One of these days I gave up on taking a plane to New York. Actually, every beginning of January, for years, I give up on taking a plane to New York. Just as sure as every beginning of December, I plan to get him in January. NRF. National Retail Federation The big global retail fair.
It's school holiday season, and I always prioritize family, sun, and heat. But that doesn't stop me from reading, watching, and listening to the trends that arrive fresh from the Big Apple. This year, I was especially drawn to the #boravarejo podcast by Alfredo Soares with Mariano Gomide, co-CEO of Vtex. The guy gave a lesson on entrepreneurship, retail, management, and e-commerce in 40 minutes. And about NY.
But I ended up fixating on a point. What aligns with the new phase of my company, especially post-pandemic. Mariano spoke about the importance of brands having some form of direct communication with their audience, with their base. In recent years, we have observed the increase in the cost of advertising on big tech companies, especially Google and Meta. An increasing challenge for digital marketers is generating leads on these major communication platforms. It's difficult to convert organically, but even more so paid.
Meanwhile, social media algorithms have evolved significantly during this period, and it is a fact that platforms deliver less and less content to the brand's followers. It is also becoming increasingly difficult to generate engagement. Mariano spoke about the imperative need for brands to communicate directly with their consumers, without intermediaries. The others present in the studio joined in chorus. They also emphasized the importance of the frequency of communication.
There are basically three ways a company can communicate directly with its audience. Phone, direct message, email. I won't waste time with the phone which, although still widely used and moderately effective for telemarketing, is certainly not suitable for such frequent and non-intrusive communication. Yes, the company needs to communicate several times a week, but without invading or bothering your lead/customer/prospect.
Then we move on to the direct messages. SMS, WhatsApp, and direct messages on social networks. If WhatsApp established itself during the pandemic as a direct sales channel, and it is indeed surprising how effective this channel is for the moment of purchase (this was highly emphasized by Alfredo Soares after NRF in São Paulo), it certainly is not suitable for the day-to-day communication between the brand and its consumer. It also becomes invasive in this way.
We have reached the ugly duckling of digital communication, the "uncle sukita" of the internet, the old, boring, and slow email. Deception. Email never died; and email marketing not only didn't die with it but also grew significantly alongside the growth of e-commerce and this post-pandemic world. He is the perfect bridge your company might be missing. Of all the methods above, it is the cheapest. But more than that is the most effective.
With the evolution of digital marketing automation, it is now possible to create relationship workflows with a database that will communicate according to the consumer's behavior. And the great thing (pardon the pun) is that email is the central communication, but it is also automated with SMS and WhatsApp. All integrated.
If your website visitor abandons the shopping cart, they receive an email; if they visit your store, they receive a welcome email. On your birthday? An email. Did he buy it? How about a WhatsApp with cashback? If he clicked on the site's blog, maybe an email with more content? Alright, a direct communication between the brand and the audience has been established. It does not depend on an algorithm, but on the brand's own work. She represents the brand's own vehicle. Through it, the company can also exponentially increase its database, enriching it and thus generating even more accurate automations.
Email marketing remains the highest ROI (return on investment) in digital in the US and UK, and here in Brazil, it is one of the most effective media for e-commerce, according to experts like Rafael Kiso.
And your company? Are you already using this bridge or are you at the mercy of the turbulent waters of the powerful big techs?
