The Good, Better & Best in eMail Marketing

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Which category does your email marketing effort fall into?

Do you think you do a pretty good job, a good job or is your email marketing prowess the VERY best it can be?

The Nov. ’07 issue of Direct Magazine, included a roundtable discussion among some ESPs (email service providers).

The execs of Silverpop, Lyrsis, Responsys and StrongMail Systems weighed in on some of the biggest issues facing email marketers today.

These are the folks, who provide the systems we’re all using and who stay in constant contact with the ISPs … trying to adapt to their ever-changing rules.

 Here are some of the major issues discussed: 

• Deliverability

As Bill Nussey, CEO Silverpop, said, “Deliverability’s getting funky again.”He learned in his talks with ISPs, that they intend to really step up authentication over the next few quarters.  But, of course, to complicate things further, each ISP has a completely different technique and requirement.

So, the goal of these ESPs is to invest in the technology and implement the techniques for their email marketing clients.

Content

How important is content as it relates to the spam filters?  You’re probably among the 90% of email marketers who think it matters a lot, right?

But, all the studies show only a tiny amount of filtering is done on content nowadays.  What, then, is the BIG factor for spam filters?  The answer is … reputation. 

Ouch, that puts it right back on the email marketers’ shoulders, doesn’t it?  That means YOU!  The ESP vendors can ensure the technology side is as optimal as possible, but they insist they cannot ensure delivery when their clients (you and me) are responsible for variables, such as their list practices. 

So, how good is your list?  Is it a quality opted-in list from your own site?  Did you buy the list from a reputable 3^rd party, whose names asked to hear from companies like yours?

Whomever you email, make sure they want to hear from you and also that you speak as specifically to their wants/needs as possible.

Blow up your List

This refers to re-opting your list and getting rid of people on your list, who don’t respond.  And surely, you’re already purging those bounce-backs (bad addresses)!

Segment your List

This is mandatory for larger concerns, with huge lists, whose buying patterns are different.  For the most part, email ‘blasts’ are a thing of the past.

But for every email marketer, the watchword is about your reputation.

Every email marketer must be sensitive to your readers.  If you aren’t, and you talk to them in terms that are too general, they’ll just block you or get off your list. 

Keeping happy customers equals higher ROI.

Multi-Channel Integration

This notion was first employed by tying email marketing with direct mail … and the results were very good.

Taken a step further, now marketers are tying their web analytics and email systems together, rendering …

Behavior-based Targeting

No one doubts the intelligence and results of this sophisticated form of segmenting/marketing.  However, it’s too expensive right now, according to Silverpop’s Bill Nussey.

As more ESPs make this technology available in their toolbox, the more it’ll penetrate the market. 

As technology is being developed, some day we’ll be able to control real-time offers, based on what the visitor is doing on your site. 

This new, automated technology is being called, ‘offer management.’

Strategy

The experts think that email marketers need to spend more time on the strategy behind their message.

They also think there should be a more cohesive strategy to integrate this channel with others and to optimize the channel.

Adopt a Program Approach

This is more than a campaign.  The email execs said their most successful email marketers are the ones who’ve adopted a ‘life-cycle program approach.’

What this means is that you’d send out your initial campaign.  Then, you’d send another email to those who didn’t respond in a set timeframe.  And maybe even another.

Then, a print-on-demand piece would be sent out and some decision is made after that.

This is a program across the life cycle as opposed to an old school approach of:  Target segment, infer results and target segment again.

So, whether you’re just doing a pretty good job, a good job or a great job with your email marketing efforts, chances are very good that new technology will soon be allowing for more and more targeted, timely email communications.

Here’s to the continued evolution of email marketing!

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