More marketing experts have promoted the benefits of integrating social media and email marketing campaigns.

With social media allowing businesses to reach many new prospective customers and email still the preferred method for online marketing, numerous analysts have claimed that integrating campaigns will bring together the best from both platforms.

The most recent expert to make this claim is Greg Brown, a chief revenue officer and social media specialist. He told btobonline.com that email and social media both share an ability to “lift” other marketing channels.

By combining campaigns, he claims, companies can encourage people to spread the word about their business; forwarding the company’s URL onto their friends, relatives and other contacts. Doing this can mean one email finds itself replicated many times by the recipients.

This is also true of social networks, Brown adds; explaining: “Social surveys are another effective way to build your email database.”

By offering such “hooks” as free samples in exchange for contact details, businesses can establish databases of email addresses in the thousands – with many of these going straight to the users’ inboxes.

“Integrating social amplifies the impact of any email marketing campaign,” Brown told marketingpowerful.com. 

“…Those marketers taking a creative and engaging approach to social – with an intent to build on their powerful email marketing assets – will be the ones who pull ahead of the social pack.”

Businesses using email marketing services are better off sending messages during the middle of the week, according to new research.

A study of over a billion Australian marketing emails found that both open rates and clickthrough rates were much higher when sent between Tuesday and Thursday than they were at the beginning and end of the week.

Emails sent at the weekend had particularly poor statistics whilst Thursday appeared to be the optimum day to send marketing emails.

The study, titled The Big Australian Report, found that more emails were sent on a Thursday than any other day and that open rates (22 per cent) were also highest on this day.

However, Lifehacker.com.au report that clickthrough rates for emails sent on a Tuesday (nine per cent) were higher than those sent on any other day.

According to mumbrella.com.au, the statistics largely pointed to a general improvement on the success of email marketing as a platform.

Clickthrough rates have slightly improved over the last 12 months and this has been reflected in the amount of businesses using email marketing to promote themselves.

The number of individual email marketing campaigns has doubled this year alone, whilst the total amount of marketing emails sent in this time is reported to have risen by a third.

Email marketing and search engine optimisation are topping the list of tactics for B2B marketers to entice new clients.

A report in the 2011 MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook found 12 per cent and 11 per cent of B2B marketing budgets are being spent on e-mail and SEO respectively.

E-mail marketing services and SEO spending managed to see off competition from other channels such as telemarketing, direct mail or public relations, cites Top Ten Wholesale.

Content creation has also been cited as a good investment “as it can be repurposed on company blogs or social media sites”.

Social media content is also an option for B2B marketers, as statistics show the usage of social media has almost doubled. Only 52 per cent of B2B firms used the platform in 2009 as opposed to the 90 per cent that use it today. However, only 7 per cent of marketing budgets are allocated to social media enterprises.

This is not to say social media is less important than e-mail and SEO. Firms should calculate the highest ROI for each channel and decide from there.

Lori Feldman, a web marketing expert, told btobonline.com how digital based marketing exploits can help firms: “A social web environment is extra well-suited to building trust; generating and converting leads and proving a mechanism for sustained engagement.”

Rich-media mobile advertising can help customers remember a brand more-so than static banner advertising, a study has found.

In a two-pronged trial, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) used a combination of SMS marketing and rich-banner advertising to promote the John Lewis brand.

A panel of 1,024 people were sent an SMS directing them to a website that that contained both static and rich-media advertising banners for John Lewis.

Of the half that saw the static banners, just 3 per cent could recall the John Lewis brand half-an-hour later; whereas 24 per cent of those exposed to rich-media expandable banners remembered the high street retailer. This accounts for an eight-fold increase in brand retention.

All participants were unaware that they were being tested on the effectiveness of John Lewis’ advertising, explains a Marketing Magazine report.

The IAB also found that Android and iPhone users are 50 per cent more likely to recall an expandable banner than other smartphone users.

Commenting on the findings, Alex Kozloff, senior mobile manager at the Internet Advertising Bureau, said on IABUK.net: “This research proves how effective mobile can be for driving a brand message and especially the added value emerging rich media formats can provide.

He added: “It is particularly interesting to see the stand out that the expandable banners achieved with often difficult to reach audiences like high end smartphone users.”

The majority of mobile phone users have no problem sharing their location with marketers in exchange more relevant SMS marketing, a new poll shows.

A survey by media company JiWire indicated that 69 per cent of users were willing to share their location in order to receive location-based deals and reviews.

It also revealed that 92 per cent of respondents have invested in at least one local deal a month, indicating that Brits are becoming more receptive to mobile marketing campaigns than ever before.

Reacting to the results via marketwire.com, JiWire senior vice president David Staas claimed that the sky appeared to be the limit for businesses utilising SMS marketing.

He said: “The mobile revolution continues to evolve and we are seeing much higher adoption of mobile devices, services and offerings than ever before.

“Location is clearly a key driver of mobile commerce, whether it’s for finding local deals or engaging with major brands through location media. The early data suggests that this will be a major trend this coming holiday season.”

According to The Drum, Brits are most keen to use their smartphones to access locally-based customer reviews of products before they make the decision to purchase.

The poll suggests that they prefer to hear about local deals and offers via email marketing.

Email marketers should use natural language within their content, an industry expert has claimed.

Neil Berman, who has experience at the highest level of email marketing, has claimed that marketers who communicate more colloquially are more likely to build quality relationships with their consumers.

Berman said that marketers should ditch the typical sales spiel and write like they were talking to a friend or acquaintance. In an article for mediapost.com, he highlighted a particularly good email received from a website where he had been inactive.

The message which read, “Where are you? We’re getting the feeling you don’t want to hear from us anymore,” was praised for communicating like a human being and including humour.

A new report on marketingsherpa.com about email marketing relevance has highlighted the importance of creating a consistent ‘brand voice’ within email marketing messages in order to create expectations from consumers.

It read: “You want the tone of your initial email to match your brand voice so successive messages don’t surprise your subscribers or catch them off guard. The first content delivery should demonstrate value and establish the habit of opening your future emails.”

This suggests that those using an informal tone within the email marketing messages should do so on a consistent basis from the off.

Smartphones have become more popular than ever, with one-third of Britons now owning an iPhone, a Blackberry or another similar model.

Furthermore, increasing amounts of people are using them to access Twitter and Facebook – spending 43 million hours alone on the latter in December 2010.

The findings were published in a report from Ofcom, which detailed the communications habits of 2,481 adults throughout the nation. Of these, 52 per cent of males confirmed they had a smartphone and 42 per cent of women said the same.

However it seems to be teenagers who are most welded to their precious devices, as worryingly, two in three said they felt “highly addicted” to their handset – using it in social situations, such as at a play, when they recognise they shouldn’t.

