• by Ryan Deutsch , December 2, 2008

It's 6:45 a.m., and I just had the most startling revelation of my professional career: I am personally responsible for the deterioration of open and click-through rates for email marketers! I am staring at three days worth of email in my personal account, and of the 106 messages, I opened nine.

And, it gets worse. Of the nine messages, ALL WERE SERVICE-ORIENTED EMAIL (A flight confirmation from American Airlines, a Comcast statement, a LinkedIn alert that a peer had accepted my invitation to connect, a Citicard Activity alert, etc.). That means I did not open one promotional mailing! I nervously looked around for someone to tell. I must confess, I must be stopped!

OK, that's a massive exaggeration. My 106 messages could not even act as the pebble that causes the ripple that leads to the wave... you know the saying. But, as we head into the holidays and prepare for the flood of promotional mailings destined for our inboxes, we have to seriously ask the question, is there a better way?

As I consider the communications in my inbox, I think of the commitment a client made several months ago: no more promotional mailings, no more batch communication, every message will be part of a dialogue related to a customer interaction or transaction. Sounds bold, but is this the answer? Is this even feasible for many that use the email channel for critical customer retention programs? Let's consider this for a moment.

According to a recent JupiterResearch study, 74% of companies surveyed use email to interact with clients, prospects, and partners. Comparatively, only 59% use email for promotional purposes. It would appear that there is a wealth of service-based message volume available for marketing to leverage. Today, however, many email programs are running much the same way they did a few years ago. Yes, the programs have been optimized with dynamic content, Web analytics data, etc., but the general email marketing calendar is relatively unchanged: build, segment, attach template and send.

In the same JupiterResearch report, 58% of respondents identified email as their company's most cost-effective communication and marketing tool. JupiterResearch concluded that this signals complacency, a feeling of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

This puts email marketing innovation at risk, limiting the heavy lifting we are willing to do to take the channel to the next level. With no compelling event to drive change, we continue to optimize our campaigns without spending the necessary time and resources in controlling and consolidating the larger communication relationship. As a result, services messages and promotional communications land separately in the inbox, increasing customer frustration with the channel and eroding brand perception.

So, while it may be early, here is a New Year's resolution to contemplate for 2009. Pick a week or two and commit to sending NO promotional campaigns. Instead, attempt to drive the same results (conversions, Web site visits, sales, etc.) by leveraging the service-based email communications that are already being sent to, and opened, by your customers.

Crazy, you say? Maybe, but with some planning and expectation setting it can be done. This will drive you and your teams to get your arms around the service-based email programs currently being controlled by operations and customer service.

Today, almost every aspect of online customer communication involves email. As an email marketer, you are used to testing every variable in a campaign, so take that same determination and test the impact that can be made by fully leveraging your service-based email. I am certain that the long-term benefit will more than offset the impact of your week-long promotional mailing "vacation."