How To Keep Spam Off The Menu When Implementing An Email Marketing Campaign

07/01/10

By Peter McCormick, co-founder and general manager, ExactTarget

This article offers advice to marketers on how to avoid their lovingly created campaigns ending up in the spam folder.

Email marketing continues to evolve. In the early 'send to many' days email marketers believed they had discovered the best way to reach customers. However, the realisation that the 'one size fits all' message doesn't work has led email marketers to re-think the strategy.

In a recent survey of 1,500 consumers commissioned by ExactTarget, 53% of marketers said that they believe that email marketing will be as effective in two years as it is...

...today, while some (35%) believe that it will be even more effective. However a significant amount of marketers are still struggling to address customers via the most effective channels. This uncertainty manifests itself in many modern email marketing campaigns, causing them to be less effective.

The good news is that marketers don't need a huge budget or advanced technology to field a great email campaign. What marketers do need is good planning, creativity, and above all, a respect for their list members; the essential individuals that have ticked the box for marketing.

Relevance
The internet is largely impersonal when it comes to business use as customers often receive a mass communication rather than an individually targeted message. With simple web analytic tools or purchase history data it is possible to track customers behaviour and make relevant incremental offers based on past customer engagement. This helps to engage customers, increases brand loyalty, and provides a cost-effective way of introducing new and relevant products.

Value
In the midst of the economic downturn many marketers have turned towards quick sales rather than investing in the development of long-term relationships with consumers. This strategy is largely flawed as bargain-savvy customers know that the... continued on page two >

 

 

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