Although the addictive side may be something to keep an eye on, the news may be positive for the mobile marketing industry. What’s more, it may give campaigns utilising social media marketing services a boost, as smartphones provide yet another platform on which to display social media content.

A spokesperson for Ofcom, research director James Thickett, told Thedrum.co.uk that the results clearly demonstrate how Britain’s values are changing.

He also revealed our behaviour is adapting to meet new technology, stating: “Ofcom’s 2011 Communications Market Report shows the influence that communications technology now has on our daily lives and on the way we behave and communicate with each other.”

Nearly half of Birmingham companies are using social media marketing services to tender new business, according to research.

Regus, a global workspace provider, found that Birmingham businesses are utilising social media platforms more than the rest of the nation (46 per cent compared 41 per cent).

Additionally, they are using them more effectively. Birmingham firms that use platforms like Twitter and Facebook are more likely to connect and engage with existing customers than anywhere else in the country (53 per cent compared to 48 per cent).

Greg Lunn, regional director at Regus, believes that social networking in the commercial environment has finally “come into its own”.

“And it seems firms in Birmingham are ahead of the UK average in many areas,” he exclaimed in a Telegraph.co.uk report.

“More and more companies are leveraging the channel not only to increase the loyalty of existing customers, but as a successful acquisition tool.”

Regus’ research states that social media marketing is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ commodity, but rather an invaluable necessity.

According to the report cited by BirminghamMail.net, three-quarters of businesses in the city and two-thirds of the UK agree that without social media activity, marketing initiatives cannot hope to be successful.

However, it also emerged that firms are still in favour of utilising a mixed media approach.

Without a balance of both traditional and digital media, 64 per cent of Birmingham firms believe a marketing campaign will fail, whilst nationally 61 per cent of businesses agreed.

Despite advice to marketers to integrate their email and social media campaigns, it seems that some are struggling.

New research by an independent marketer has found that whilst many European businesses are using email marketing (57 per cent) and social media (44 per cent), around a third are struggling to integrate the two.

It is thought that the new research could mean many businesses look to professionals to assist their email marketing campaigns to help them integrate all of their marketing strands into one successful campaign.

The study also suggested that consumers are started to favour online adverts less and less. As a result of this, an advert that keeps appearing on users’ screens will only serve to make them dislike the brand. If marketers don’t test their campaigns and the public reaction, amsterdamprinting.co.uk reports, they could be wasting money on ill-advised and badly perceived techniques.

Speaking to econsultancy.com, leader of the study Volker Wiewer explained: “The research confirms that there is a serious gap between marketers’ approach and what customers want.

“It’s surprising to see that less than half of the companies involved in this research are using social media and only a third have developed an integrated programme between their social media and email marketing. With the rise of global marketing there is also a danger that local trends are being missed.”

An industry expert is urging online marketers to choose their words wisely; when it comes to launching an email campaign, success is all in the eyes of the beholder.

Writing for Travel Blackboard, Adrian Caruso advised marketers to remember that, with a finite number of words, the opportunities for impressing and converting readers are slim.

In order to be “heard and appreciated,” he makes three suggestions on how to write better copy.

The first is to pick one theme and stick with it: “I think the biggest problem is too much content,” he says. “You don’t need to explain your entire field of expertise in each issue.”

Secondly, Mr Caruso recommends using a “human” tone, forget jargon and formality. Letting readers know that there is a person behind the communication will be “like a breath of fresh air.”

Use of language and accuracy is vitally important in the battle for sales, as they contribute toward overall perception of the business as respectable and reputable.

Entrepreneur, Charles Duncombe recently bemoaned the state of the nation’s spelling, warning that mistakes can cost online businesses dear.

“You get about six seconds to capture the attention on a website,” he told Management Today. “Getting the basics right is essential.”

Mr Caruso concurs; his third point urges marketers to ‘boil down’ the content through editing and copious revisions to produce a simple, succinct email.

New research has shown that email marketing remains one of the top ways a company can communicate with customers.

The study, published on Econsultancy, shows that as businesses look towards multichannel efforts to communicate with their consumers, email remains a popular avenue for firms across the board.

Figures show that 86 per cent of firms who utilise email marketing use it to send out offers promoting products by the firm; while 80 per cent preferred to use it for product updates and service updates.

In addition, 76 per cent liked the channel for sending and receiving feedback. Some 60 per cent used the service for customer service issues.

While customers “are not concerned” with the difficulty a business has managing a multi-channel campaign, firms need to make sure they are maximising their overall data collection in order to make the best decisions for their customers.

Richard Lees, an expert on multi-channel marketing, comments on the findings to Cup of Marketing: “Feeding information gathered from all channels into a single database will allow marketers to move from a ‘gut feel’ approach to informed decision-making based on actual customer behaviour.”

Mobile was cited as the one of the most unpopular channels in a campaign, with 95 per cent claiming the avenue was “intrusive for push messages.”

Click-through rates are the most important metric to professionals within email marketing, a new study has suggested.

A poll by researchers at BTOB online found that 27 per cent of marketers are more interested in a campaign’s click-through rate than any other metric.

Offer conversion rates and open rates were also highly important to marketing professionals but they appeared to be least worried about delivery and unsubscribe rates.

The research also suggested that email marketing remained a highly popular medium, as 96 per cent of respondents claimed they would either maintain or increase their email budget next year.

A source from rics.com suggested that the increased use of smartphones to access email has breathed new life into the platform whilst marketers were also responding well to email marketing software becoming more cost-effective.

A preview of the new research featured on btobonline.com attempted to explain the reasons why marketers were pouring more of their budget into the platform.

It said: “The price of sending mail is dropping and marketers are getting smart. A program that cost $4 million two years ago is now only $2 million.

“These are not things that cost a lot of money. It’s a matter of planning and executing – man hours versus spending any additional cash.”

Email marketers have advised on the benefits of using simple designs within their campaigns.

Cyber-business journalist Molly Motz has claimed that whilst emails should maintain an attractive appearance, marketers can save valuable time and money by avoiding complex designs.

She claimed that the growth of smartphones and webmail platforms on which consumers can view their emails has increased the need for simple email designs.

In an article for provirtualsolutions.com, Motz argued that email marketing messages which were sprawled across various parts of the screen were far more likely to end up in the trash folder before they’ve even been read properly.

She said: “The more bells and whistles, the more likely it is that a message won’t display correctly. What looks awesome in the message preview may look a mess in some mail clients.

“If you use a smartphone, notice which messages you actually read…chances are they are the one that aren’t a scrambled mess of blank spots on the screen.”

Visual communications author Milly Sonneman claimed that the simplicity argument applies to the content within email marketing messages as well.

Writing for selfgrowth.com, she claimed that messages which told a single story and finished with just one call-to-action were far more successful than those that go off on a tangent with a multitude of offers.

Email is a successful and inexpensive marketing tool, but only if used correctly, an expert has suggested.

