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The key concerns facing email marketing practitioners

Email is used heavily in both B2B and B2C markets. The medium has obvious advantages- immediate, cost effective, real-time tracking and quick feedback loops for testing. The benefits are well documented, but this only tells half the story. UK email practitioners are facing difficult challenges when trying to manage an email program.

Adestra have conducted a survey of 65 UK based email practitioners to discover what the main challenges are that are facing them today. The results make interesting reading, with participants readily recognising that they could improve their email program.

In this article we provide a detailed summary of the main findings and Adestra�s suggestions of how you can address them. We also look to the US. A more advanced email market than the UK, a recent Marketing Sherpa study has provided insight into the challenges facing US marketers. Despite a more advanced email market, the challenges described are similar to those facing UK experiences showing that all email practitioners across the globe are facing similar challenges

Survey reveals challenges facing UK email marketing practitioners

Published in June 2005 as part of the preparation for the Adestra email marketing clinc at the Online Marketing Show, Adestra have just conducted a survey of UK marketers to understand their challenges:

Methodology of the email marketing survey The survey canvassed 65 UK based marketers to investigate what they believe are the main challenges facing them within their email marketing. Both B2B and B2C companies participated including companies such as Ford Motor Company, Coors Brewers, Prudential, Investec Asset Management, RAC, Future Publishing Ltd, Cotton Traders and Reed Business Information. Findings of the email marketing survey

• 34% of B2B and 29% of B2C marketers in the sample agree that the growing, cleaning and management of their email contact database is the aspect of their email marketing program that they could improve most

 

• When considering what �hot topics� marketers wanted to learn more about to improve their email marketing, both B2B and B2C marketers voted for the same aspects:

 

•  Deliverability: ensuring messages get to inboxes

    

• Message design: optimised design and lay-out of messages

    

• The future for email: new emerging technologies within email marketing e.g. rich media

 

 

• B2B marketers want to learn more about best practice lead generation email programs whereas B2C marketers prefer to discover more about eZine newsletters.

  

• 4 out of 5 respondents in the sample plan to use email marketing more in 2006.

  

Adestra recommendations for addressing challenges

• Email Database Hygiene:

• Acquisition: make data capture vehicles work- see our 5 ways to get better data quality at point of collection for your email marketing program article for suggestions how

  

• Segmentation: Ensure you have enough information about each records to select only relevant names for your communications. Badly targeted messages mean more unsubscribes. Within Adestra�s Message Focus, you are able to segment by demographic and behaviour.

  

• �Update my details�: Adestra recommend that every email you send links back to a form for recipients to "updating my details". Even with no incentive, our experience across a number of clients reveals that for every campaign, a small number of people always update their details. When multiplied over all your communications, this becomes a cost effective method of cleaning your database- much cheaper than using the telephone! Adestra have worked with individual clients to set these up, often pre-filling the form to increase response.

  

• Feedback: Every campaign broadcast through Adestra�s Message Focus automatically suppresses unsubscribe requests and hard bounces (for more information on bounces, please see our "How clean is your email marketing contact database?" article). This allows you to understand how many active records you have in real-time.

  

• Monitor: Use reporting to constantly understand how many records on your database have all the fields you require- some may be missing job titles etc. Consider running extra campaigns to encourage people to provide you with the extra fields you are missing

  

• Learning more about deliverability, spam and the future for email

  

•  Adestra Updates (our very own newsletter)

    

•  Osborne Clark�s Marketing law - www.marketinglaw.co.uk

     

• e-Consultancy - www.e-consultancy.com

    

• Email Sherpa - www.emailsherpa.com

• Learning from eZine Newsletters and Lead Generation campaigns

Amongst this wealth of information, there may be a case study that is relevant to your role and organisation. Adestra recommend you work with an email marketing agency who can draw from their experience of working with many different email players to provide best practice and ideas from improvement continuusly. Often, the best ideas come from places you�d never expect and using an agency such as Adestra allows you to find them!

 

• Use of email will increase in 2006

The view from across the pond

A recent Marketing Sherpa study revealed that most US marketers perceive that they are faced with significant challenges when managing their email program. Surprisingly, these challenges are not entirely in the planning and management of devising and managing an email marketing program. Instead, it is problems born out of office politics a result of the importance to the organisation of the email channel. Major battles include:

  

• Frequency caps on sending: How often is too often?

  

• Management education: The challenges ensuring senior management do not perceive email programs as a �cheap� alternative. Allocating appropriate resource rather than re-using people and content is essential to ensure optimisation. Adding to this the need for a mindset shift from a �its cheap so lets just keep doing it� to a �direct marketing� paradigm where testing, measurement and improvement techniques are used is a considerable challenge.

