Interactive Seven 2009 Supplement - Marketing Week

MWIB_260209_p015 19/2/09 17:21 Page 15
INTERACTIVE EMAIL
Online activity can be recorded to see if there is an increase in website
visits and dwell time, and voucher redemption builds customer relationships
as the company gives something back to the consumer in
exchange for a slice of brand loyalty.
Email marketing has a long line of competitors across all channels,
not just the new-media sector. Social media, direct mail, mobile marketing
and SMS, for example, can all provide the same audience, although
their response rates can be more questionable. Research carried out by
email marketing solutions company Exact Target shows that 72% of
respondents would choose email as the channel of choice when receiving
promotional material from companies.
Across the channel
Jeremy Bedford, vice president of operations at marketing campaign
software vendor Neolane, suggests that email marketing conducted in
conjunction with other channels, such as direct mail and telemarketing,
can further increase response rates: “Cross-channel marketing, bringing
a combination of channels into play while keeping to a consistent
“Cross-channel
marketing... has a
reinforcing effect
that can deliver a
significant boost in
ROI overall. But it is
crucial that you
have a centralised
customer view that
is always up to date”
Jeremy Bedford,
Neolane
message, has a reinforcing effect
that can deliver a significant boost
in ROI overall. But it is crucial
that you have a centralised customer
view that is always up to
date with the latest interaction
received from any of the channels
employed.”
Respect the inbox
Ultimately, though, it is important
to remember that an inbox is still
a consumer’s personal space. Marketers
must take responsibility
for their code of practice when it
comes to email as in any other promotional
material
Listening to what clients want
to receive is key to optimising
any marketing campaign. Even
consumers that have signed up
to an opt-in list can become disgruntled
and disengaged if they
begin receiving content they did not agree to.
The DMA Email Marketing Council best practice guidelines show
that opt-out rates are far higher when you contact your customers (or
potential customers) every week. This would suggest that it’s far better
to mail consumers with a more appropriate email on fewer occasions.
Frequency of communication has a direct correlation with the perception
of marketing communications as spam.
Looking forward, e-marketers must think creatively to keep funding
in the email arena. Social networking, Web 2.0 and RSS are all being
hyped as rivals to email, but email still has a role to play alongside these.
Social networking, for example, heavily depends on email as an integral
link in connecting its members.
As long as new technology is embraced and email integrated as a
vital part, its relevance can only go from strength to strength. Future
investors must be educated about the assets of email, not just as a marketing
tool, but because of the opt-in subscriber-lists that it creates, the
relationships it can build and the revenue that, if utilised correctly, it
can generate.
Marketing Week Interactive 15