Writing for business2community.com, marketing blogger George Passwater argued that despite claims that email marketing could be surpassed by social media, email is still the most relevant tool for online marketing.

He did, however, suggest that there are certain things marketers need to do in order to ensure their mail gets through and is not dismissed as spam.

Passwater argues that provided campaigns are well-planned, carefully designed, readable, shareable and readily tested, they should provide one of the most effective ways of marketing.

“For those successfully using email in their strategies, the email newsletter is key for keeping in touch with clients and nurturing leads,” he told business2community.com. ”Make sure you develop the newsletter around [your] goals and ensure they’re measurable.”

Passwater went on to suggest that the emails should be well-designed, with clear indicators of the ways in which to navigate to the website’s homepage. However, the email should not read like a sales pitch, he said, but instead the information should come first – offering the consumer all the details but without sounding too forceful with the sale.

Concluding, Passwater told Email Schools: “Email newsletters are not dead; they are very much alive and remain an essential element to successful content marketing. When you incorporate each ingredient, you have a checklist for successful email newsletters.”

Email marketing experts have outlined three main types of communication and the benefits that each offer.

Marketers have used the three techniques – single, repeated and coordinated - for many years, tailoring the type of marketing for the product or service it would be used to promote.

Explaining what each individual technique involves, marketing expert Martin Wright told mycustomer.com that a single campaign could be well-targeted and would ultimately cause a high, one-off sales peak. In the long term, however, it is unlikely to boost sales indefinitely.

Repeated strategies, Wright claimed, would also see a spike in sales initially, and would be more likely to see the results last a little while longer than their single counterparts. However, these too would eventually see a decay.

Co-ordinated campaigns, however, “particularly those that use multiple channels, can have a greater long-term impact on customer behaviour than simpler tactical or repeated messages,” Wright told mycustomer.com.

Wright’s comments were echoed by internet communications expert Tim Gibbon, who told myhermes.co.uk that successful long-term campaigns can only be achieved by marketers who are willing to “constantly evolve” and change their methods and tactics to accommodate developments in the online world.

By not evolving, Wright concluded, brands can inadvertently dilute their online presence and see a decline in sales and interest as a result.

Consumers are increasingly turning to social media to get their friend’s opinions before making a purchase.

This was one of the key findings in a new report that studied how social media and mobile marketing has changed the way that customers shop for goods and services.

A joint study by Knowledge Networks and MediaPost Communications found that in May 2011, 40 per cent of adults and teens accessed social media via their mobile phones. According to an eMarketer report, this was an increase from 28 per cent who reported doing the same in September 2010.

Blogs and social media posts were the most trusted online resources of friends and family. They were cited by 26 and 25 per cent of respondents respectively. Conversely, just seven per cent of people a trusted strangers’ blog or social content, and only five per cent their tweets.

Most of these people access these vital opinions whilst on the go, commented a study spokesperson.

“The on-the-go consumer is becoming more mobile in their social media usage,” said Chuck Martin, director of the Centre for Media Research at MediaPost Communications.

“This move to mobility combined with the increasing influence of social media during the purchase process has great implications for marketers, who will have to look at location as well as which product purchases are most affected,” he added on KnowledgeNetworks.com.

Overall, 37 per cent of respondents in ‘The Faces of Social Media’ study said that they trusted the spoken opinions of their friends and family about a brand or product, compared to only 10 per cent who trust what strangers say.

Offering rewards is a great method of getting consumers to opt-in to email marketing campaigns, an industry expert has claimed.

Practical eCommerce director Armando Roggio claimed he was witnessed newsletters add thousands of new subscribers off the back of reader competitions or prize draws.

This technique is a fantastic way to encourage customers to try out an email marketing campaign and often results in them sticking with it, he said.

Writing for practicalecommerce.com, he explained the importance of spotting and clearly defining one reason why consumers should sign up to an email marketing newsletter.

He said: “Having divined what motivates your customers and what you want to say to them based on those motives, be sure not to mumble.

“Don’t dawdle, dillydally, or stammer. Get to the point. State your proposition clearly. If folks should sign up to get “exclusive” offers, say so.”

On the subject of rewards, marketing journalist Nelly Bero recently pointed out how this tactic could be more effective than ever in an era where many consumers are bombarded with junk mail.

Writing for knol.google.com, she explained the importance of making sure that consumers knew exactly what they were providing their email address for.

She added that extensive promotion via a range of mediums such as company websites, shop displays and personal email signatures was essential.

Email marketing is a bigger driver of mobile internet commerce than SMS or social media.

A poll of 1,427 consumers has revealed that more are using mobile internet to complete purchases than ever, and that more than half have been influenced by email marketing to do so.

Results gathered by an email marketing company revealed that an email message had been the driving factor for 55 per cent of consumers making online purchases.

SMS marketing had been responsible for 45 per cent of mobile consumers’ purchases; whilst 35 per cent of respondents were influenced by Facebook advertising.

Tim Koff, a spokesperson for the poll, said that the results highlighted the importance of optimising emails to render on mobile phones.

Speaking to screenmediadaily.com, he said: “A majority of smartphone owners are now comfortable making purchases with their smartphones. However, as our Mobile Dependence Day report makes clear, smartphone messaging is driving purchases across all channels, online and off.”

“Marketers must therefore look to optimise their messaging in ways that recognise the consumer’s mobility and control.”

Bizreport.com revealed that around four in ten consumers were owners of a smartphone, and that more than two-thirds would choose to keep it over an iPad or similar tablet device.

The ’2011 Top Retailers Study: Benchmarks, Trends and Tactics for Better Marketing’ has found that countless businesses are missing vital opportunities to send out mail shots.

It also suggested ways in which this can be rectified.

Focusing on three key areas – social media integration, abandoned-cart reminders and opt in/out processes – the report looked at ways in which businesses can bring their campaigns up to scratch,

Considering the rise of social integration, the study noted how 78 per cent of businesses now include links to their social pages in emails, up from 2009′s figure of 60 per cent. Of these, 71 per cent include ’like’ or ‘follow’ buttons.

Head of the study, Loren McDonald, told Email Schools that the results for social were important as “using email to grow your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social fans and followers is clearly a good use of the email channel.”

However, despite the figures for social doing rather well, where follow-up emails for cart abandonments are concerned, the figures were not as rosy.

Only 17 per cent of the 500 retailers studied reported sending out emails after carts had been abandoned, despite those who did claiming that it accounted for their first or second largest source of revenue.

Concerning the results, McDonald advised on mediapost.com: “Don’t offer an incentive in the first email, but then perhaps a modest one in the second email and your most aggressive offer in the final email of the series.”
 

View our latest email marketing benchmark report

Take a look at our 2013 email marketing benchmark report (as featured on Econsultancy’s blog) and find out how your results compare.
 

