Social Networking sites like Myspace.com, Spark Networks, Match.com, Date.com and Jewish Quality Singles are all competing for the same eyeballs. Since email is the predominant channel and it is a much faster conduit for messaging than direct mail, for example, dating networks  must  rapidly devise, test and execute deeply personalized, relevant, compelling campaigns to their members at precisely the right time. Campaigns must also be uniquely differentiated from the competition, reflect the value of their brand and include a compelling call to action. There is no time allotted for assumptions when executing email campaigns.  A/B splits, analytics and random samples must be integrated into campaign deployment. Results, whether tied to a visibility or lead generation campaign, must also be immediately available and then feed back into the business intelligence systems.  This data flow enables online dating networks to power successively higher performing campaigns as their information-rich models mature. So, how do they do it? The good news is most of the techniques and tools that social networking companies employ are available across all verticals.

Targeting for instance, is a very effective method employed by social networking portals that should be used in your email marketing initiatives.  Over the past five years, social networking members have grown accustomed to receiving highly targeted emails that are aligned with their preferences.  The ability to target based on unique demographic and psychographic data reduces assumption and human error and frees marketing resources to focus on content, branding and strategy versus campaign operations. All businesses should integrate data across email marketing and take advantage of triggered messaging. It is efficient and effective.

Social networking members have also shown a high affinity for cross-sells and up-sells.  Many social networking leaders are taking advantage of this trait for their customer acquisition initiatives.  To do this, the networks partner with other complimentary advertisers through a list management partner to promote their offerings to consumers outside their member universe. Over the last year, this has delivered millions of dollars in incremental revenue to the networks.

Again, all marketers should investigate the power of email for customer acquisition to assess the ROI it will likely deliver to your model. Take it from the social networking space; it is essential to fully understand who your customer is, what they want, and how and when they like to receive it.  When you can build a personal relationship like that, you will have a loyal customer base for a long time to come.

To learn more how to leverage these techniques in your email, contact us at 212.704.9781 or visit datranmedia.com

NEWSBYTE

Email marketing led to more purchases this holiday season than last, according to a recent survey and reported by DM News.  The report is highlighted by the fact that half of the more than 1,800 shoppers surveyed in late December said they used emails to make purchases, up from 44.8 percent the previous year.  Meanwhile, 50.2 percent said email had some influence on their shopping habits, a 10 percent jump from 2004.

Consumers responded to free shipping offers via email – a 5.8 percent increase over the previous year – as well as emails offering discounts – a 7.5 percent increase.

The fastest-growing factor in whether consumers responded to holiday marketing email was their prior experience with a company’s email program before the holidays.  This is crucial element for marketers to remember in their own marketing initiatives.  While seasonal emails can have a positive effect on a marketer’s bottom-line, it is important that the marketer build a fluid relationship with the client year-long.

Ask a Datran Media Expert

Q: I’ve found email marketing to be very cost-effective and I want to take it to the next level.  My company is relatively new and we have been struggling with building our list. Any strategies on how to quickly grow and monetize our list while staying CAN-SPAM compliant? Thanks!

A: Great question, thanks.  With so much content and media competing for the eyes of online users this day and age, it is important to offer something of value to grab the attention of a potential customer.  Consumers are not going to sign up on your website for nothing, especially if they are not completely familiar with your brand.  One of the most effective methods for increasing your customer list is to offer incentives.  If you are a retailer, offering discounts and coupons, in addition to a newsletter, is an effective way to grow your list.  If you are a B2B marketer, you can provide targeted white papers or case studies.  These are all proven techniques that have helped other marketers increase the size of their house file.    

Once you have a substantial customer list, you’ll want to mail only the most relevant and targeted up-sell and cross-sell promotions.  However, start with simple correspondence like confirmation emails, you don’t want to inundate your subscriber list - you want to gain their trust overtime.  To be sure you are following CAN-SPAM regulations; you’ll want to use an industry standard compliance solution like Unsub Central™.   Here, you can manage all industry compliance regulations including third-party and joint email campaigns, one-to-one emails sent from your own sales team and synchronize suppression lists.

Finally, once you have built your list and have followed all CAN-SPAN laws in regards to permission-based email marketing, you can begin generating even more revenue by promoting 3rd party offers to your customers.  Of course, you’ll want to send relevant offers from trusted companies.  Datran Media excels in producing additional revenue from your customer list through our relationships with some of the world’s top advertisers.  You don’t have to spend a dime or do any extra work, Datran manages the entire process and delivers a new revenue stream that you can in reinvest into your marketing so you can acquire even more customers.  Check out the “Datran Spotlight” in this issue to learn more about our list management services.

Send your questions to askanexpert@datranmedia.com If we answer it, we'll send you a FREE Datran Media t-shirt!