Email marketing drives traffic to websites

Email marketing is a "very productive" method of driving traffic to business websites and building social communities, it has been claimed.

According to Britefire, it can also be used to reinforce customer loyalty, generate sales, expand a firm's market and grow brand awareness.

For these reasons, the firm claimed, email has always been the most-used application on the internet.

However, Britefire highlighted the need to include relevant and applicable content in emails.

The fact that spam messaging currently accounts for around 90 per cent of all content means this is essential, as messages will otherwise be ignored, the firm said.

Francesca James recently told advice website Fresh Business Thinking that interest in online marketing snowballed thanks to the success of email.

She claimed that even those who have not yet used the channel see it as being "the future" for their own marketing strategies.

"It's a key, if not the most important strand to any business's marketing strategy," Ms James added.

Written by Debra Hastings-Henry