Here at ScanSource, we’re no strangers to sending emails. A good portion of you (we hope) currently subscribe to, and read, our email communications. So, it’s time we address the ominous question, “Is email dead?”

Before attempting an answer, we all need to consider what we want to achieve by sending emails. According to Hubspot, email is used with many different end goals in mind, including relationship building, brand awareness, content promotion, lead generation and nurturing, and product marketing. It’s important to keep these objectives in mind, as they should dictate your strategy on content, the database you choose, and the calls to action embedded within your email.

In an effort to provide helpful information, this blog offers insight on various email tactics and how to utilize them in your business (or any business). So, let’s dive in.

1. Use Case: Relationship Building
Relationship building is about creating a personalized message with your content delivery. That can be done through variable data using a prospect’s name in the subject line, targeting a prospect at the right stage in the funnel, or providing helpful content a prospect wanted to learn. For example, take this subject line from Adidas, “Sorry to hear about your Wi-Fi.” This email was sent as a follow-up to cart abandonment, being witty while highlighting the benefits of the product left behind.

2. Use Case: Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is central to your brand identity. It’s how you tell your brand story to prospects who might not be ready to make a purchase. By keeping your company top of mind, you ensure your brand is considered if/when a purchase is made. This example from Peloton does a good job of relaying purchase information while using a nice layout and subject line to motivate prospects to take action.

3. Use Case: Content Promotion
Of course, if your business takes time to create great content, you want to promote it to your audience. Email can be a fantastic way to do this. It also can be a good way to establish your brand as a subject-matter expert. This email from Framebridge is a prime example of content promotion done right. Instead of a product pitch, the company wrote an article titled, “How to Hang Your Art.” This type of content/email allows Framebridge to showcase its product throughout, without directly referencing it.

4. Use Case: Lead Generation and Nurturing
Generating and nurturing leads are arguably two of the most important aspects of a marketer’s job. When asking for someone’s personal information, you want to be sure you’re giving them something worthwhile—whether that’s an eBook, a subscription to marketing email communications, or more. A good lead-nurturing email will excite and educate your customers about your product or service, and how your company can help them. This example from The Showdown is well laid out and should keep leads engaging with the content. Also, who doesn’t want a sabbatical every seven years? (Read more for an explanation.)

5. Use Case: Product Marketing
Product marketing probably is the most commonly seen email use case. This one might seem straightforward, but in reality it can become complex because you want to ensure you’re promoting your products in an engaging way. One example that comes to mind is this email from Sonos. It has it all: a catchy subject line, a picture highlighting the issue Sonos can solve, and it’s light on copy. It does a great job of promoting the Sonos product by showcasing it as the answer to a common problem.

Those are five use cases to consider when deploying email. On average, email generates $38 for every dollar spent, which is a 3,800% return on investment. So, as you can see, email is very much alive and still very important to your business.

We leave you with this quote from Hubspot: “Each email subscriber is a real person. It’s time to treat them like one.” What great advice!

ScanSource and Cisco would love to help you become an email pro. Just contact our account marketing team to learn more.

And we enjoy hearing from you. If you have any questions—or just want to tell us if you plan to use some ideas from this blog—email me at gabby.giles@scansource.com. And be sure to check out our website for more valuable marketing content!