Reality: No, it isn't. Advances in email marketing software now make sophisticated techniques such as lifecycle, trigger- and behavior-based email programs possible for marketers at all tiers.

Research also supports moving an email program from simple broadcasting to a more targeted approach. Conversions in clickstream-based emails outpaced untargeted broadcast emails 4 to 1, according to a 2006 JupiterResearch study.

And, while targeted or trigger-based campaigns can cost more to produce (according to salary requirements), they also generate far more revenue, the study said.

Triggered campaigns on average bring in 171 percent more revenue than broadcast campaigns; lifecycle campaigns perform 389 percent better and clickstream campaigns perform 781 better than broadcast, according to the JupiterResearch report.

Why, then, do marketers resist these techniques? The most common refrain I hear is that they don't have the time, resources or expertise to move their programs to this next level.

Phooey!

Yes, they probably don't have the budget and resources that they should have (or, maybe they are getting what they deserve?), but who controls their time and priorities?

Some might be intimidated at the prospect of overhauling an entire email program. That's not necessary. One change at a time can effect a gradual makeover.

• Reallocate resources: Instead of sending two weekly "blast" messages, turn one into a trigger-based message. Pull some time from another project to create a lifecycle or trigger-based program. Once you do that, it can run virtually on autopilot thereafter.
• Analyze: Do the math. Compare a broadcast campaign to a targeted one -- even one as simple as emailing the entire list versus previous buyers. Show your bosses how it can pay to give you more money in the budget for additional resources and more sophisticated technology.
• Educate yourself: The "I dunno" excuse doesn't hold. In 2008 alone, marketers can avail themselves of any of several dozen email conferences, perhaps 100 webinars and new whitepapers and a thousand or more articles and blog posts on email marketing -- including dozens right here from the iMedia Connection site.
• Give it a shot: The longest journey starts with a single step, so the saying goes. Nobody says you have to convert your email program into an industry leader with the next campaign.
• Just do one thing differently with every message: For example, consider targeting recipients who clicked on a specific link in your last broadcast email, and test the results. That's all it takes to get started.

Loren McDonald is vice president of industry relations for Silverpop.