Reflecting on the Benefits of the Email Channel

The days are growing shorter, the trees are all but bare, and the air is noticeably cooler, reminding us that another year is quickly coming to an end. And as we prepare to sit down to eat turkey and sweet potato pie with our friends and family, there is no better time to look back and give thanks than Thanksgiving week.

So in that spirit, let's think about some of the reasons marketers can give thanks for the email channel. With 2008 revenues on everyone's mind, reflecting on the inherent value of the email channel will give you a little reminder about how effective email can be to your sales this coming year. Here are just a few reasons to give thanks for the email medium:

Once you build a loyal relationship with a customer, you can slowly start to use email auto-responders to follow up on previous offers and introduce your audience to new offers that would be relevant to their needs. This basic technique can help you drive incremental revenue pretty effortlessly.

Email is a great way to start a relationship by introducing a product or service to a potential or current customer over time, slowly building interest. Email allows you to provide additional information in a conversational tone that helps build trust and loyalty. It is also great for helping you start a viral campaign that your customers can pass on to friends and family.

Email marketing is often cited for being a catalyst for consumers that go to brick-and-mortar stores. By introducing a product or offer that needs to be felt and seen in person, email does an exceptional job of driving shoppers to stores with an exact description of what they want to purchase. And adding elements like in-store coupons also helps increase the chance of an in-store purchase.

Because email messages can be optimized, you can tailor messages based on the preferences of your audience. And because you can learn so much about the behavior of your audience through email, you will always be able to accurately modify your messages time and time again to always meet their ever-changing preferences.

Not only can you reach thousands of truly targeted and relevant customers, you can reach them at virtually no cost compared to mediums like direct marketing, where marketers spend large amounts of money on postage. And since email is highly measurable, you can employ a wide variety of performance-based marketing models to ensure you only pay for meaningful results.

Email is an ongoing conversation between you and your customer. But if your message is powerful enough, that consumer can and will forward your message to friends and family. It is a great example of "word-of-mouth" marketing.

These are just a few of the benefits associated with the email channel. Ultimately, you'll be very thankful if you employ email in your multi-channel marketing mix this coming year. Call Datran Media at 212-706-4817 to get your 2008 sales off to a fast start!

Check out why some other major brands are already giving thanks for the email channel.

Reach Consumers Before They Hit the Stores

Year after year, the day after Thanksgiving has become synonymous with crazed holiday shoppers filling malls and department stores. However, this time around, Black Friday shoppers may be a bit more prepared thanks to the Internet. More and more consumers plan their shopping in advance through online channels like email, display and search. In fact, some shoppers make their holiday purchases online before the Thanksgiving turkey is cleared off the table. That is why it is so essential to reach your customers and prospects online before Black Friday.

More than one-third of US consumers (37%) said they planned to shop on the day after Thanksgiving, up from 34% who responded affirmatively in 2006, according to Maritz Research. What's more, those who plan to shop on the day after Thanksgiving say they will spend an average of $790 on holiday purchases this year compared with $637 for all consumers on average.

Email marketing is an easy and rapid way to reach consumers and drive them to stores with new promotions and discounts. Transactional messages are especially well suited for up-sell and cross-sell promotions and tailored to reach consumers online before they are standing in line. If you need help optimizing your email campaigns for maximum ROI this holiday season, contact us today.

Q: What is a feedback loop?

A: A feedback loop is a system by which the ISP provides the sender a copy of the message that an email client marks as spam. Believe it or not, this system is great news for email marketers looking to improve their deliverability rates.

With 12 of the world's largest ISPs including AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo! currently testing feedback loops as part of the new Abuse Reporting Format, it is safe to say that feedback loops have become an email industry standard.

It is important for email marketers to understand how to not only setup feedback loops but how to manage and react to them. You can find more information about this topic in this short whitepaper.

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