Mobile marketing has the power to change all marketing and even supercede other technologies as the preferred platform for this kind of activity, suggests a new report.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) made this suggestion after considering that the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones offers marketers many chances to get their messages across in “innovative, creative and customer-tailored ways”.

However, they said, these opportunities are not yet being picked up on by many companies who could develop a “vigorous and original mobile marketing strategy” for a vast customer-base.

Direct Marketing International Magazine cites Mark Blayney Stuart, head of research at the CIM, who gave the example that more people now have mobile phones than bank accounts.

Despite the wide-spread reach of mobile users, mobile marketing campaigns must be addressed in the correct manner, said the report, and this includes issues surrounding privacy.

The whitepaper, It’s Not a Phone: A Future of Mobile Marketing, suggested that permission marketing needed to be respected by marketers and that firms should remain transparent and unassuming about personal details.

Blayney Stuart, who also described mobile phones as an “extension of us” said: ”Privacy has a value, like any other commodity, and as long as marketers are transparent about what they do with customer information, it’s possible to be permitted that value if you offer the right incentive.”

Testing your email marketing campaign in order to find patterns on what days/times get the best results will improve your open-rate, reports toptenwholesale.com.

Claudia Bruemmer, a marketing expert writing for the site, notes that beginning a campaign on a Monday or a weekend will garner the lowest open-rate. However, kicking off a campaign on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday “will get the best results”.

Email marketing services should note that early morning campaigns get the lowest rates, whereas midday or 1pm messages get the highest open-rate – creating a sweet spot of midweek at 12pm.

The frequency of messages is important “because you don’t want to overwhelm their inboxes,” notes Bruemmer. Usually, one or two messages per month will suffice for most businesses but monitoring open click-through rates to check the timing is right.

In addition, the actual content of the message of the most important factor of them all.

Bruemmer explains, cited by emailschools.info: “While email is a very powerful tool, its effectiveness is directly related to the quality of your content. Wholesalers and general merchandise vendors need to know how to engage users, how to offer incentives and how to ask for the click.

“Monitor the results of your campaigns with an analytics program to determine open rates, customer interest in various types of content, the optimum frequency of communications, the effectiveness of social media sharing and the success of your call to actions,” she adds.

Integrating email marketing with digital media can be useful for measuring its success, claims a marketing expert.

Gabriel Weiss, who is interactive marketing manager for Mitsubishi Electric, claimed that the hits that any digital media receives can be a fantastic indicator of how a marketing campaign can be improved.

In an interview for Direct Marketing News, he explained: “We can’t directly sell to the consumer, but we can provide the tools and needs for these contractors to answer any questions or objections and make the sale in the home.

“Then we can track this by seeing which testimonials are getting the most views, what tags are getting the most clicks from our literature, and adjusting from that standpoint on all the assets that we have.”

Experts have long believed that email marketers are best off having as many indicators of their success as possible. Those who in invest in quality email marketing software are able to learn plenty about how well their marketing emails are performing.

A source from pluggd.in stated that knowledge of an email campaign’s deliverability and open rates is essential for all marketers. A detailed domain report and a spam complaint rate would also be beneficial to users hoping to improve their campaign.

Email is the most effective marketing platform for gaining consumers details, according to new research.

A study by an unnamed regional retailer revealed that email marketing was more successful at gaining phone numbers than displays, event marketing, social media and radio advertising over the course of a week.

Considering the campaign costs the retailer just an hours’ worth of labour, it also proved the most cost-effective method.

58 per cent of the mobile numbers gained from the study came from email marketing, whilst just 18 per cent came from the next highest platform, display sign advertising.

According to practicalecommerce.com, the retailer was keen to conduct the experiment in order to improve his sms marketing campaign. He did this by advertising a competition where consumers could win free merchandise by texting in.

Writing for the website, web marketing journalist Armando Roggio explained how SMS marketing can be of great benefit to a retail business.

He said: “Text marketing, as a tactic, is known to drive immediate actions, and the retailer wanted to augment what it was already doing with social media, advertising and email marketing.”

Roggio pointed out that gaining additional information from customers could also help marketers send targeted email messages – a statement echoed by internet marketing company director Oscar Pardillo in an article for 1to1media.com.

Pardillo added that targeted messages help to build stronger customer relationships.

Businesses have been urged to build rapport with their customers before sending them sales-orientated emails.

Writing for 1to1media.com, marketing expert Oscar Padilla has claimed that unless businesses build trust and rapport with their customers, any contact with them could be ineffective or completely ignored.

Instead, Padilla claims, building a fore firm business relationship will make for much more accurate email marketing campaigns.

Claiming that the average person has three email accounts and over 200 unread messages, Padilla said that cutting through the noise can be a difficult task, but one that can offer huge rewards if done effectively.

Using the equation “custom content + preferred platforms = hyper-personalisation”, Padilla suggested that businesses can create marketing content that will be highly personalised and much more likely to get read or clicked through. Then, with each additional personalised email, brand awareness and respect can be grown further.

“Remember, one size does not fit all,” he told 1to1media.com. ”The best way for email marketers to avoid spam filters and the delete button is by taking the time to understand how a brand’s customers prefer to interact and applying that knowledge to an integrated and coordinated marketing campaign.”

Concluding, Padilla told emailschools.info: “Email marketing can be highly effective in creating consistent dialogue with customers, in turn cultivating strong customer relationships.” However the only way in which to achieve this level of efficacy is to create and maintain a strong relationship with customers, he said.

iPads have changed the way people read email, claims an email marketing expert.

Tom Sather, who is director at an for an email deliverability company, claimed that as well as changing the times people read their email, iPads should also change the way emails are designed by marketers.

Sather claimed that the growth of iPads has led to consumers checking their emails at all times of the day, eliminating the need for timing strategies.

In an interview with btobonline.com, he added that marketers should be careful that their emails are rendering on all types of applications.

He said: “Marketers need to keep in mind that a lot of people view their email as an app on their iPad.

“Gmail offers a webmail version for iPad that’s optimised for the device, and the same goes on with Yahoo; so a lot of people might be reading with those applications.”

Sather was reacting to recent figures revealed by MediaPost which stated that email access on the iPad has grown by 15 per cent within six months.

He recommended the use of HTML-5 for creating emails which could be properly accessed on a variety of devices. This technique also allows marketers to add video to their email marketing messages.

A marketing expert has outlined four ways in which email marketing is superior to social media.

Writing for Marketing Pilgrim, Chris Keller explained that email is more successful in terms of delivery, read rate, attention and usage in comparison to its social media counterpart.

Where delivery and read rates are concerned, Keller explained how email delivers the content directly to a source where people are actively looking to receive messages. Social media, however, is more a place for browsing and interacting on a smaller scale.

Furthermore, noting the direct message functions on such social media sites as Facebook, Keller said how many will only permit text and will not allow marketers to embed images in the body of the mail.

