Does email marketing work in India?

More and more businesses than ever are looking for marketing methods and strategies that emotionally and authentically connect with the target audience and yield the right returns in the end.

One of the most common questions that I get asked by small business owner is: “Does email marketing work in India?”

It’s a fair question because the Indian market is as complex as it is varied: audiences are diverse, regional preferences matter, and trust forms the very backbone of considerations.

And while others may say that email marketing is just some of this old, retro stuff, I’m here to tell you that when done right, email marketing can be one of the most powerful tools to grow your business in India.

Let’s break it down to why email marketing will give your small business in India the scope of growth exponentially if it is delivered right.

Understanding the Indian Audience

The very first thing that comes into consideration is the understanding of the Indian audience.

Every small business owner must understand that Indian consumers are diverse and hence different from one another.

What may work in Delhi may not necessarily work in Lucknow.

The reason for this diversity is why email marketing is so effective when it segments its audience.

You have to segment your audience.

That is, break down your email list on certain characteristics like geography, language, behaviour, or even purchase history.

For example, sending the same email to someone in Bengaluru and someone in Delhi would not help you get what you want.

Each region in India has its language, its own culture, and sometimes even shopping behaviour.

So if you really want to engage your audience, you have to make your messaging talk to that individual.

Segmenting and targeting content will actually give you more chances of engagement and conversion rate increases.

So the next time you wonder, “Does email marketing work in India?”, remember that the key to success will be the fact of knowing exactly who you are talking to.

The Power of Regional Content

So if I put the golden rule for marketing in India into one sentence: Regional content is king.

When you connect with your audience, they are very likely to have a favourable response to your messages.

That is the reason why making email campaigns in multiple languages is so powerful for small business owners in India.

Another fascinating characteristic of the Indian market is linguistic diversity.

The ability to send an email campaign in Hindi to your North Indian customers while using Tamil or Malayalam for your South Indian audience is a game-changer.

Besides showing cultural sensitivity, it further displays that your business values every customer regardless of their location.

Localized content cannot be limited to just language.

It has to resonate with local festivals, regional trends, and even visuals that belong to some communities.

Let’s take an example: Consider an email campaign on the festival of Diwali.

How do you think a generic promotion is going to connect with an audience emotionally as opposed to one that is culturally rich and locally ‘owned’?

Building Trust Through Email Marketing

A very common question that I get from owners of small businesses is, “Does it work in India?”

My answer: it depends upon how you approach it.

Cold emails are always met with skepticism in a country like India where consumers are cautious about spam, so building trust is, therefore, the foundation of your email marketing strategy.

Delivering value before a sale is what makes cold emailing effective.

No one likes business messages full of promotional content.

That’s why you want to share valuable information or insights or resources that will help your audience solve a problem.

Now, by positioning your emails as a proactive first step rather than a pushy step, you’re slowly building trust.

And trust is the most valuable currency in business.

Well, cold email works in India too, of course only if the balance of value building and trust is maintained.

Timing is Everything

Timing is the best servant or worst master in terms of email marketing in India.

Knowing the cultural and economic calendar will win you the race as success in your campaigns will be the outcome.

India, being a festival-loving country, often finds major opportunities in festivals for its email marketing.

Take, for example, Diwali, perhaps one of the biggest shopping festivals in India.

Sending an email a week before Diwali talking about special offers or discount offers has a good chance of better engagement and conversion.

Similarly, you would want to take payday cycles into consideration.

Many Indian customers do their shopping towards the end of the month after receiving their salary.

Knowing the right time when most of the people would like to open and read your emails also comes under the category of timing.

Most people check their emails during early morning hours, between 10 A.M to 12 P.M, or late in the night.

There is a higher probability that e-mails sent during these time periods will have a higher open rate in comparison to the ones sent late at night.

A well-timed email can mean the difference between success and failure.

Mobile First Approach

So let’s talk about design, now that over 500 million Indians use a smartphone.

It’s very crucial to be mobile-first when it comes to email marketing; in fact, most Indian consumers will open your emails on a phone rather than in a desktop.

This means your emails will need to be mobile-friendly, clear visuals, less amount of texts, and simple layout navigation.

A poorly designed email, cluttered, or hard to read on a mobile phone is enough to lose you conversions within seconds.

On the other hand, a sleek, mobile-optimized design can keep readers hooked in for more action.

This further includes the optimization of any link, button, or call to action for easy access and clicks through any mobile device.

The smoother your user experience, the more you’ll create opportunities to turn those email opens into real sales.

Personalization

There cannot be a single aspect of any strong email marketing campaign more important than personalization.

Gone are the days when using emails with mass communications or any bland and uniform nature used to work.

Nowadays, consumers expect more customized communication, and this is particularly so about any Indian audience.

Its possibilities vary from salutations in the form of using names of subscribers to recommended products based on specific behavior patterns.

For instance, if a customer in Hyderabad has recently purchased a certain product, then you will be able to email them related products of interest to him/her.

Making your email more personal helps to show your customers you know what’s specific to them and what they need.

This raises even more chances of engagement and creates a tie between your brand and the target audience.

Helping, Not Selling

One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make when commencing on email marketing is getting too fixated on selling.

Here’s the truth: stop selling, and start helping.

The Indian consumer seeks businesses that add value to his life rather than those that provide a product for him to push.

For example, in an e-mail marketing campaign, “supporting” might involve sending them helpful tips or advice about your industry, or perhaps resourceful information that they can’t get access to anywhere else, or even some special treatment for being loyal customers.

You get long-term loyalty from customers, and you build brand trust if you focus on the former–helping.