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Email supplement
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For more on email go to www.b2bm.biz/digital
Email marketing Q&A
How do you know if your emails are underperforming? How important is personalisation? These and
other frequently asked email marketing questions are answered by Edward Weatherall, MD of Concep
Q
What kind of response rate should decrease in your view rate. This means you have to be clever about it. It’s much
you be looking for from emails? your emails haven’t been relevant the first easier to talk to people you are already
A. Ultimately it depends what the campaign couple of times they’ve been received. The have a relationship with, regardless of the
is about, but what you’re looking for is an answer to this is more segmentation: which channel, just as it’s much easier to call or
interaction. This could be one or two allows your subject line to be more get a meeting with a customer than with a
different intentions/objectives that targeted. But a lot of companies have big prospect. Email works well with customers,
companies could have from email. This databases, and they are worried about but you have to work hard at it and be
could be clicking through for more alienating large numbers of people, so they intelligent. Don’t just bombard a list and
information, passing the email on to a end up using something bland or generic. cross your fingers. A good idea is to “piggy-
relevant person, a response, or back” emails from another partner or
downloading a white paper. In B2B it’s supplier who already has a relationship and
about relationships – a direct sale is not Q
How important is personalisation in
email marketing? use that to get an introduction.
expected as a response. This will require A. Personalisation does have an effect, but Introductions can be crucial.
follow-up to achieve. you have to make sure that the recipient
expects an email to be addressed directly to
Q
What are the best measures of them. As people become more data savvy, Q
What should you look for in an email
marketing system?
effectiveness? the question they are increasingly asking is A. There are lots of companies out there
A. It depends what you’re trying to ‘where did you get this data from?’ rather offering email marketing services and
achieve! The easiest thing is view rates. than ‘I wonder what this email is?’ People solutions. I’d advise companies to think
This helps measure the effectiveness of the are more sensitive about how they are about reputation and the potential for
subject line and the brand. Then look at addressed. ‘Dear John’ isn’t the right way damage to your brand from badly
interaction rates of those who did view. Did to talk to someone who has no idea who conducted email campaigns. You must
they do what they were asked to do? Have you are. The solution is to introduce never view it as a cheaper channel. Look
they clicked through? What isn’t a good yourself as you would do to a person, face- for a provider who wants to understand
idea is trying to compare these rates with to-face. Consider this the start of a your business and work with you in the
DM. You need to compare like with like. relationship. Why would they be interested same way as any other marketing services
in talking to you? You need for be tactful: provider. You should look at it as an
Q
What’s a good view rate for email it’s not just about doing a deal. investment in starting a relationship.
marketing? Rather than looking for an organisation
A. Research from the DMA says this in the which will help you send more emails, I’d
mid-20 per cent [see page 7]. This depends Q
Should you avoid prospecting
through email? advise people to look for someone who will
whether the email is about acquisition or A. Email can be used for prospecting, but help you send the right emails.
retention, and it also depends on the
accuracy of the data, and the level of
segmentation. The more work you put in at Q
Is there a danger that marketers are
being too price-focused?
the beginning to address this, the better A. Focusing on price will definitely
view rate you’re going to get. And the more undermine your results. Sometimes
targeted the activity, the better. Some companies are happy to a DM campaign
emails can get up to 80 per cent whilst that costs £5 per piece but then end up
others are getting 15 per cent, depending arguing over a few pence for an email –
on how targeted the email is. this is losing perspective. Think more about
the value of the customer and the
Q
How do you know if your emails are relationship you are trying to develop.
underperforming?
A. This is about testing, tying differing “Rather than looking for an
things. See if you can improve what you’re
doing. I think you should be aiming for
organisation which will help
Q
Should companies stop using other
marketing channels?
A. Definitely not! Companies need to use
much higher than the DMA benchmark, but you send more emails, I’d multi-channel techniques. Even if you’ve
that involves putting more work in upfront.
Test different subject lines, coming from
advise people to look for
got a 30 per cent view rate, there are still
70 per cent of recipients who are not
different people, etc.
someone who will help you
seeing your emails. You need to understand
send the right emails”
all the touch points for communication.
Q
If you get under 20 per cent, should Email will work for some people, but there
the alarm bells start ringing? will always be others for whom you will
A. Yes, just as they should if you get a Edward Weatherall, MD, Concep need other forms of communication.
B2BM JUNE 08 – www.b2bm.biz
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