The ability to track readership

Issue 6 Vol 6 | June 2010

Email has become an integral part of the way most businesses promote their business on line. But as we can see from the results of a recent survey (see summary below) many are not monitoring how it is working. This is why it is essential to track the results of what you send out and to respond and adapt accordingly. See here how tracking works. Not only can you see the overall response but you are given a list of 'hot leads' from those who click thru to the services/products you feature.

 

How are businesses using email

Three quarters of B2B marketers have increased both the number of email marketing campaigns and the volume of messages in the last 12 months, according to new research by B2B Marketing. The survey highlighted the growing reliance of B2B practitioners on email

  • 93% of respondents regard email as either an 'important' or 'critical' marketing channel.
  • 38% regard email as 'critical'
  • 7% of respondents claim their knowledge of this channel is 'excellent'
Comment:It seems the potential of email marketing is not being maximised by many B2B marketers. There is more to email marketing than sending out emails and hoping they connect. The skill is monitoring what does and doesn't work and adjusting accordingly.

Here is what one of clients said. "The ability to be able to track your readership through the logging system at Using the Net is very exciting for us from a marketing perspective. It's a real time measurement of whether we're connecting with our readership, and we avoid wasting time using the traditional "trial and error" approach."

For other testimonials click here


Mixed objectives for email marketing

  • Driving web traffic - 75%

  • Maintaining customer relationships - 73%

  • Brand building - 66%

  • Prospecting - 33%
Comment: Responses suggest that marketers are increasingly regarding email as a jack-of-all-trades tool, rather than playing to its strengths as a strategic relationship-focused mechanism. As a consequence, they are likely to be undermining email's effectiveness and ultimately its viability.

ROI increasingly in focus

  • Click-through rates were shown to be both the most commonly used email marketing metric - 63% while 37% said it was the most reliable metric

  • 'Open rates' are the second most commonly used metric - 59%
  • 'conversion rates' were found to be the second most important metric - 25%
Comment:This reflects the growing need for marketers to demonstrate ROI on their activity, and the increased need for accountability across the board.

The survey also found that

  • subject lines are the most widely tested variable by marketers seeking to improve the effectiveness of their campaigns - 70%.
  • copy/messaging - 60 per cent
  • time of day - 47%
  • the impact of email frequency, landing pages, segmentation or use of creative - 33%
  • Spam is seen as the chief threat facing email marketing - 28%
  • 'inbox overload' - 24%
Comment: This would suggest many B2B brands are still adopting a 'batch and blast' approach to email activity, with little attempt to refine or adapt their communications.

An evolving medium

Finally, the future for B2B email marketing looks good, although certainly not without its challenges. When asked 'What do you think the future holds?' the joint top responses were 'email will be used more selectively' and 'marketers will find new ways to use email'.

Comment Both responses acknowledge the fact that current levels and patterns of email usage cannot be maintained, and that for this highly effective channel to remain viable, brands must adapt or evolve their usage of it. If you company is sending out emails without tracking the results then over time you may undermine your marketing impact with your customers and potential clients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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