Tools that can rid marketers of the spam effect

Interactive opt-in e-mail tools allow for a much more sophisticated relationship with customers. Is the end of ‘spam’ in sight?

In a recent “spam” attack that brought the Pipex server down, a call was made by the European ISP association to adopt a code banning unsolicited e-mails unless customers opt in.

It’s natural that a “spam” attack of this size should spark a strong reaction, but we should beware of over-reacting. Not all promotional e-mails are “spam” – some e-mails, even high-volume mailings, may be permission based.

It is tempting to buy an e-mail list or try to e-mail your whole customer list. But it’s a question of getting the balance right. EDM (Electronic Direct Marketing) is a cheap and fast way of reaching a large number of people, and it allows for highly segmented direct marketing programmes. It’s the difference between using your information to maximum benefit, employing a range of appropriate communications throughout the customer lifecycle to convert and keep customers, or indiscriminately “spamming” a list bought at random.

The more precisely targeted your marketing campaigns are, the more successful they will be. Blue Square, the online betting agency’s “best practice” permission marketing campaigns have shown a 100 per cent opt-in rate. Last year’s Euro 2000 campaign enjoyed a 15 per cent response rate.

The flip-side of this is lack of permission. It is easy to block a “spammer”, so one strike and you’re out, you’ve lost that customer for good.

Gaining permission and using a “best practice” marketing plan is a much better long-term strategy. And this isn’t limited to simple “opt-in” boxes. There are a variety of sophisticated tools available. For example, companies can take the “opt in” choice a step further with progressive profiling. This is where customers can request e-mails, but have the choice of opting out of certain areas they are not interested in. So customers can choose to receive, say, travel update e-mails but can opt out again once they’ve booked their holiday. Meanwhile, they can opt in to receive music offers.

The EDM market is still fairly new, so it’s a great opportunity for marketers. Of course there will be those that misuse the power of e-mail marketing, but it’s a short-sighted decision. If you choose to take the long-term view, the market is yours for the taking. Speaking on the consumers’ side, let’s hope the good guys win.

Terry Wilcox is marketing director EMEA of Kana Communications

Recommended

Mirror to move M magazine publication date to Saturday

Marketing Week

The Mirror is moving the publication day of its successful women’s magazine M from Tuesday to the weekend in a bid to boost its circulation on Saturdays. Readers will receive The Mirror newspaper, TV listings magazine The Look and M magazine on a Saturday from February 10. M will be replaced by a smaller newsprint […]

HHCL lands £7m SafeDoor account

Marketing Week

Securicor has handed the £7m account for its SafeDoor Internet venture to HHCL & Partners. SafeDoor, which will allow consumers to register financial details with Securicor and shop with participating online retailers without submitting credit card details, launches in spring and is the company’s first move into e-commerce. John Ayling Associates will handle media buying […]