From Junk Box to Inbox

Can Spam Act, Do-Not-Email, Spam blockers, blacklists, junk mail filters. As technology evolves, so do laws designed to protect consumers from abuse of that technology. Marketing must evolve too, using honesty and creativity to build one-on-one customer relationships.

Almost half (47%) of U.S. marketers who advertise online want to build their databases, says JupiterResearch. But many spend too much time trying to get into the Inbox and not enough time listening to customers. Listen first, talk later.

E-mail can be your most cost-effective relationship-builder, but if done haphazardly, it may damage your brand’s image or the very relationships you want to build. Here are five steps to making — and keeping — good e-mail relationships.

Step 1: Plan pro-actively: Define what is of value to your customer, then define what is of value to your brand. Overlay the two with an emphasis on your customer’s needs when you set your message and measure results. Determine audience segments, communication frequency and reports you’ll need for post-promo analysis.

A skincare company doubled its member database in one month with an online sweeps promoted in Lucky magazine. Via the tie-in, the brand segmented its audience before collecting the sweeps data. By qualifying customers, you prime the canvas for successful e-mail campaigns.

Step 2: Engage and get the opt-in: Develop an experience that makes customers want to opt-in. Ben & Jerry’s grew its ChunkMail database — and encouraged Americans to register to vote — through an online sweeps with non-profit Rock The Vote. The first 50,000 entrants got a free music download from Apple iTunes, boosting sweeps entries and opt-in rates beyond goal (Hawkeye Group handled the promotion.). The rule of thumb: engage, get permission and build rapport.

Step 3: Get through: Nearly one-fifth (19%) of permission-based e-mail is blocked or filtered, per e-mail marketing firm Return Path. That cost marketers $230 million in 2003, according to Jupiter. To get through, first, get on your customers’ “Whitelist” of approved senders by domain or e-mail address. There are three times to ask customers for this: When they opt-in on your site for info, remind them to add your e-mail address to their Whitelist; send a follow-up “Welcome” e-mail that includes a reminder; then, each time you e-mail them, include a boilerplate message that e-mail may be blocked — unless they are on the Whitelist.

Meanwhile, register your company’s sending IP address with major players such as AOL and Yahoo. This identifies your company as a legitimate e-mail marketer. There’s no fool-proof way to get through, but being pro-active makes a difference.

Step 4: E-mail wisely: Be mindful of frequency, focus and content. Too many messages are a nuisance. But infrequent contact can weaken relationships and leave you with old, invalid data. Messages sent once a month or once a quarter, depending on your target, should be fine.

Make messages relevant by focusing on what your customers want and what you would like them to do. For example, a targeted Mother’s Day e-mail can generate immediate traffic with free shipping on gifts bought within a designated time frame. (Remember, too much complexity may keep customers from doing anything.)

In all messages, be clear about how consumers can opt out. If someone says goodbye, e-mail a single opt-out confirmation with a link to opt-in, should they change their minds.

Step 5: Count heads: Measure participation beyond open, click through and conversion rates. Track a promotion’s opt-in rate against your database to see if it generated unqualified opt-in customers who opted out soon after the promo. Track opt-out against each message. Use each campaign to sharpen the overall consumer profile and prepare for future targeting that will yield stronger results over time.

Stephanie Brown is CEO of Blue Torch Interactive, St. Louis. Reach her at [email protected].