  

• Multiple database managers: Ensuring both compliance and the collation of email names from across the business to support a coherent and legal email program

More information about our email marketing broadcast services

Adestra provide welcome tactical advice and input on our client�s email marketing program.

Adestras Message Focus

Adestra have a proven track record in providing email marketing tools, technology, strategy and support for a number of large corporate players. From product delivery for large publishers through to tactical direct response promotions for travel providers, all clients always benefit from the shared best practice and knowledge our team have gained working within email marketing since 2000.

Free email marketing white paper

Adestra have produced a white paper on the challenges that today�s UK email marketers are facing when trying to implement their email marketing program The research is based upon a survey of 65 marketers before the show, discussions with over 170 contacts during the show and our ongoing dialogues with our clients. It includes Adestra�s suggestions on how you can overcome challenges including:

  

•  Improving data management: email contacts and feedback loops

    

•  Find relevant case studies to learn from

    

• Sifting all the data from your email campaigns to find actionable information

    

• Overcoming the office politics associated with email marketing

To receive a free copy of this white paper, please contact us and state Email Marketing Whitepaper within the Further Information section of the Adestra web site (www.adestra.co.uk).

Every morning I get a great workout. Of course, it is only my index finger that is receiving the benefits of that workout � deleting spam and unwanted emails from my inbox. Just like you, each morning I am deluged with dozens of unsolicited emails.

Of course, in my opinion, I think that society makes more out of spam than it needs to. It takes all of a minute or so to delete those unwanted spam emails. Before the Internet, we all received �spam� in our mailboxes at home. But Congress doesn�t seem as concerned about that. To me, it�s easier to press delete a few times than it is to clutter my garbage cans and our landfills with junk mail. But that�s another article for another day.

In reality, many people today find unsolicited emails extremely irksome. And because of that, your legitimate email marketing is going to be scrutinized and given only a second or two before it is trashed or opened. This article is designed to help you create an email, whether a newsletter, promotion, or just a marketing message, that has a better chance of being read, than being dead.

We�ve been bombarded with so much Spam, that most of it is easy to spot with just a glance at the subject. �Impress your wife� = Spam. �Mortgage rates at all time low� = Spam. �Viagra by the truckload� = Spam. Those are the easy ones.

But your email communications aren�t spam. If the email marketing or newsletter is done right, it contains targeted, quality content that is useful to the recipients. The problem is, they won�t know that your email is not spam until they open it up and read it. And as ridiculous as it may seem, when it comes to email communications, you are usually guilty before proven innocent. In order for your prospects to read your valuable content, you have one or two seconds to scream, �Wait!!! Don�t delete me! I have something great to say! I�m not Sp�..�

DELETE.

Email spam is defined as any email that is not requested. In this literal sense of the definition, 99% of all emails are spam. Think about it. How many times do you call your boss just to give her a head�s up that you will be sending an email. Spammers have taken one of the best means of marketing ever created and turned it into a tool which many are afraid to touch. And likewise the spam-fearers have over-reacted. The result is an email that must past several tests before it dodges the delete key, gets opened and read. The following tests will help more of your emails get the response they deserve.

1. Avoid Spam-Alert Words

You know the big ones, like, er, um, �big ones�. And �free�, �offer�, �special�, �limited time�. You see any of these words in the subject, and your spam sensor is alerted and your finger is poised to delete.

Those are the obvious ones. To combat this, I�ve read a few articles that suggest using synonyms and close alternatives to these words. Will this work? Yes and no. Yes, you may be able to circumvent the �Spam-blockers� that your recipients may have. But, even if it those words escape the spam-blockers, human eyes are even tougher. They�ll see the words �No cost� as the same as �free� and immediately throw up a red flag. Delete.

Don�t try to beat the system with similar words. You need your customer to trust that your email communication has nothing to do with spam. To do that, your subject should be void of any words that are similar to spam words.

2. Avoid Using the Recipient�s Name in the Subject

Four years ago, the latest trend in email marketing was to use your recipient�s name in the subject line. Such as, �Don�t be the last one to get one of these, Warren.� Four years ago, Warren may have gotten excited about seeing his name in print, and he may have assumed that the email must be important if they knew his name.

Not the case today. If he saw his name in the subject line today, Warren would see it as common trickery that many Spammers partake in. He quickly presses Delete before going to floss (Warren has always taken great care of his teeth) If you did want to use their name, and the customer did opt-in to your newsletter, then use their name sparingly in the body of the email. But using it their name in the subject throws up another red flag.

