E-marketing: the way forward

Times have changed: we are living in a world where the traditional marketing tools of print advertising and direct mails are no longer enough. They need to be supported by relevant and personalised digital campaigns that engage your audience to interact with your brand rather than just receive messages.

According to a report published by Forrester back in 2007 (Kim, 2007), the traditional 4Ps of marketing practice are obsolete and marketers must move to new marketing models if they are to ensure the continued success of their brands. This can only be more applicable now that businesses face the added challenges of the economic downturn.

The same article argues that customer-centricity is the answer but what does this mean for marketers who are looking for the best and most cost-effective way to communicate with their customers? It means presenting them with messages that are not only personalised and relevant but are in a medium that resonates with them. With the adoption of the internet already at 65% of households (ONS, 2008) and mobile internet usage also on the rise (Nuthall, 2008), potential audiences are not only larger but are becoming reachable wherever they are so the way forward for today's marketers has got to be e-marketing.
So what is e-marketing?

Search online for a definition of e-marketing and you will come across a myriad of sources, but they all essentially say the same thing: e-marketing is the use of digital medium to deliver the messages that help you achieve your marketing objectives.

The range of digital options available grows by the day it seems with the early methods of email and internet banner advertising, which are still highly effective, now joined by blogging, Facebooking, Twittering, search marketing and the personalised e-newsletter. Not only do digital tools let you easily segment your audience to deliver highly personalised messages they bring valuable budget efficiencies by enabling you to hit large numbers at low cost.

They also enable you to drive traffic to the areas of your website that you really want customers to interact with. So your e-marketing strategy must focus not just on your campaigns and means of driving customers to your website but also on the site itself. You need to ensure that when your customers arrive there from your banner ad, e-newsletter or Twitter campaign that the experience is dynamic and engaging so that they follow your call to action rather than bouncing straight back out again.

When sending e-advertisers and e-newsletters, the old school of thought was that you were likely to get better open rates and click throughs on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day. However, current research shows that if the content is personalised and interesting to your audience, they are more likely to open it no matter what time it was sent than they are a generic marketing message (Katz, 2008).

Presenting your customers with the right messages in the right medium is just one side of it. The other side is the measurement benefits that e-marketing brings.

Measurement is key

Digital campaigns offer more advanced tracking and measuring capabilities over their offline counterparts. Email and online links can provide a plethora of information about your audience way beyond the basic open and click through rates that are often a marketer's main focus. Although these rates are obviously important, what your customers do with the information once they've opened it is much more powerful data.

Link tracking can not only show you how many people clicked through, they can also show you what the end result was. Did they go on to buy your goods, join your community, download that document, or refer that friend? Whatever your call to action was, link tracking can show you whether it happened or not. You can also discover what else visitors did on your site to further extend your knowledge about your customers' interests.

You can then use this data to enhance the customer experience by ensuring that whenever they come back to your site you present them with personalised content based on the preferences demonstrated by their previous activity. In these days of irrelevant marketing overload, this level of e-personalisation can surely help your company to weather the economic storm.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to develop your e-marketing strategy to support the offline activities already in your marketing plan. Call ifour design agency today 01892 541111 or pop into our offices (Nr. Tunbridge Wells, Kent)


Works Cited

Katz, J. M. (2008, September 15). Consumer Interests Drive Email Opens. Retrieved April 04, 2009, from Forrester: http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,44921,00.html

Kim, P. (2007, July 25). Best Practices: Customer-Centric Marketing. Retrieved March 31, 2009, from Forrester: http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,42461,00.html

Nuthall, P. (2008, May 08). Mobile Internet Users Lead In Advanced Mobile Services' Adoption In Europe. Retrieved April 03, 2009, from Forrester: http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,45592,00.html

ONS. (2008, August 26). Internet Access 2008. Retrieved April 03, 2009, from Office for National Statistics: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iahi0808.pdf