If I had a buck for every time someone told me Email Marketing was a waste of time because their message gets lost in "all that spam" I'd be pretty rich and a bit less cranky.
I've got little kids so I try to keep my language pretty saintly most of the time but I just have to say this: Crap! Absolute Crap!
The world over, big marketing execs are picking up great big chunks of their hefty budgets and literally throwing them in the direction of Email Marketing.
A survey of B2B marketers in November, 2008 noted that 68.3 per cent intended increasing spending on email marketing in 2009.
The DMA estimate spending on email marketing (in the USA) will increase from $600 million in 2008 to $700 million in 2009.
A 2008 survey by Forrester Research revealed that 95% of surveyed marketers use email marketing, with another 4% planning to do so by year end.
Why?
- It allows targeting
- It is data driven
- It drives direct sales
- It builds relationships, loyalty and trust
- It supports sales through other channels
(source: www.email-marketing-reports.com)
I'm not denying Spam has had an impact on the effectiveness of Email Marketing, it has!
But in response, skilled Email Marketers have just got smarter by making all that spam-generated email clutter work to their advantage.
Quality email marketing with a professional look, a strict permission-only approach and absolute commitment to delivering value makes smart email marketing stand out in the crowd.
Suddenly your audience sits up and takes notice because among all that white noise coming from their Inbox is you, a genuine, familiar and friendly voice they're glad to hear from because they know there will be something in that email for them.
A special offer, a valuable piece of information, a welcome distraction, the answer to a burning question, a good laugh, expert insights.
If you haven't got something valuable to offer your email recipient, don't bother emailing - Oops! I mean, put your thinking cap on and find something valuable to offer.
