• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, December 8, 2009

Zephrin Lasker -- CEO of lead-generation CPL marketplace Pontiflex, which raised a $6.25 million in April -- couldn't be more confident about email marketing's prospects in 2010, when it will experience a renaissance as more brand marketers use it as a gateway into social marketing. One reason is that research indicates consumers are not willing to provide their social networking information to brands, while an overwhelming majority of them are willing to provide their email addresses. For Lasker, the implications are clear: Brands first have to build trust with consumers through transparent, permission-based email communications and then extend those relationships to social media.

Online Media Daily: Can email remain relevant in a world increasingly dominated by social networks?

Lasker: Absolutely. Email doesn't just remain relevant -- it becomes even more powerful in a world of social networks. Sure, Twitter, Facebook, et al. are the newest tools in the online marketing toolbox. But like email, they fulfill an old marketing goal -- engagement.

In fact, if Twitter, Facebook and MySpace are the considered the pillars of a social marketing strategy, then email is the rock-solid foundation on which they stand.

A September 2009 Harris Interactive survey confirms precisely how important email is to a successful social marketing effort. The survey found that 96% of online adults said that they had shared their email address with advertisers to receive special offers and discounts.

In contrast, only 12% said that they had shared their social networking information (such as Facebook username or Twitter handle) with advertisers. The implications are clear -- advertisers need to build trust with consumers through email before engaging them on social networking sites. Email is also critical when building long-term relationships. That same Harris Interactive survey found that 68% of consumers said that they trusted brands they heard from more often. So yes -- as marketers look to engage consumers at a personal level, email becomes even more relevant.

OMD: How should email marketers be responding to social trends?

Lasker: Email marketers should realize that the relationship between email and social is not a competitive or cannibalistic one -- it is symbiotic.

As marketers increase adoption of social networking to engage consumers, email will also grow. A 2009 Nielsen study shows that social media use makes people consume email more, not less -- and this is particularly true for the highest social media users.

Email marketers must look to integrate their social and email marketing programs more closely. And the good news is that solutions by ESPs like ExactTarget and Strongmail enable marketers to do just that.

OMD: Are there instances in which email and social networks can actually complement each other?

Lasker: Yes, email and social networking will and should always complement each other. A number of our clients -- HUGGIES, Obama, Disney, Blockbuster and many more have illustrated this approach.

Let's talk about a very successful social networking program deployed by Kimberly-Clark for the HUGGIES brand. The campaign worked in three phases. In the first phase, HUGGIES acquired a community of responsive and engaged moms using search and CPL (performance) advertising. In the second step, HUGGIES used email to send moms a series of relevant communications. In one of those emails, the brand provided a link to a social networking widget that moms could embed in a variety of destination sites -- such as their Facebook or MySpace profiles.

HUGGIES was able to use the widget to spread the message virally. Because they knew the mom's due date (an information point acquired at the time of the widget download), the brand was able to deliver relevant messaging- a mother expecting in three months would get different messaging from a mom in her first trimester.

This allowed HUGGIES to forge a more powerful relationship with the target audience.

OMD: Some analysts describe email as a potential gateway into social marketing. Do you know what they mean by that, and do you agree with the premise?

Lasker: As proven by the Harris interactive study I referred to earlier, building a relationship with consumers online is not very different from building relationships in the real world. You have to build trust with your consumers -- and email is the ideal vehicle through which to accomplish this goal.

Let me illustrate this point through another example. The 2008 Barack Obama Presidential campaign -- the most successful political campaign in history -- first built a relationship with its supporters through email. They used email to drive people to a variety of destinations -- donation pages, Twitter groups, Facebook forums, iTunes podcasts, niche sites and a number of other engagement vehicles.

Obama's campaign team is credited as having the most successful social campaign to date. But the first step -- the gateway to this effort -- was a solid email effort.

OMD: Though it's early days for Google Wave, what impact might it have on the email channel and email marketing?

Lasker: Like Facebook or Twitter, Google Wave will open engagement opportunities for marketers. The email industry needs to enable marketers with the tools they need to get a holistic picture of their campaigns. We've seen ESPs like ExactTarget and StrongMail provide the tools to integrate email and social marketing -- and we'll see the industry step up when it comes time for Google Wave.

Time after time, the email industry has proven to be nimble and innovative in helping marketers unlock the online advertising puzzle and get the biggest bang for their buck for their marketing dollars. And I see no reason to believe that will change.