• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, September 26, 2023

Marketers, 68% of whom have seen their budgets cut by 5% or more in the second half of 2023, are hurling their remaining investment dollars into email, judging by a new two-part study from Exclaimer, done in partnership with Censuswide. 

Of the marketers polled, 78% see email as a spending priority in this period, followed by social media (66%) and SEO and content marketing (56%).

And this seems to coincide with what consumers want: They prefer email (52%), followed by text messaging (15).

So far so good. But what about this finding: that 94% of marketers say consistent branded signatures have a positive impact on email engagement rates, while 40% hope to generate 20% or more of their revenue from email signatures?

It just so happens that Exclaimer is in the email signature business. 

That doesn’t disqualify these findings, but it may indicate why Exclaimer asked certain questions. 

Overall, 89% of marketers have considered utilizing email signatures as a marketing tool, and 68% already use them. 

Indeed, 62% hope to generate at least 16% of their revenue through email signatures alone, and 91% hope to garner leads, the study states.

On the consumer side, 58% say a branded email signature engenders trust in an email.

But be careful: 70% feel frustrated when a company’s contact information is not included in its email signature.

Links are not important in an email signature: Only 25% of consumers request that they be included. 

But this varies by age. Sixty-one percent of consumers in the 18-34 age category care about social media/website links, compared to 19% of those who are 55+.

Meanwhile, marketers are interested in exploring these ways of reaching their target audiences heading into 2024: 

• Organic social media — 75%
• Influencer marketing — 74%
• Email signatures — 59%

“As we start thinking about plans for 2024, it’s crucial that marketers review what is working and not working with marketing spend in the second half of the year,” says Carol Howley, chief marketing officer at Exclaimer. 

Howley adds: “There is another quarter to go and with so many experiencing budget cuts, it’s imperative we understand what our audience is looking for and ensure our tactics are meeting their needs.” 

Exclaimer and Censuswide surveyed over 100 senior and mid-level marketers and 1,000 consumers across the United States.