For usage and attention, Keller added that where 58 per cent of users check their emails when first going online, the figure for checking social media is only 14 per cent.

“People usually do first what they are most interested in or see as the most important,” he told Marketing Pilgrim. “It is still the primary source of communication online and is given the most attention.”

Concluding, Keller told Businessdistrict.com that: “Email marketing is currently superior to social media at attracting and getting new customers,” and that of the two, “email wins hands down.”

Experts have warned that without engaging copy, marketing emails will not be effective.

Writing for Internet Retailing, digital marketing expert Tim Roe urged that having customers opt-in is not enough and that far too many businesses are thinking that their work ends there.

Instead, Roe suggests that delivering relevant and well-timed email marketing will ensure that the content is not just opened, but read and taken note of.

He told Internet Retailing: “Until recently, retailers have been under huge commercial pressure to continue doing the same ‘load and blast’ mass email marketing they’ve always done.

“However, response rates are waning as consumers become fussier about the marketing messages they consume.”

Roe noted that with customers becoming increasingly choosy about what emails they open and which ones they delete (even from sources they have opted-in to), businesses need to go beyond just sourcing email addresses and focus more on the content they deliver and the time at which they deliver it.

Concluding, Roe told Email Schools: ”The best time to communicate with customers is when they are in a position to buy.

“Identifying this intent to purchase means your communications will be most relevant, more likely to go into the inbox and customers are much more likely to respond.”

Repetition is key to success in email marketing, an industry expert has claimed.

Greg Brown, who is director of marketing for an email software company, claimed that consumers must see the same message at least three times before they are ready to buy the product.

Writing for tmcnet.com, he claimed these repeated messages allow the customer’s trust in a company and the validity of an offer to grow.

However, business must showcase a tempting offer to their customer as opposed to simply presenting information in order to secure business, he added.

Small business coach Karyn Greenstreet agreed with Brown’s statements in a recent article for passionforbusiness.com.

She said: “When planning your marketing campaign, common marketing wisdom tells us you need to get your message out to the customer at least seven times before they’ll really pay attention and act on it.

“Daily repetition of the exact same marketing message will cause people to exit quicker than a skunk in a movie theatre – but a balanced packing of marketing messages plus a focus on what the benefit is to the customer will reap rewards every time.”

She added that repetition was particularly key within email marketing because it was particularly easy for consumers to become distracted using this platform.

Subscribers to a brand’s email campaign tend to outnumber its social media followers by around 80 to one, according to new research.

A poll of over 500 email marketing users found that brands had on average 70 times’ more email subscribers than they did Facebook ‘likes’, and 90 times’ more than they did Twitter followers.

Despite these figures, only one in ten respondents had included an email opt-in on their social media pages. An additional 38 per cent said that they planned to.

Loren McDonald, a spokesperson from the email marketing company which conducted the survey, claimed that this should always be seen as a useful tactic to attract more subscribers.

Speaking to Direct Marketing News, he said: “One of the key takeaways from the survey is the opportunity to take advantage of [seperate digital marketing channels] to grow each other. It’s not a zero-sum game.”

Questioning why businesses may be neglecting this tactic, McDonald concluded that they might not own their Facebook page, they may be afraid of turning off their Facebook subscribers or they might not know to add an opt-in button.

According to emarketer.com, the reason businesses deploy both email marketing and social media campaigns is firstly their ease of use and secondly their cost-effectiveness.

A poll featured on the website suggested email marketing was the most used channel amongst respondants but social media had massively grown in popularity over the last year.

Businesses are taking expert advice and integrating their marketing strategies across different platforms.

Following advice that the most successful internet campaigns are the ones which cross multiple channels, many businesses have now taken to integrating their email marketing campaigns with social media activity.

A recently published independent report suggested that as many as 96 per cent of marketers are currently undertaking a cross-channel marketing campaign or plan to within the next 12 months.

However, the act of integrating the campaigns itself is no easy task, with experts warning businesses to enlist professional help if they want to see real success with their campaigns.

Speaking on the issue, marketing expert Simon Robinson told mycustomer.com, “With so many new social and mobile platforms emerging, it comes as little surprise that marketers are finding it increasingly difficult to produce integrated campaigns and are less inclined to take responsibility for channels they don’t fully understand.”

In addition, industry blogger Nick Heys suggested that using multiple channels was not just about customer visibility and market saturation, but instead measuring their combined metrics would give a much more in-depth picture of the campaign’s success.

He told Fresh Business Thinking that businesses should ”collect customer feedback and use integrated email marketing and social media tools to gauge your impact and measure multi-channel responses.”

Hints and tips have been given on how to make the most of a mobile marketing campaign.

With smartphones more popular than ever, savvy businesses are now realising they can target customers and clients on the go via both email and SMS marketing.

As a result, marketing experts have been giving advice to businesses looking to use mobiles in which to get their message across, whether they are a B2B or a B2C company.

Marketing blogger Claudia Bruemmer suggested that to optimise content for use on mobile devices, businesses should ensure their emails are properly formatted. In doing this, she claims, information won’t be lost in translation or difficult to find when opened on a mobile web browser.

She also suggested remaining consistent with the “from line” in order to help readers identify you as the sender, as well as keeping the subject line direct and to the point.

Bruemmer told toptenwholesale.com, “As mobile devices out pace desktops and laptops, decision-makers are using their phones to conduct business and read email because of the convenience and portability.

“To get ahead of the competition, suppliers can start adopting mobile email marketing to expand their reach.”

Bruemmer’s comments were echoed by industry blogger Mike Hotz, who told clickz.com that mobile will soon look to overtake traditional desktop methods of getting online. ”As phones increasingly become the preferred gateway to the Internet,” he explained, ”having an effective SMS strategy and a highly engaged audience will become more important.

“Focus your future opportunities on building a mobile experience that fully enables customers to interact with your brand on their smartphones the same way they would on their laptops.”

Unopened marketing emails are still of value to businesses and customers, according to an industry expert.

Chad White, who is a research director and industry insider, claimed that companies can improve their reputation by sending customer-friendly emails, even if they’re not read.

Following recent evidence on Warc.com which suggested that email marketing remains a platform more popular than display ads and social media, White said that customers can be influenced to use a brand even if they only read an email’s subject line.

For this reason, it is very important to include calls for action within the subject line, he argued.

In the Media Post, White confirmed: “There’s…value in the subject line’s call-to-action, even if it’s not enough to entice an open. ”

“For instance, a subject line about summer apparel might serve as a general reminder for the subscriber to stop by their local store to refresh their summer gear. A good subject line respects subscribers’ time, making subscribers less likely to tune you out and more likely to stay subscribed.”

White was also keen to point out that buzz words that used to trigger spam filters are less likely than ever to see an email end up in a junk mail folder.

He said that sender reputation and engagement metrics were now more important to spam filters than content scoring.

Email marketing can be used effectively both before and after a purchase, experts have suggested.

