From Enterprise Ireland.

Email marketing is, for most businesses, a relatively new medium. While some companies were early adopters, there are still those who lag behind when it comes to introducing this method of marketing, some through fear, others through the misapprehension that it is of no use to their business. But the truth is, there are very few businesses that would not benefit from email marketing in some way.

First of all, it is important to clarify what exactly email marketing encompasses. Any kind of communication by email with customers and potential clients can be classed as email marketing, but in general the term refers to specific communications such as newsletters, special offers and promotions that are sent via email.

It can be used to build on existing relationships or to generate new sales leads and entice clients by showcasing your products and services. “Part of this communication is retaining your customers and helping them to make the most of products and services,” says email marketing specialist denise cox (see interview elsewhere in this issue). “You are showing them you are keen to take care of your customers.”

Return on investment

In today’s business environment, getting and - more importantly - retaining your customers’ attention can be difficult. With spam email on the rise and concerns about privacy rife, it can be tricky to not only get your customers to read the marketing material you send out, but also to convince them to hand over their email addresses in the first place.

Recent figures from Jupiter Research in the US indicated that the spend on email marketing is set to increase dramatically, from USD1.2 billion last year to USD2.1 billion in 2012. In Europe, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, which includes email marketing figures as part of general online advertising spend, estimates that online advertising investment within the IAB network in Europe during 2007 could have reached as high as EUR11.5 billion. This is a rise from EUR8 billion in 2006.

However, there is still a perception that email marketing is cheap and cheerful, requiring very little investment for a good return - a perception that has done the medium a dis-service, according to denise cox. The truth is that while email marketing can be relatively inexpensive in terms of the amount of money you spend for the level of exposure in such a short space of time, investing the correct amount of cash in your email marketing programme could mean the difference between a campaign that sinks without a trace and one that has a significant impact.

For example, having experts target your campaign, word your messages or implement e-newsletter software can take the weight off your shoulders and ensure you have the expertise needed to avoid elementary mistakes.

This is not spam

One of the biggest obstacles to the success of email marketing is spam filtering software. Businesses need to tread carefully when they are compiling their email lists. Getting permission from the intended target is not only a legal requirement when it comes to marketing to consumers, but it’s also good business practice and can help build trust in your company and brand as a whole. (See the next issue for more on the various ways to build up your database.)

Other ways to help ensure you don’t fall foul of spam filters include never using attachments when sending email marketing messages, and avoiding traditionally “spammy” subject lines. (For more information on how to avoid being tagged as a spammer see Issue 186.)

Relevant and targeted

To ensure you make an impression on your customers’ inboxes, denise cox says that all email communications need to be relevant, targeted and timely. Knowing your market and your customer profile will go a long way towards helping to satisfy these requirements.

This message is echoed by Keelan Cunningham, managing director of web content firm Red Sky. He says that businesses should include “useful content… something that’s of interest and of use to the recipient” in their email correspondence. “There’s little point in a business emailing their customers and telling them how wonderful the business is and how many awards you’ve won. No one really cares that much.”

With business-to-consumer marketing, the targets of your campaign usually indicate their interest by signing up for your newsletter or special offers in the first place. But if you have nothing interesting to say, the customer may decide the email is not relevant and delete it. If a customer has signed up for special offers, ensure that your communications always include these. Similarly, if they expect to hear company and industry news and announcements, your marketing effort should tackle this.

“Decide why you are sending the email and what action you want the recipient to do upon receiving it. It seems obvious but you’d be surprised how many marketing emails are purposeless,” says Cunningham.

Content matters

On the web, attention spans are short, so it’s important to get your message across quickly and in a way that appeals to your customer demographic. Writing for your audience is a vital consideration. There is little point in having a great database that reaches all your customers if the message is lost among badly written content.

An email aimed at teenagers should be written using different language to one aimed at business people, while some messages - such as special offers - can lend themselves to a more visually appealing email. (For more on speaking your customers’ language see Issue 199.) You can also personalise emails to a certain extent, using the information you have gathered with your customers’ permission, but be careful not to overdo it or you may trigger privacy concerns.

To ensure that you stay up-to-date with your customers’ changing interests and requirements, you can periodically ’survey’ them to find out their current needs and if they are still interested in receiving emails.

Timely reminders

Timing is also all-important. Send messages too often and your customers will end up viewing them as spam. Fail to correspond often enough and you risk dropping off your customers’ radar.

The exact timing of emails depends on each individual business and the-life cycle of its products, along with customers’ purchasing life-cycles. For example, an insurance firm might only contact its customers at certain times of the year in order to sell specific products - i.e. when they are up for renewal - but regular email newsletters containing special offers and new products could be a way to generate new business from an existing customer.

For those new to email marketing, calling in the experts may be the best option. “Get professional help and use automated software packages to send and measure the results,” says Cunningham. “Also, make sure you have the resources internally to take ownership of it.”

In the next issue, we’ll take a look at how to compile an email database, what software is available for email marketers and how to measure a campaign’s success.