3. No punctuation, Excessive capitalization, Symbols, etc.

Again, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is, and will be deleted. Certainly you are excited about your promotion or articles, and that should shine through in the body copy of the email. The better the offer is, the more important it is to make sure you do not go overboard in the subject. Remember that among the least effective email campaigns are the ones that state that the recipient is already a winner. Delete.

4. First Things First.

I constantly see email newsletters that mention an article or promotion in the subject. Yet after scanning the entire newsletter, I either find the article hanging out near the bottom, or I can�t find it at all.

The subject isn�t just an attention-getter, it needs to flow seamlessly into the newsletter. If your subject mentions a new way to lose weight, that article needs to be front and center when the recipient opens the newsletter. If it�s not there, most recipients won�t hunt for it. Rather they�ll consider it a ploy to get them to open the newsletter � Delete.

Think about how Old Navy conducts their �Item of the Week� promotion. They advertise a clothing item at a reduced price. So when you walk into the store, the promoted clothing item is the first thing you see � you can�t miss it. Make sure that your first priority promotion or article is the first thing your recipient sees.

5. Targeted Subject

Let your recipients know immediately that the newsletter was meant for their eyes. Not by using their name, but by featuring their industry or interest in the subject line.

As an example, I get several email newsletters and articles each day, most of which are related to marketing, design or business. If I see a newsletter with the word marketing in the subject, I�m either reading it right then, or saving it to read later. On the other side of the coin, if I get a marketing-type newsletter that mentions nothing about marketing, I may or may not open it.

Remember, you�ve got only a couple of seconds to make your case and get your recipient to open the newsletter. Make sure that your newsletter centers around their interests and you�ve won half the battle. Of course, if you don�t know what your prospects� industries or interests are, you might be doomed from the start.

6. Who is it From

After the subject, the next thing your recipient will usually look at to determine if they will open it is who sent the email. The worst choice is to use an email address that is gibberish or doesn�t go directly to a human.

The best results will be if your email is sent from a person at your company, i.e. jim@abccomputers.com. This way it looks less like a form email and it also makes your email communications more personal.

7. Email content

The final tip that gives your email the best odds at being read has to do with the content itself. Always give your recipients an option of HTML or text and make sure that you send it to them in the format that they request. This may have less to do with the speed of their computer and more to do with their own preference.

Also include an opt-out option in the email and put them both at the top and bottom of the email. The recipient needs to know that they are reading this under their own volition and they can stop receiving the email communications if they wish.

With these tips, you�ll give your email the best chance at being read.

Steve Reynolds has been helping small businesses develop a marketing front that generates leads, build brand recognition and creates business opportunities. My experience in design, copywriting, and marketing strategies is a combination that works well for small businesses and start-up companies.

B2B Email Marketing or Business to Business EMail Marketing is an effective approach to getting the word out about your company or organization's products and services. There are several considerations when planning a B2B Email Marketing campaign:

What are the goals of your B2B Email Marketing campaign?

Again, the first step to a successful Email Marketing campaign is determining your goals. Typically you goals could be to collect data from visitors

What businesses are your targeting in your B2B Email Marketing?

Determining your target audience is a skill. Anthony Parinello in his must-read series "Selling to Vito" (http://www.kaboodleventures.com/business-advertising-marketing.htm) outlines a process of determining your target audience. Here's the gist. First take a look at your existing customer base. Who are they? What do they buy? And why? Second, take a look at your competitors. Who are their customers? Third, ask yourself "Who do I want to be my customers?"

What are your available resources? and How does this fit into my e-marketing strategies mix?

The first resource to consider is what email marketing lists do you already have in house. *Customer lists, prospect lists, newsletter subscribers, personal contacts are the starting point. One of the first things we advise our clients to do is shore up their internal lists. Every contact you have with your customers or prospects is another opportunity to collect data...always get an email address. * If you're not already marketing to your existing customers and prospects and want a turnkey email marketing system check out Intellicontact. Your existing list is your most important asset and the fastest way to profits.

What is your Hook?

A compelling call to action is KEY to the success of your email marketing campaign. Are you offering a discount? Maybe a free trial of your software? You may want to test several different versions of your "hook" and track to see which one pulls the best before launching your full blown campaign. For your existing customers, try asking them what is most important to them.

What are your available resources?

Again, start with your inhouse lists. Other resources to consider: Are you able to follow up with the response? Will you be emailing yourself or outsourcing to a third party? Do you have inhouse design capability? Can you successfully track your results?

What is your B2B Email Marketing Budget?

Successful email marketing can be accomplished to fit any budget depending upon your answers to the questions above. B2C Email Marketing budgets can run from zero costs to thousands of dollars.

And of course, don't forget about CAN-SPAM. Make sure your email affords recipients an easy and foolproof way to remove themselves from your opt-in list.

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