Untapping Email's Potential
The days of "spray and pray" emails are over. At least that what customers keep telling companies, with their refusal to open irrelevant email messages and their upgraded spam blocking software. But unfortunately, many companies just aren't getting the hint. Volume rules in a lot of marketing departments, where cheap technology is the strategy behind blast emails that don't do anyone any good. In today's 1to1 Weekly lead article, Email Marketing Strategy at a Crossroads, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers look at the practice from the customer angle.
Marketers know that relevant and personal emails will get better responses, but knowing and doing are two different things. Pressure for results lead most to the traditional attitude of "the more, the better." But quantity and quality are two different things. Irrelevant messages can actually destroy customer value in the long run. Some companies are getting it right -- experts cite the travel, retail, and B2B sectors as particulary interesting -- but there's still a long way to go. What do you think? Is email strategy improving, or do mass email blasts still reign surpreme?
