• by Paul Beck , September 7, 2006

In yesterday's column, Bill McCloskey did a great job of recapping the events that have driven e-mail in an entirely different direction.

More than ever, e-mail now has a voice, a purpose and power. And, since September is typically a planning month for most companies, it is time to think strategically, tactically and operationally about e-mail in your 2007 plan. Unfortunately, as we've seen time and time again, e-mail rarely gets the full consideration in the panning process it deserves. That being said, in the August E-mail Experience Council newsletter, Jeanniey Mullen identified the top 10 areas to focus on for 2007 planning. Here they are:

1) List acquisition, growth and opt-in efforts.

2) Welcome and early engagement messaging.

3) Deliverability and rendering.

4) Cadence and competitive frequency.

5) Content and the impact on the total user experience.

6) Segmentation.

7) Technology and database integration/workflows.

8) Metrics and analytics.

9) Multi-channel integration.

10) Packaging your efforts and needs to present to the C-suite.

Of all of these areas, my bet is that learning how to effectively package and contextualize e-mail inside your company, and getting the support of your colleagues and peers, will be key and have a big effect on 2007 for you and your company.

Yes, 2007 is going to be the year of e-mail. But not just e-mail as we know it, e-mail in its new form; acting as the backbone of all digital marketing.

Help kick off 2007 in the right way by getting involved in planning for e-mail now. Don't assume that it is a line item you can budget down the road. Here are a few ideas to help get your brain out of vacation mode and back to business:

1) It's trade show season. Attend the major industry events (like OMMA New York and Ad:Tech) for key tips and tricks.

2) Network for help. Many times, people view trade shows as places to sit in a classroom environment and learn about a topic. They neglect to take the time to meet and speak to their peers, who can often provide some very helpful assistance.

3) Build your business case for e-mail now.

4) Read all you can about what others are doing in the space.

5) Access resources: At the EEC, to help us get back to business for 2007, we recently placed a call out for content and ideas about our subscribers and members' favorite destinations for e-mail news and advice. We also asked for white papers and case studies we could share with others.

6) Leverage what you learn for e-mail, and apply those standards and best practices to other digital marketing channels like RSS and mobile.

The exciting turn of events in the world of e-mail has created an entirely new landscape to build from as we move forward. Take advantage of it now, and get a leg up on your competition.