channels more efficiently – and scale every campaign more effectively.

Learn more about Act-On solutions for email marketing, and find out how you can get the most value out of every message you send.

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