Marketing emails ‘becoming less relevant’

The e-Dialog E-mail Attitudes Report 2010, which surveyed 2,000 British consumers, revealed that there has been a 34 per cent annual increase in the number of people who feel the marketing e-mails they receive are irrelevant.

However, of the 13 per cent of people who do feel that e-mails have become more relevant, 17 per cent claim this is as a result of opting out of e-mails which are not of interest or that they no longer wish to receive.

This suggests that web-savvy British consumers are prepared to correct the issue themselves if they feel a brand is still not getting the content right.

Simone Barratt, MD e-Dialog International commented: “I find it surprising that another year has gone by with companies still failing to send relevant e-mail messages. However, brands do have compelling content at their disposal, and many consumers are better at ensuring they receive just what is of interest to them. By giving the consumer the power to manage their preferences, brands can be certain they are sending relevant emails because they have been  guided by their customers..”

Fifty per cent of people never use the ‘share with a friend’ feature

Fifty per cent of us have never used the “share with a friend” button in an email, suggesting that marketers should reconsider the ways that the success of a campaign is measured.

Compared to 2008, it appears that consumers are now more likely to share a marketing e-mail with friends or colleagues, with 37 per cent of us saying that we would forward a mail, an increase of 31 per cent overall year on year. Women are consistently more likely to share a marketing e-mail, with 40 per cent claiming they forward on these messages, compared to 34 per cent of men.

Barrett continued: “The discrepancy between respondents who say they forward messages and those who say they use the “share” function means that the measurability and reach of a campaign may be skewed and may not demonstrate the true success of a campaign . With campaigns so often judged on the ROI, brands need to consider other points along the customer lifecycle where they might be able to gather relevant information to maximise success.”

Social media and multi-media content less valuable than special offers

While perceived relevant e-mail content varies amongst individuals, special offers are still rated most highly by consumers, with 47 per cent stating this as their preferred type of marketing e-mail, followed by delivery and shipping update information (24%).

However, the use of social and multimedia content failed to rank highly compared to promotions and should not be considered the cure for failing e-mail marketing campaigns. 69 per cent of people said that links through to social networking sites would not drive them to click through to a marketing e-mail to look at customer reviews. Links to multimedia content proved to be just as unpopular, with 69 per cent again saying they would not click through to a marketing e-mail to access such content.

Barratt commented: “The results clearly demonstrate that while social media has not yet achieved mainstream acceptance, it is an increasingly important part of any e-mail marketing campaign as it provides an additional platform for driving online engagement with a brand, particularly with the younger, more tech-savvy generation.”

“The challenge for e-mail marketers in 2010 will be how best to incorporate  promotional activity in e-mail with other activity taking place across the online spectrum. Email marketing can play a powerful role in encouraging multi-channel engagement and we recommend brands review their email activity to ensure they are optimizing the channel.”

Barratt concluded: “This year’s E-Mail Attitudes Report has quite clearly demonstrated that while significant progress has been made in e-mail marketing, brands still need to improve the targeting of  campaigns if they want to shake off the ‘irrelevant’ label which many Britons apply to the marketing messages they receive. Better targeting, and a clearer understanding of the desired content will set them in good stead for more effective campaigns in 2010.”

Research methodology:

This survey has been conducted using an online interview administered to members Maximiles UK’s panel of approximately 1.9 million UK individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys. Maximiles is an Esomar World Research Member.   All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from Maximiles UK.  Total sample size was 2,000 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 19th December 2009.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults.

Source: www.e-dialog.com

********************************

Get Netimperative updates on Twitter