Speaking to Clickz, marketing blogger Matthew Hayes suggested that with all the talk referring to sales generation, the idea of post-purchase email marketing can often be forgotten, even though it is one of the most effective methods for increasing brand awareness and driving more conversions.

Hayes explained to Clickz how “so much focus is directed to email acquisition and driving the first conversion that what happens next is ignored.”

“That is a mistake because the next stage of the lifecycle provides clear opportunities to set up some quick-win email programs.”

Giving examples of such “quick wins”, Hayes said that post-purchase marketing can keep a company in the mind of its clients, encouraging repeat purchases, make it easy to share both product information and guidance, as well as building the brand and creating “stickiness”.

By opening a forum for users to converse, share reviews and the like, businesses can foster entire social groups with just a few emails to users who have already made a purchase.

Whilst methods such as these are more retail based, Hayes added that it would only take minimum effort to repurpose the tactic to work for business-to-business clients. He told Fast Net Job, “Its elements can be modified [but] its purpose is to drive a second purchase.

“The timing between when the first purchase was made and when the second purchase email is sent is critical and will depend on your type of product. Use cross and up-sell product affiliations to drive the second purchase,” he added.

Relevant and regular email marketing campaigns are the most successful, an expert has claimed.

Writing for Start Up Smart, industry blogger Ned Dwyer has said that consumers are won over by engaging content but are extremely forgetful.

To combat this, Dwyer claimed that email campaigns need to be targeted, relevant, engaging and regular.

He said instead of feeling deflated by small responses to email marketing, marketers should instead focus on increasing the number by adapting their content. This will ensure their campaigns are operating effectively.

Campaigns also need to be regular, he said: ”Your product might be awesome, but the reality is, people are forgetful.”

“When they’re ready to make a purchase decision they might not remember your name – it happens every day. By touching base with them regularly about anything, from new features to new colours, they’ll keep you front of mind when they’re ready to buy.”

A BrooksReview.net blog echoed Dwyer’s comments, but suggested that when sending emails often, marketers should keep the content short and direct, or else risk people not reading the material in full.

The blog advised: “Tell me what I need to know and what you need from me.”

“Don’t waste my time asking about the weather or how business is going, just say what you need to say in a clear and concise manner. This helps people better understand you and makes you look smart.”

Small businesses are increasingly turning to the internet in a bid to find new customers.

That’s according to a report published by research company Bredin Business Information.

It found that small and medium businesses (SMBs) are increasingly looking online for their customers, instead of the more traditional methods.

The study compared 2011′s figures with those from 2010, and found that online mediums had rose significantly. Search and email marketing saw the biggest jumps, with search marketing soaring from 38 per cent to 74 per cent; whilst email newsletters jumped from 47.7 per cent to 73.5 per cent.

Other mediums – including social media – registered considerably lower, with Facebook hitting 65.2 per cent and LinkedIn registering 56.7 per cent.

Where effectiveness of a campaign is concerned, email marketing scored the highest of all mediums, with 78 per cent of businesses finding it a useful tool.

CEO of Bredin Business Information, Stu Richards, told eMarketer how some small businesses who are not well-versed in such technologies may struggle to get started.

He claimed: “There is a fair amount of learning that has to happen for each small business owner to know how to use and how to measure online marketing tactics.”

“In many cases, businesses are struggling, and there’s an opportunity to educate SMBs.”

In a press release on BBI Online, Richards added: “With the recession lifting, small business owners are all about finding customers, so they’re really looking to marketers for guidance… especially via resource centres, email newsletters and webcasts.”

The construction of separate email marketing campaigns for mobile platforms is unnecessary, an industry expert has claimed.

Melanie Attia, who is a product marketing manager and industry insider, said that there were only a few adaptations needed to optimise an email campaign for mobile devices.

Attia warned against marketers over thinking the differences between mobile and computer internet, following the huge rise in people accessing their email via tablets or smartphones.

Speaking to Biz Report, she stated that traditional aspects – such including 70 per cent content and linkable images – should remain exactly the same, with only slight changes required on the formation of subject lines.

Attia explained: ”As smartphones often only display four to six words in the subject line, make sure your most important content is upfront.”

“The two [most important pieces are] the email envelope, which is the sender name and the first five words in your subject line.”

She added that mobile content may need to be clearer and as easy to navigate as possible in order to achieve maximum success.

Just 16 per cent of email is currently viewed on mobile platforms but sources from AccuraCast.com have stated that the growth of new technology is likely to make that figure sky-rocket in the near future.

A marketing expert has outlined 7 key considerations for online marketers to incorporate into their campaigns.

Industry blogger Janet Kyle Altman recommended seven key considerations for email marketing campaigns, suggesting that adhering to them will afford marketers a successful but ethical result, earning them the trust of their customer.

The seven suggestions she outlined were: tell the truth, say it nicely, give credit and say thank you, protect your customers, treat your blog like journalism - not marketing, use ghostwriters with integrity and lastly, respect your customers. In covering all these bases, Altman claims, a campaign would not only be effective but be seen by the consumer as being trustworthy.

Altman claimed that with saturation of online campaigns, as well as the direct nature of such methods, trustworthiness should be central to any marketing campaign. She told startaneasybusiness.com, ”As we engage more directly with our customers, it’s more important than ever to be trustworthy.”

“Don’t write or say anything, anywhere, that isn’t true,” she added. “True is not a relative term – it’s black and white. If it looks grayish, don’t say it.”

Altman’s comments were echoed by Bloomberg’s Mark Peterson, who claimed that building trusting relationships between the consumer and marketer is the best way of creating an accurate campaign. “Make sure your customers see that you know who they are, what they like and what they can expect from you,” he suggested.

Marketers must ensure each email campaign caters for the rising popularity of mobile phones, a study has suggested.

The study, undertaken by an independent marketing research company, found that 48 per cent of email is consumed via web browsers such as Hotmail and Gmail; with 36 per cent coming from desktop programmes (such as Outlook).

In comparison, mobile use – whilst still at only 16 per cent – is growing at a much higher rate than the others, taking market share away from webmail platforms. Furthermore, mobile email access has grown by 81 per cent since October 2010 and looks set to continue to grow, with webmail continuing to feel the strain.

The study analysed over 130 million emails sent by more than 90 marketers. It also looked at figures for individual days, finding that weekends saw a rise in mobile use as desktop share fell.

Commenting on the results, lead author of the study Bryan Dreller told DMnews.com how the results came as a surprise to the researchers involved. He added: “I think what really surprised us is the very rapid growth on mobile as a proportion of all platforms.”

“I don’t think we expected to see that in just a six-month period; mobile viewership relative to its peers would nearly double.”

Dreller also spoke to Information Week, claiming that mobile had been “redefined” by innovations such as the iPad and tablet devices.

