≤
Go to www.b2bm.biz/digital for more on email marketing
Editor’s note
3
The future of email is in your hands
W
hat would you say if receive marketing messages via a medium
someone offered you a which they still consider to be personal.
marketing tool that was The unfortunate fact is that most of
inexpensive, was almost these issues are exacerbated by overuse of
immediate, reached your email. Therefore by relying more and more
target audience at its desktop and included on this channel, marketers are effectively
an extremely effective response in danger of killing the goose that laid the
mechanism? Any marketer with half a brain golden egg. If that weren’t bad enough,
would certainly say ‘yes, please’, and start they may also actually be damaging their
using this wonder-channel immediately. brand, rather than enhancing it.
“The unfortunate fact is that
This succinctly explains the increasingly The reality is that the effectiveness of
rampant popularity of email in B2B any kind of marketing will be undermined
most of email’s challenges are marketing – it’s simply too good an if it is abused by practitioners, and overuse
exacerbated by overuse.
opportunity to miss out on. counts as abuse. If marketers wish to retain
As a consequence, very few brands are the viability of this channel – and the
Therefore by relying more and
missing out. At present, email is vitality of their client relationships – they
more on this channel,
everywhere, used by brands in virtually all must make their use of email marketing
sectors, for every conceivable audience more sophisticated, which inevitably
marketers are in danger of
and for any given objective. Its irresistible means using it less. This means better
killing the goose that laid the
virtues of speed, convenience, cost and segmentation, enhanced targeting and a
flexibility have resulted in it arguably more detailed understanding of individuals’
golden egg. If that weren’t bad
usurping direct mail as the number one needs, requirements and preferences.
enough, they may also actually
route to market in B2B marketing – at least That’s not to say all email marketing
in terms of volume. The potential of email, currently being conducted is bad or
be damaging their brand,
it seems, knows no bounds. irresponsible – there are many excellent
However, there is a ‘but’. The power examples of practitioners who are aware of
rather than enhancing it”
and potency of email could ultimately the sensitive dynamics of this channel and
become its own undoing. As its popularity who are treating it accordingly. For those
Joel Harrison, editor, B2B Marketing
amongst brands and marketers grows, so who understand the need to change their
do its detractors, and the challenges facing approach but don’t know how, there are
those seeking to use it effectively. The plenty of email marketing experts out there
issues which B2B marketers face are many who will help devise a new strategy.
and varied, and include inbox overload, Email has a vital role to play in the
spam, firewalls, image blocking, future of B2B marketing, but it is up to
deliverability, soft opt-outs… not to practitioners to ensure that misuse today
mention just good old-fashioned cynicism does not undermine the opportunities and
from recipients who simply don’t want to potential it holds for tomorrow.
SPONSORED BY
This publication was produced as a supplement MEDIA DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: David Lewis DESIGN: ICD, West Sussex
of B2B Marketing, June 2008. TEL: 020 7438 1376 info@icd.gb.com
EMAIL: david.lewis@b2bm.biz
EDITOR: Joel Harrison
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