5 Major Email Marketing Trends for 2010: Tips and Challenges …

Marketing budgets are shifting to digital - that's a fact. Along with the advancement of Web 2.0 we’ve witnessed the rise of online communications which many predict may substitute traditional communication tools: say the web will replace TV and social networks will substitute e-mails. Current research offers a solid answer: not so fast and maybe – not even at all.

Epsilon CMO Survey 2010 showed that regardless of any expectations – e-mail marketing is skyrocketing. Here are a few reasons why:

- Less expensive than direct mail or printed newsletters, plus more environmentally friendly;
- Speedy: you can update the information daily, even instantly for little or no cost as opposed to print mail;
- E-mail marketing allows you to target your audience proactively, sharing your news & information;
- Easy to track: Analytics’ metrics: Open-rate, click-through rate and delivery rate;
- It allows the opportunity to advertise on someone else’s e-mail newsletter (sharing their mailing list and thus, cutting costs).

Research findings - Main E-mail Marketing Trends for 2010:

1. E-mail marketing is the Cornerstone:



Analysts confirm: e-mail marketing and SEO are currently showing highest demand rates and the reasons are obvious: highest audience reach and accountability (being ROI - friendly and easy to monitor). Additionally - Epsilon CMO Survey shows that email remains Primary Tool for Personal Online Communications:



The graph above only shows that if you have a personal message to send you'd rely on email first, whereas social networks seem to be a community feature, apparently not so much personal/intimate.

2. Web Analytics - are an E-mail Propeller:

According to the figure below - analytics made it obvious that e-mail has been steadily acquiring relevance, by replacing the following types of communications:



As shown - 40% of the respondents have already replaced bills/statements by means of emails, whereas - 38% replaced their promotional mail, etc.

3. E-mail marketing Entwined with Social Media:

Here's the answer to : Will social networks replace e-mail - it looks like they will happily co-exist together, instead of fighting against each other:



4. E-mail Marketing Driving Multi-channel Behavior:

The following graph clearly shows that although users are not so keen to make immediate online purchases, as a result of opening their emails (perhaps, due to SPAM overload) they are more keen to make offline purchases instead - which confirms information-based support provided by E-mail services. It also confirms that: interruptive marketing is losing ground, whereas engagement marketing rises fast.The rest is for you to judge:



5. Getting Mobile:

Some of the useful examples of possible tactics:

- Offer mobile-only incentives for opting into SMS or e-mail alerts;

- Ask prospects to text for a free guide and encourage e-mail opt-in;

- Deliver your e-mail content via mobile to expand your reach;

How about the Challenges? the figure below rates e-mail marketing challenges by their importance:



An now - some Take-Away Tips:


1. Integrate: Create infrastructure necessary to encompass all available online channels;

2. Make it work simultaneously: Create messaging, offers and creative that can be used across multiple channels;

3. Customize: Employ customized trigger and drip e-mail campaigns;

4. Engage: Create long-term engagement through: personalization and transactional e-mails (e.g. bank statement e-mails showing relevant transactions over a certain time period)

5. If you're still wondering: How much is Too Much - remember that optimal frequency goes hand in hand with content relevancy.

Good luck,

Digital Lunch Team
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