He concluded by saying: “According to our study, iPad viewership has grown 15 per cent between October 2010 and March 2011 and we expect to continue to see this percentage grow in the coming months with the recent release of the iPad2.”

“Marketers need to adapt to this change in where and when consumers are accessing email and online content.”

Chancellor George Osborne has encouraged schools to add smartphone app-design their curriculum.

In a move that could see schoolchildren could become the mobile marketing specialists of tomorrow, Osborne made the suggestions at the recent Google Zeitgeist conference in Hertfordshire.

His comments were part of a wider range of digital proposals he put forward; and he promised young learners the opportunity to take part in an “apps challenge” that will be based at the new technology hub in Shoreditch, London.

A treasury source confirmed the news, claiming that the government hoped to produce “a Zuckerberg or Brin of the future” through digital entrepreneurship – referring to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

After making reference to the pair, the chancellor went on to say: “We have been working with some of the world’s leading technology companies to ensure the next generation is equipped with the digital skills they need to flourish.”

Indeed, digital communication giants Blackberry and Intel have backed the proposals and have signed up for schemes that support young entrepreneurs. YouGov will also sponsor the scheme, which will provide business mentors, research and cash prizes for new internet companies – according to an HM Treasury statement.

Osborne could have the right idea, as smartphone apps (software applications) containing everything from games to mobile banking are the fastest-growing software sector, the Evening Standard revealed.

Analysts believe the industry will be worth £4 billion annually by 2015. Another £3 billion will be raised through companies supporting app design, like those involved in mobile marketing campaigns for example.

Businesses who redevelop and re-model their processes around smartphone technology will additionally raise £5 billion; making it a lucrative industry for young people to get into.

Small businesses in the UK are making over seven times less money online in comparison to larger businesses.

New figures from the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) have revealed that just 2.4 per cent of small businesses revenue is made online, a figure which could be greatly improved by utilising email marketing services.

Many business experts have stated that companies are missing out on masses of revenue by not marketing their brand on the web.

In an interview with is4profit, Phil Kingsland, of business advice website knowthenet.org.uk, said: “There remains a job to be done to help every small business understand the opportunities at hand and make the most of the net.”

“Whether you’re a start-up or have fifty staff, the internet has the potential to help you listen to customers, increase sales, or simply run your business more efficiently.”

Even if they choose not to sell products online, small businesses could certainly benefit from promoting their business through email.

The low cost, ease of use and ability to reach a huge target audience make the platform ideal for businesses with low marketing budgets, and there are many email marketing companies available to assist business owners who aren’t particularly web-savvy.

A record-breaking number of companies use social media marketing, yet they require more analytics to focus their campaigns.

These were the findings of IBM in its report, The State of Marketing 2011.

It discovered that a record-breaking 53 per cent of marketers use social media, but that they are struggling to to find the value of social channels without proper analytical insights, according to IEWY News.

Nearly 90 per cent of respondents in the IBM survey expressed an interest in a fully integrated marketing suite, whereby they can manage all their marketing campaigns and monitor their effectiveness.

This is a role in which social media marketing services companies can help businesses. Firms are more likely to understand how to harness the power of all marketing channels, not just social media, if they take advantage of an integrated marketing package.

Mobile marketing also was prevalent in the report. Over 40 per cent of businesses employ mobile marketing strategies, with another 20 per cent stating their intention to do so within the year. These statistics reflect the ever-growing ‘connected’ device market, said IBM.

Yuchun Lee, vice president of Enterprise Management Marketing at IBM, described the relevance of the results in more detail.

According to Brand-e Biz, he said: “As our annual survey reveals, the proliferation of technologies such as mobile and social media combined with the explosion of data pose a wealth of transformational opportunities for marketers in 2011.”

“Marketers are looking for ways to turn more marketing possibilities into better business results,” he added.

Nearly 300 direct marketers varying in size, industry and geographical location took part in the IBM trend report.

Email use amongst senior citizens sky-rocketed throughout 2010, according to new statistics.

Research by comScore, which measured use of email amongst U.S citizens in 2010, reported a 28 per cent rise in the amount of over-65s with an email account compared to the previous year.

There was also a 22 per cent rise in the amount of 55 to 65-year-olds using email.

These figures suggest that UK firms who are targeting older generations could definitely benefit from investing in email marketing.

A report on minnpost.com stated that although email use had waned slightly amongst 18 to 55-year-olds, this was no greater than the drop of other popular mediums such as television and online portals.

Reports of the boom in elderly emailers echo the thoughts of an article on dailyhelmsman.com, which suggested that older generations were increasingly embracing all forms of online media.

The report suggested that many are now using email and social media websites in order to keep in contact with friends.

72-year-old grandmother Lillie Moore told the website: “I know society thinks I’m old, but I want to still keep up with old friends and see my grandkids that live in Florida. Facebook, text messages and email make that possible.”

An expert has argued that marketing campaigns work best when using more than one method of communication.

Writing to internetretailing.com, technology blogger John Hayes suggested that Mark Zukerberg’s mis-quoted comment of “email is dead” couldn’t be further from the truth, and it was in fact social media that was driving its renaissance.

Hayes argued that when used in conjunction with social media campaigns, email marketing can become even more successful than it already was, utilising people’s preferences and habits to guide them in one direction.

He said, “Far from being the premature death knell of email, its the convergence of messaging systems and the formality afforded to email that is actually breathing new life into the medium.”

Instead of opposing campaigns, Hayes said, the two should work in tandem, with social media used to collect contact information, then email used to make the campaign appear more official.

Hayes added, “By co-managing your email and social activity you are able to optimise the frequency of touch-points with your customers without being too obtrusive.”

“In an ideal world, your social network should closely match the names in your email list to guarantee maximum effect.”

His comments were echoed by marketingvox.com, which claimed that cross-pollination “will help marketers better integrate their social, email, mobile and local marketing strategies.”

While Facebook believes that “email is probably going away”, ClickZ has reaffirmed that email and its marketing practices are very much here to stay.

Following the comments by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, cited by Business Insider, Simms Jenkins, a marketing expert, has compiled a few statistics to demonstrate that email marketing is still a driving force.

According to Jenkins, nearly two-thirds of companies will increase spending on email marketing in 2011. Furthermore, nearly half of daily deal subscribers were excited enough about them to say they “can’t wait” to see the latest deals in the messages.

One of the most critical metrics was that the vast majority of responding companies (72 per cent) rate emails as “excellent” or “good” for return on investment.

Jenkins suggested that Facebook should target its emails, akin to how professional marketers approach their consumers: “Facebook, you know my birthday, where I work, and even what my kids look like. Surely, you can deliver to me some more targeted and customised offers based on this treasure trove of data you keep on me and others, right?”

“These emails cry for for more calls to action, maybe another button, and something visually compelling that get people to learn more and take advantage of these offers,” he added.

