September 09, 2008

Quickly Boosting E-Mail Productivity

iPost figures marketers need to get more bang from their e-mail campaigns. So they've formulated and bottled the classic, proven direct marketing tactic known as RFM (recency,frequency, monetary value) into an automated tool called AutoTarget that works withtheir platform and soon can be added-on to any ISP solution.

Since 96% of marketers use e-mail as a marketing channel, according to Forrester, VP Marketing Craig Kerr thinks, " Marketers don't need any more data. Most mid-tier companies don't have the time or the people to process all the data they already have. They need fast, easy and intuitive tools to help them use the data they have to get better results and bigger ROI from the e-mail campaigns they're running."

Its a simple premise aimed at kick-starting the use of metrics and analytics in a medium considered to be cheap, fast and somewhat effective. Take the most valuable DM concept -- the first, best cut at the data. Bake it into a tool that e-mail marketers can easily access. Upload purchase histories and e-mail lists. Spit out segments graphically. Get the most lift with the least effort.

And while AutoTarget will not be a substitute for a CRM system, a BI package or a stand-in for insightful thinking about segments, offers or creative, it will take the purchase histories of names on an e-mail list and in 24 hours parse them into 125 cells based on recency of purchase, frequency of purchase and cash value of purchases. Ranked from 111 for one-time low value buyers to 555 for frequent high margin customers, the data is displayed in punchy bar graphs to help marketing and executive types to quickly see patterns in the business which will drive decisions about where to apply their finite time and money for maximum incremental effect.

E-mail marketers get better results faster by abandoning the practice of blasting often and hoping for the best. Looking at the segments will give even novice marketers a quick feeling for which customers are most engaged  and which can yield the most incremental sales. Knowing this can lead to decisions about who to address, what to offer and how often to contact them -- basically a metrics-driven mindset in a box. The data will also help marketers make the case for the business value of the e-mail channel, which is often undercut by its low cost and frequent use.

Sep 9, 2008 10:38:14 AM | Email

1 Comment

EngagoTeam

Just wondering how long e-mail marketing (push marketing) will be successful?
Do you still open the emails companies are sending you?
No: you use Google to find whatever you want at the moment you need a solution to a problem.

Pull marketing is what is better suited to the savvy Internet surfer we all are becoming.
Then you need completely different solutions to identify the website visitor: know who is visiting your website (by company name).

Posted by: EngagoTeam | September 14, 2008 at 03:42 PM

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