Despite an infatuation some marketers may have with new channels, email has proven time and time again that it’s still got it. It’s still the one channel that can be relied upon consistently for generating new leads, increasing conversions, and deepening customer relationships. From my perspective, here are five reasons marketers still love email.

1. Email delivers unbeatable ROI. When it comes to Return on Investment (ROI), email is a force that can’t be denied, generating $44 for every $1 spent (Campaign Monitor). If that’s not enough to win you over, email is 40X more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined (McKinsey).

2. Email is everywhere and (almost) everyone has it. There are 3.9 billion active email users, with reports indicating 92% of internet users have at least one email account. Email is ubiquitous, crossing age, gender, demographics, and regions. Even when you look at the “lowest-use” age group, individuals 65 and older, as many as 85.5% have an email account, according to Statista. An email address is needed to sign up for most services, including social media accounts, and studies show 99% of users check their email every day (HubSpot).

3. Email is personal and targeted. Email is more than a communications channel: it is a personal form of identification. People may have multiple email accounts -- personal, business, hobby -- but most accounts are only accessed by one person, meaning when you send an email you have a greater chance it is received by the intended person compared to marketing aimed at a specific device, which may be shared by multiple users.

With just two data points — email address and first name — email can be personalized, and studies show that personalized emails have 29% higher open rates, 41% higher unique click rates and six times higher transaction rates compared to non-personalized emails. Segmentation offers deeper personalization, delivering relevant messages based on geographic location or demographics; those who have downloaded content or clicked specific links; interests as gathered from surveys or quizzes; purchase history and more. By narrowing your focus and sending targeted messages to specific groups across your email lists, as well as by performing A/B testing, your campaigns will be timelier and more relevant – and get better results. Additionally, as you learn more about your customers you can pursue new prospect data that “looks like” your ideal customer through a process called audience mirroring.

4. Email powers lead generation. Recent B2B marketing benchmark data shows email delivers the highest ROI when it comes to uncovering leads. Half of marketers put email in their top three lead generation channels and email tops the list of techniques most valuable for lead nurturing. Similarly, Content Marketing Institute reports 85% of those active in email use it primarily for lead generation and 78% for nurturing.

5. Email is adaptable. While it’s been around for decades, email easily adapts to new consumer preferences like mobile optimization and video embedding. Additionally, cutting-edge email trends and technology, like intent monitoring, which captures and analyzes buyers’ online activities to uncover purchase intent signals, are significantly bolstering campaign results to reach the right audience at the right time.

Despite rumors that marketers are breaking up with email, this relationship is stronger than ever. Of course, I may be biased since OMI specializes in email acquisition campaigns and the data that fuels it. But preferences aside, email offers the ability to segment, narrow down targets and personalize in a way that is real, relevant and generates strong ROI. What more could you want from your marketing this Valentine’s Day?

Outward Media’s proven data cleansing services and targeted, accurate email data can enable you to achieve better email marketing ROI and, ultimately, convert more prospects into customers. Take a look at our video tutorials to find out how you can optimize your acquisition email marketing initiatives.