Future of eMail Marketing
By Jeanniey Mullen, CMO, Zinio
In the midst of the 2009 recession email marketing is transitioning in new
forms:
• A branding machine
• An operational lifesaver
• A continuing power-house for direct marketing dialog
eMail still matters, but not the way it used to. It’s not
just about response anymore.
There are 4 new demo-graphics you need to introduce into your plans:
1.) Unsubscribe or Spam. These people account
for less than 1 percent in e-mail marketing. They are potential “brand
damagers” and don’t feel that your message is relevant to them at the time
they receive it. However, they could be your company’s second most valuable
resource. Why? Because they still buy from you--they just don’t want you to
know it. In fact, they talk a lot, almost as much as social influencers (see
#2).
2.) Social Influencers. They have extremely high levels of reach (412
percent!) where they can get their messages out to many people. However,
their response to your e-mail messages may not be that high. They might only
read the subject line or skim the body of the email, but they will
forward it on to people who do have a need or interest in your
marketing message. In the past, social influencers would be removed from
your list as non-responders. In fact, they are absolutely critical to your
marketing list—so identify them!
3.) Typical Best Customers. You love them, they buy from you
frequently, there is no bad here, right? Wrong. They have limited to
mid-level resources to reach out to the market place. So while they give you
a high response, there is only a short-term revenue goal for you. Keep them
on your list, but understand their value has a cap and limit your investment
in your e-mail messages to these people. Start thinking of them differently
and understand they are a limited demographic in gaining ROI for your
company.
4.) Wanna-be’s. This demographic accounts for 80 percent of your
list. They will respond to your messages on occasion, reach out occasionally
to other people on behalf of your messages, and want to be involved in your
brand—they just don’t know how. They need help on how to best engage with
your company. In the past, wanna-be’s went into your “non-responder” or
“occasional responder” categories, because you never heard from them in
significant amounts. However, wanna-be’s took the time to give you their
e-mail address; by doing this they’ve stated they want to be involved in
your company at a very high level. You have substantial opportunity to move
wanna-be’s into “best customers” and “social influencers.”
Identify how you can make them feel valued and how they in
turn can add value to your e-mail marketing efforts. Get them out onto social
networks and blogs or have them individually invest in your company by
continuing to make purchases.
What you need to know to succeed. The e-mail address is the only data
element that links a customer or prospects profile across every digital
medium they are engaged with, including:
• E-mails are sent to the inbox.
• E-mail addresses are used to register for RSS feeds.
• Mobile messages (SMS) are sent to numeric e-mail systems they receive
traditional e-mail addresses as part of registration.
• Mobile web relies on registration through your service provider (who
requires an e-mail address).
• Most widgets require e-mail addresses to download/accept privacy.
• Social networks leverage “in-system” messaging, which is done using an
e-mail.
E-mail is going to become even more mobile—so get ready!
---Source: March 12, 2009 webinar sponsored by Lyris, Inc.
Speaker Jeanniey Mullen is the CMO of Zinio. Reach her at jmullen@zinio.com.
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