Big businesses are increasingly putting email campaigns at the top of their marketing strategies, reports suggest.

The success of such ventures as Groupon, where tailored offers are sent daily to the participants via email, has prompted many businesses to look once again at email marketing over and above its text and social media equivalent.

With in-depth metrics allowing marketers to test and analyse every aspect of a campaign, its supporters have claimed that email marketing is by far the most relevant, accurate and bespoke marketing tool in use. This has been echoed by Scotch whisky manufacturer Johnny Walker.

The brand has publicly announced its aim to favour email marketing channels over any others, citing metrics as the primary reason for the shift.

Email marketing expert Lance Broumand told mediapost.com why email’s popularity has endured, saying ”At the end of the day, there is no more personal medium than email.”

“I’ve always been confused by those who don’t truly value their email lists,” he added, “and I think it really comes down to just a lack of knowledge about what’s available and what that opportunity truly means.”

Jim Haynes, an expert in online trends said that emails can only grow further. He told einnews.com, “It is projected that the number of worldwide accounts will grow from over 2.9 billion in 2010 to over 3.8 billion by 2014.”

“And with similar response rates but higher ROI potential than direct print marketing, due to much lower costs, the future looks bright for the continued relevance of email marketing.”

SMS mobile marketing is an essential part of the marketing mix, due to “its reach, pervasiveness and acceptance by customers.”

That’s according to Dr Pieter Streicher, a marketing expert writing for The Media Online.

He also noted  that SMS shortcodes help elevate marketing schemes through customer engagement: “SMS shortcode campaigns are one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to transform a static channel such as a point-of-sale promotion, in-store posters or on-pack special offers into the start of an immediate conversation with the customer.”

“Grab the customer on the spot when they literally have the product in their hand and allow them to enter a competition, access a discount on the product, give their feedback or sign up for future value.”

In fact, engaging customers as soon as they sign up to an SMS service – even if it is a simple ‘thank you’ message – is essential to continue communicating with the individual.

SMS shortcode campaigns can also be scalable depending on budget and other requirements, Streicher said, before adding: ”SMS shortcode promotions and competitions are an immensely effective customer acquisition tool and a way to kick-start campaign engagements.”

This followed advice from Search Engine Watch that argued initially, it’s best to “start with an aggressive bidding strategy” when it comes to mobile marketing.

Business that use email marketing could benefit from promoting the environmental benefits of the platform, according to an industry expert.

Writing for Biz Report, Melanie Attia stated that very few businesses were making the most of the good deed they were doing by emailing users the latest news rather than sending out leaflets or mail in the post.

The marketing journalist said that by promoting their green practices, businesses could encourage users to deal with them ahead of less environmentally aware firms.

She said: “Promote your good deed in your email campaigns. While it may not make a difference to everyone on your opt-in list, there are many consumers who prefer to develop relationships with businesses that participate in the green movement and will choose to buy your products or services because of it.”

Attia went on to suggest that encouraging consumers to forward emails on to friends rather than print them out could also have a positive effect on potential customers.

Furthermore, a source from theinvertedgaze.com stated that businesses that weren’t using green marketing platforms like email or SMS marketing could be missing out on serious savings.

The website estimated that an average of two per cent of total business revenue was spent on printing costs.

An expert has suggested that in a market saturated by social media and text marketing, email campaigns should work hard to stand out.

Rob Smith warned that with marketing media being so prevalent, emails can often be deleted without second thought.

As such, he suggested segmenting campaigns and regularly testing them to make sure they can be used to the best of their ability.

Too many businesses, Smith warned, just create generic emails and send them to everyone on their mailing list. Instead, they should spend time creating tailored content and sending it to those who it is most relevant to.

In doing so, businesses can expect their recipients to be much more willing to click through and even purchase.

Smith confirmed the views in Fresh Business Thinking, claiming: ”The three words you need to remember to help you stand out are: segmentation, personalisation and testing. Any decent email marketing allows you to deliver on all three.”

Smith’s comments followed those of fellow marketing expert, Julia Rogers, who claimed that that even though there is market saturation, email still has the upper hand on its more relevant peers as it is one of the more trusted mediums.

She told SmallBusiness.aol.com that: “In spite of the fact that it has been around longer than social networking and many other forms of digital marketing, studies show that email marketing is still one of the more effective methods of engaging your customers.”

Three business experts have teamed up to offer a comprehensive list of do’s and dont’s for email marketers.

President of the Sales & Marketing Institute John Coe teamed up with marketing experts Gary Skidmore and Ernan Roman to compile the list of common mistakes found across all different strands of email marketing.

They advised companies to benchmark campaigns against their own, in-house results and to disregard guide figures. In concentrating fully on their own targets, the experts advised, businesses will have a more bespoke and conclusive idea on how their campaigns are doing.

Skidmore also advised against constant lead generation and instead suggested that companies should focus directly on a comprehensively planned out email campaign. “Most marketers rely too much on standalone mediums that aren’t sufficiently focused on generating demand,” he told BtoBonline.com. “Direct marketers today should commit to a more disciplined and programmatic approach to multichannel marketing.”

Elsewhere, the trio advised engaging directly with customers and giving them the chance to communicate back. They suggested that active dialogue is a sure-fire way of enticing people to return time and time again, as well as make them favour the business more.

“Marketers need to be more humble in engaging customers to define what they consider “relevant” content,” Roman said, “most of the content today comes from people sitting in conference rooms talking to themselves.”

Their comments follow those of content blogger Ardath Albee who told Marketing Interactions that content needs to be constantly fresh, updated and tested. “One of the things marketers often forget is that the value exchange has to be as beneficial to our prospects as we expect it to be for our companies.

“Go review your content offers and ask yourself what you can do to improve the odds that your prospects will keep on shelling out their attention, information and interactions to pay for your content.”

Emails can be used to create conversation and drum up interest in a product, a marketing expert has claimed.

Email marketing blogger Mark Schmulen told Fresh Business Thinking that email campaigns should be used as part of a wider marketing strategy to encourage people to interact with a brand on numerous platforms.

Interaction on forums and the like is something long associated with social media, with its encouragement of users to strike up conversations. Schmulen said that marketers can use this to their advantage and use email campaigns to guide consumers to their other media outlets.

He added that emails should still be the first point of contact, but should be used to guide them to other promotional outlets. “In other words,” he told Fresh Business Thinking, “you light the fire in your email and fan the flames to full intensity with social media.”

Schmulen’s comments follow on from a debate over whether email marketing or social media is the best way of interacting with a customer base. Most analysts, however, have since claimed that using the two together will add up to greater than the sum of their individual parts.

Marketing analyst Christopher Hosford is another to promote this idea, telling BtoBonline.com that “well-integrated marketing strategies” are ones where more than one medium is utilised.

“Each channel has its particular strengths,” he said. “Increasingly they are being combined by marketers intent on exploiting those qualities.”