Why Email Marketing?
Why is it important to enter the world of emarketing or take a renewed focus on your company's efforts? Email is an established medium for communicating with your customers. Ninety percent of consumers check email several times a day, according to a DoubleClick survey. Forty four percent report their use of email is "constant," up 11 points from the company's 2004 survey.
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Frequency with which U.S. Email Users Go Online to Check Email (as % of respondents) |
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|
|
Constantly |
More than once a day |
Once a day |
Once a week |
|
2001 |
- |
73% |
26% |
1% |
|
2002 |
- |
74% |
24% |
2% |
|
2003 |
20% |
52% |
24% |
4% |
|
2004 |
33% |
47% |
18% |
2% |
|
2005 |
44% |
46% |
9% |
1% |
|
Source: DoubleClick, Dec. 2005, eMarketer.com |
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While consumer dependence on email continues to grow, "on demand" technologies, do-not-call lists, and email filters have provided consumers greater control over the media they receive, making it more difficult for marketers to reach them. Use of this type of technology is expected to grow, so it will be even more critical for marketers to build a house file of consumers who have requested to be kept informed about topics and offers that specifically interest them. When asked by DoubleClick what they would like to see email replace, 51% said telemarketing, 44% said in-person sales calls and 41% said direct mail.
In a recent DoubleClick survey, which sought to understand why consumers responded to some messages and not others, 67% said that "relevant information" increases the chances that they would respond. But, more importantly, 73% said what they are looking for is, "information based on interests specific to that company."
Additionally, a gap exists between the information customers ask for via email and what they actually receive from companies. Though 77% of consumers want to receive "unscheduled offers" from marketers, only 8% reported actually getting them, according to a survey published in DMnews. Quality of the offers is also an issue, as 75% of customers sign up for scheduled discount alerts, but only 19% find them worth reading.
Examples of how your company can use emarketing.