WWW.MEDIAPOST.COM
Email Driving Cross Channel Integration
by Jack Loechner, Thursday, January 24, 2013 6:15 AM
According to the Experian Marketing Services market survey addressing email acquisition and engagement tactics, 44% of total opens occur on mobile devices; 52% of marketers have used animated gifs
in their email campaigns; marketers are seeing strong survey completion rates, regardless of offer; email is a strong performer as a generator of both website traffic and revenue; email marketers are
testing subject lines and creative more than any other factors; 78% of brands use sales associates to collect email addresses. Email marketing continues to be the hub and a driving force in
cross-channel integration, says the report, as marketers’ email strategies act as connectors to Website, mobile, social and in-store channels. The study surveyed email marketers across eight
verticals about their email-marketing initiatives. Peter DeNunzio, general manager at Experian Marketing Services CheetahMail, says, “... more email marketers (are) testing new
engagement strategies to expand their reach into other marketing channels... (as) a spearhead... towards true cross-channel optimization...” The continued efficacy of email marketing
makes email address acquisition a prime tactic for high return on investment (ROI). Today’s email marketers are using multiple channels to acquire new subscribers. Key findings show that:
- 22% of brands utilize pop-up windows on their Websites; nearly one in four Websites
- 36 % of brands collect email addresses on paper, exposing brands to a higher potential for bad
addresses and input errors
- More marketers are implementing e-receipts to provide marketers and customers with benefits, including up-sell and engagement opportunities
- 30% of
marketers make no fields in a registration form mandatory, focusing first on acquiring an email address and then using other tactics, such as preference centers and surveys, for acquiring more
information about customers later
Marketers can no longer blast their list with irrelevant messaging without experiencing negative consequences, both from customers and ISPs, says the
report. Email marketers are adopting more tactics to track behaviors and acquire subscribers’ preferences and interests in order to market to them more effectively:
- Regardless of
the offer, marketers are seeing strong survey completion rates
- Email is still a strong performer as a generator of both Website traffic and revenue
- Email marketers are testing
subject lines and creative more than any other factors
- 52% of marketers have used animated gifs in their email campaigns
- While 98% of marketers promote their Facebook page in
emails, only 32% promote Pinterest
- More than 50% of email marketers currently optimize or plan to optimize emails for mobile viewers
In 2012, Experian Marketing Services
recognized new trends and tactics in three channels of email address acquisition: point of sale, Website and sweepstakes. Subscriber acquisition practices at point of sale of email marketers
whose brands operate brick-and-mortar locations:
- 78% of brands use sales associates to collect email addresses
- 36% of brands collect email addresses on paper
- 73% of
marketers source and track email addresses acquired at point of sale differently than other addresses
- 33% of marketers report that more than 25% of their customers are willing to provide
their email address at point of sale
The extensive report concludes by noting that “whether you are looking to grow your list through organic subscriber acquisition, or create
more engaging campaigns that produce higher ROI, the study findings provide a benchmark to help gauge which programs would work best for your business. To sign in
for the complete study as a PDF file, please visit
Experian here.