The Future of E-Mail Marketing
Takeaway notes from a Lyris Webinar. By Aliza Bornstein, copywriter, Melissa Data

In the midst of the current recession e-mail marketing is emerging in new forms:

• A branding machine
• An operational life saver
• A continuing powerhouse for direct marketing conversation

E-mail still matters, but not the way it used to. It’s not just about response anymore.

There are four new demographics 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.