Email Can Break Through Spam Mountain!

Email is on the rise once more! Viewed in recent years as looking a rather tired and plodding shire horse, when compared to the frisky colts of iphone, Facebook and Twitter, recent surveys indicate that deliverability is not getting worse and email marketing spends are set to rise.

Most businesses know too well the perceived challenges of email as a medium for leading marketing strategies. But in fact, the overall volume of spam has ebbed and flowed over the past 12 months, due inasmuch, to the ability of ISP software developed to recognise the difference between a legitimate brand’s customer emails and spam.

With the announcement of the imminent launch of GoogleWave, which brings emailing into the instant ‘live’ messaging, interactive age, we can expect a more urgent role being played out in two way online marketing and customer communications. This might dispose of the misinterpretation of the youth market presuming that ‘email is for old people’!

A 2008 Channel Preference Survey reported that nearly three quarters questioned, prefer permission-based promotional messages to come through email.

Significantly, whilst it’s true that teens and young adults are more likely to text family and friends than send email, this does not mean that they have the same preferences when communicating with companies. Instead of the emerging social network channels, 32% of 15 to 17 years old want permission-based offers delivered through direct mail – 8% more than the 35 to 54 age group.

Accurately assessing the effectiveness of the role email plays in brand identity communication and awareness campaigns is dependent on following a recognised set of actions:

• Use the requested opt-in names to guarantee high deliverability rate.
• Offer consumers a choice of contacting them – Email isn’t always the preferred method!
• Use ‘report-as-spam’ buttons and ‘sender authentication’ software- legitimizes your email marketing.
• Sign up with ISP whitelists and complaint feedback loops
• Always quickly remove bounces and addresses of those who request removal.
• Constantly check metrics and email tools to monitor consumer behaviour.

By following the basics of permission marketing and understanding the importance of maintaining email reputation will produce near 100 percent successful deliverability rates.