• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, May 29, 2009

Email marketing technology firm Silverpop today is expected to announce the launch of new campaign graphical user interface tools.

The tools -- which give clients a drag-and-drop, storyboard-like editor to create campaign flow for their lead management programs -- represent the latest effort by Silverpop to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Likening the new offering to "consumer video editing tools," Silverpop CEO Bill Nussey said it was simplicity they were after, and it was simplicity that they achieved.

"Successful lead-management programs treat customers or prospects individually ... but these types of programs can be cumbersome to create and maintain," Nussey said.

The Atlanta-based firm, with offices in the U.K. and Germany, sells a set of targeted email marketing services used by companies to manage their customer communications. Founded 10 years ago, it has raised nearly $70 million to date.

Customer relationship management was at one time limited to complex premise-installed software functions, but has more recently emerged as hosted services like Salesforce.com.

Other Silverpop rivals include ExactTarget and e-Dialog, both of which help marketers use email and other marketing services to execute campaigns designed to anticipate or affect customer buying decisions.

Silverpop just recently debuted a send-time optimization system, which determines the best delivery time for each recipient on a mailing list. It had been developing the tool for several years, and had recently completed a trial with Encyclopaedia Britannica in the U.S. and U.K.

In 2007, Silverpop acquired Vtrenz, a Fargo, North Dakota-based marketing automation and lead management company for an undisclosed sum.