Email Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

Taken from http://www.silverpop.com

Gone are the days of brochure-like mailings that rely solely on the novelty of email and the Internet in general to get the kind of response needed for a successful email marketing campaign. As the Internet continues to evolve, so do recipient expectations. Customers and prospects expect a new kind of relationship with the companies they do business with—one that anticipates their needs, focuses on their wants and gives them a measure of control.

The future of email marketing in a Web 2.0 world must embody the desire to connect with the customer on a personal level. Here are a few tactics for operating in a Web 2.0 environment.
Talk to Customers IndividuallyUsing Web 2.0 technology, marketers can not only send personalized messages, they can send completely different messages to each recipient based on the recipient's behavior. Dynamic content can be created using a variety of factors including purchase activity, service inquiries, or downloading a coupon/white paper/newsletter, etc.

Because dynamic content allows you to build messages based on specific recipient characteristics, it is one of the best email marketing techniques for improving targeting, controlling frequency and driving relevancy. However, despite the success of dynamic content in lifting response rates and increasing relevance, marketers have generally shied away from it because of its perceived complexity and difficulty. But marketers working with one of the select number of sophisticated email service providers have found that integrated platforms take away much of the pain, leaving all of the gain of dynamic content. In fact, JupiterResearch found that 44 percent of email marketers using an ESP incorporate dynamic content into their email campaigns, compared to just 25 percent who use in-house applications.

Dynamic content delivers substantial benefits, particularly in a Web 2.0 world, where consumers demand higher levels of relevance than ever before. Email campaigns based on dynamic content help companies enhance customer relationships, loyalty and lifetime value.

Dive into AnalyticsHaving a targeted, sophisticated email campaign is only half the battle. Capturing your progress and analyzing the results is another facet essential to successful email marketing. To truly understand the results of your campaign, you must look beyond the basics of opens and clicks.

With the next generation technology of Web 2.0 comes sophisticated email marketing platforms that have reporting and analytics features that allow for massive amounts of data to be condensed into simple and actionable information. This information can be used to answer key questions to boost your bottom line results.

For example:
Does geographic location affect results?
How does gender or age impact the likelihood of clicking a specific link?
Analyzing information can give marketers significant insight into the thoughts and habits of their most active customers as well as those with only occasional or rare interaction.
Build Brand Along with ROIDespite all of the whiz-bang features of many Web 2.0 technologies, there is still no substitute for good, old-fashioned brand recognition. Even the most inactive customers will be less annoyed and more inclined to open the occasional email if it’s from a company they know, trust—and although not always interested—appreciate receiving offers from.

Keeping your brand in a favorable light with recipients can have a high return-on-investment in the long run. Consider the following tactics for a good relationship with strong brand recognition:
Establish and cultivate a trusting relationship with the recipient through relevancy and timing
Use your brand name in the subject and/or "from" line so recipients immediately recognize you as a sender whose email is safe to open

The availability of advanced and user-friendly solutions make marketing in a Web 2.0 world less intimidating. For more tips on email marketing in a Web 2.0 world, download the newest Silverpop white paper, "Web 2.0 Email Marketing: 5 Steps to Unrivaled Results."