Email marketing must embrace social media while making the most of its unique format

The way we communicate is altering.  Whereas once, we may have unthinkingly sent someone an email, the rise of social media and websites like Facebook mean that many of us now use them instead, sending someone an instant message here or writing on their virtual wall there.  This will inevitably have consequences for online marketing.

New results from Jupiter Research show that 22% of email users said that they use social networking sites instead of email and many more signifying that they used instant messaging, text messaging and mobile phones instead of email.  Not only this, but since last year there has been a significant dip in consumer spending as a direct result of decreasing effectiveness in email marketing.  In 2007, 51% of users said that email inspired at least one online purchase and 47% said the same for off-line transactions.  However, in their report, titled “The Social and Portable Inbox: Optimizing E-mail Marketing in the New Era of Communication Tools” of 2008, these figures dropped to 44% and 41% respectively.

According to Jupiter Research’s David Daniels the reason for this is that nowadays people receive so many emails that they simply cannot pay attention to every one.  He stresses the importance for marketers to be relevant and succinct when sending messages to purchasers’ inboxes.  Indeed, consumers do not have the time to sift through reams of text before being told what is on offer within the emails they receive, let alone to sift through numerous emails from different companies that all use the same rather lacklustre format.

More than this, many are becoming suspicious of emails sent to them from companies whose messages are simply irrelevant.  In response, they choose to use uninterrupted forms of communication like text messaging and social networks, which allow for a more direct communication and is not interspersed with spam and inappropriate marketing messages.

Things are indeed changing but it must be stressed that email marketing is not dead.  It is important to remember that email advertisements offer a direct entry into the consumer’s existence not relying on page impressions to be seen and gives the advertiser an extended voice with which to sell their product.  The power of the format needs to be utilised for optimum effect.  Copy must be kept short and the message punchy.  Design should be eye-catching but not dazzling, working in tandem with the copy to relay the email’s message in the most appealing way possible.  Ultimately, email lists should be treated with care, rewarding users for signing up, not pestering them so relevance is key.

In addition to this, a recent study by ThirdAge and JWT Boom significantly attributes the change in behaviour to the younger generation’s preference for social media over email.  Baby boomers and older generations, conversely, continue to use email and many shy away from social media sites.  As with all behavioural trends, advertisers need to be aware that many potential customers are using other forms of communication.  The only way to keep in touch with their market is to adapt strategies to cope with such change but each must also importantly be aware of those older consumers who, by and large, continue to use email.  An entertainment campaign for under 30 year olds might make more use of social media advertising whereas something like a new mortgage offering may be targeted at the over 30s via email.

What marketers must be wary of is favouring one approach of marketing over the other at this stage.  Whilst habits are changing, the use of mixed media is the only real way to ensure that the right audience is being reached and addressed in the right way.

Justin Drummond,

Chief Executive - Media Corporation plc

Intel and Yahoo to bring internet to HDTV

Yahoo and Intel are determined to prove that two heads are better than one and doing several things at once is where it’s at when it comes to their new joint project; to allow HDTV viewers to surf the web on their televisions at the same time as watching their favourite programme.  No longer will we passively sit and watch programmes on one screen, having to strain to get our laptops if there’s something we want to research.  With this new feature, eyes may remain fixed straight ahead while everything can be done in the same arena- TV and Internet will be seamless. There’s no doubt about it, we are becoming a nation of multi-taskers.  Many of us are now accustomed to using an array of media simultaneously.  According to Ofcom’s annual Communications Market report, out last week, a massive 75 percent of 20-34 year olds use their mobile phone while watching television and more than a third of 25-44 year olds surf the net when watching. In response to our changing habits, Yahoo and Intel are launching a “Widget Channel” to enable people to send emails, get the latest sports results and even check the weather when watching TV. The information-delivering widgets can be personalised and will run along the bottom of the screen in a “snippets bar” allowing users to keep one eye on their programme and the other on info from the web. The plans come at a key time for a new industry when consumers are becoming progressively more expectant of interactivity with media.  They’re used to phone-ins where their say is integral to the result of a programme and getting heard through comments on blogs.  The chance to interact with television may just be the next step. “TV will fundamentally change how we talk about, imagine and experience the Internet”, said Eric Kim, Intel senior vice president and general manager of its Digital Home Group in a joint statement with Yahoo. They are keen to stress that this is not just a copy of a PC on a TV.  The companies will work with content providers and television manufacturers to develop the platform.  Twitter and eBay have already expressed their interest in developing software for the channel and television manufacturers Samsung and Toshiba are also included in plans. As part of a broader strategy, Samsung are exploring ways to integrate the internet into its television sets.  They intend to start slowly in order not to overwhelm users but eventually build up the additional content on their televisions and transform its function.  The company believe that TV could become the heart of home entertainment, equipped with software that enables the sets to connect wirelessly to other devices automatically. There is criticism that the service will give too much exclusivity to Yahoo as only services approved by them will be available.  Moreover, it’s feared that Yahoo will bombard viewers with their adverts.  However, it must be acknowledged that this is a bold move and adverts being the currency of the Internet mean there’s little hope that this sort of progression would be happening without them.  Only time will tell whether this is the progression that people are ready for in their homes.