Are you renting or owning?

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, consumer businesses (and b2b, to be fair) must navigate the shifting sands of social media algorithms and platform ownership. As a marketing manager, you’re likely to grapple with the instability that comes with relying on leased platforms for audience engagement. It’s time to stop renting your audience and start owning it through the power of email marketing.

The Perils of “Renting” Your Audience

When your brand’s visibility and customer relationships depend largely on social media platforms, you’re placing your marketing in the hands of third-party entities. These platforms can change their algorithms and policies overnight, significantly impacting your reach and engagement. Essentially, you’re renting space in a digital marketplace that someone else controls.

Unlike social platforms, email allows you to own your audience. Your email list is a proprietary asset that gives you direct access to your customers without intermediaries. This autonomy ensures that your communications are not subject to the whims of platform changes. With a robust email strategy, you can maintain a consistent line of communication with your audience, nurturing relationships over the long term.

Prioritise Data Accuracy

Start by ensuring that your email list is clean, up-to-date, and GDPR-compliant. Building a permission-based audience from reliable sources sets the foundation for sustainable performance.

Engage With Precision

Leverage behavioural and demographic insights to send personalised, relevant content. The more aligned your messaging is to user interests and intent, the better your engagement and conversion rates.

Expand Strategically

Use lookalike modelling or audience enrichment tools to expand your email reach based on high-performing customer profiles. This enables smarter acquisition without needing to reinvent your creative or messaging approach.

Bridge Email and Paid Media

Less than 3% of media purchased is informed by 1^st party data. As cookies become less reliable, your first-party email data can be used to improve targeting, suppression, and frequency control across paid media channels. This not only boosts efficiency but also ensures your campaigns are seen by the right people, at the right time.

Investing in an owned email strategy pays dividends in terms of both customer lifetime value (LTV) and return on investment (ROI). For instance, brands using esbconnect’s products have achieved up to 2.5x higher LTV and significant ROI improvements compared to conventional digital channels.

As you build and nurture your email data, you’re not just creating a communication channel; you’re developing a sustainable and scalable marketing asset that grows in value over time. This shift from renting to owning your audience transforms email into a cornerstone of your paid strategy, ensuring longevity and resilience in the face of digital change.