Email Marketing by the Numbers: How to Use the World’s Greatest Marketing Tool to Take Any Organization to the Next Level

What Is Wrong with Email?

By Richard GibsonChair, Email Marketing Council’s Benchmarking HubCommercial Director, Direct Marketing Association (UK)Limited & RSA DirectWebsite: www.dma.org.uk

With so much written about the success of email marketing, does it help to summarize the disadvantages?

Yes, but only if it can help us learn to become more effective email marketers. So what is wrong with email, exactly? Has there ever been a more successful channel to communicate en mass with a group of customers? Part of the reason why email is so successful is the low cost, but it also has several implications for email marketers.

Fact: The volume of email is rising. There are several reasons why:

• The low cost, general effectiveness, and higher adoption rates mean that more companies are using email and sending more campaigns.

• Customers choose email because they often prefer email over direct mail and phone calls.

• Finally, there is spam.

Add all of these elements together into one big pot (inbox) and it becomes apparent that while on one level, the volume is a significant issue in itself, the more important issue associated with the increase in volume is the ability to remain relevant.

If your email marketing program consists of sending the same message to all segments of your customer database when you want to promote your goods and services, then you will always be trying to add volume to your customer and prospect list as opt-out rates increase.

Every time a marketing email gets sent to ...