GUEST AUTHOR –EMAIL MARKETING
PAUL BATESsays it is time for marketers to nurture
e-communications and has hints and tips to further
the relationship between companies and customers. Fall in love with email
As it’s Valentine’s Day in When email marketing initially ignore content but email marketers should follow,
February, I thought it would be works at its best, companies can become increasingly angry keeping to the basics is often
timely to take a look at the way use it to deliver useful, timely –eventually distancing the best starting point for any
in which email, when used and relevant content to their themselves from the supplier. campaign.
correctly, can help strengthen customers with minimal costs. The best piece of advice I
the relationships between However, all too often, Avoid the pitfalls can give marketers, is to think
companies and their customers customers are presented with To drive deliverability upwards, about their customers as people
–and how, when companies ubiquitous, low value and email marketers need to make first and purchasers second.
misuse the technology, it can unimaginative content, which customers feel they are valued, In other words, think about
be one of the biggest causes of they direct –usually unopened rather than just a one line item all the unwanted emails you
resentment, hassle and –straight into their junk mail in a database of millions. While received this morning: what
heartache on both sides. folders. This means customers there are many best practices annoyed you about them? Then
check the emails you’re
Case study: love blossoms at World Dating Partners
preparing don’t have the same
annoying attributes!
World Dating Partners is a company to automatically emails that can
white label Internet dating carry out detailed database be sent out in
services provider. analysis to match each user’s any 30-minute
It enables companies to buy selected lifestyles, hobbies and period. This
and then brand a managed site profiles with relevant information is
web-based dating service purchasing opportunities. then fed back
without any of the associated This creates much more into the
start-up, management and targeted and personalised software and
maintenance costs. email campaigns, with content the updated
The company’s business is that appeals more specifically rules are applied
driven by email, which is used to each user. to World Dating
to communicate with all of its The company can now plan Partners’ email
21 million members worldwide and execute more campaigns marketing
and ensure client sites are within the same timeframe campaigns.
visited on a regular basis. –and each one is far more StrongMail
It’s not surprising, therefore, effective. handles all
to learn that the company As a result, World Dating bounce-backs,
sends approximately two Partners has seen a marked and provides
million emails per day to its improvement in the number of World Dating Partners’
Higher value
opt-in membership database. sales being made in response administrators with reasons for
I think it’s amazing that this
World Dating Partners knew to promotional email offers. each bounce, so it can be
level of introspection doesn’t
it had to make some changes The company has also taken addressed and the database
take place when email
to the way it approached email advantage of StrongMail’s Live amended accordingly.
campaigns are conceived and
delivery and carried out an Updates feature, which allows Site members have
executed.
in-depth analysis of the market. it to deliver emails that meet responded in an extremely
If your customers think
As a result, and after ISPs’ changing requirements. positive way to the company’s
they’re just being targeted just
recommendations from a StrongMail’s team works revised email marketing
because you want them to buy
number of different sources, closely with ISPs around the strategy.
something, they’ll immediately
the company selected world to understand their Far from seeing World
be turned off. If, however, you
StrongMail to provide a current volume and content Dating Partners’
can offer them something
dedicated digital content controls. This team gets access correspondence as ‘junk’ and
interesting or relevant, or some
delivery solution. to the latest information, just hitting the delete key, they
higher-value content (perhaps a
That solution has refined which, for example, might now take time to look at what’s
link through to a game, for
World Dating Partners’ include the number of being sent to them –and, most
example), they’ll treat your
database segmentation hyperlinks that can be used in importantly, are heeding the
email with more patience and
capabilities, enabling the an email, or the total volume of calls to action.
tolerance –and you’ll be more
likely to get a sale from it.
24 January/February 2009 www.dmi-news.com
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