In Focus

10 ways email marketing has fundamentally changed

Wendy Roth
Email Posted on March 24, 2010

10 years of evolution

At the start of a new decade, email remains a vital and valuable channel. But it's not the same channel it was in 2000. Important changes have transformed email from a one-to-one channel to one-to-many and back again. We know much more about what works and what doesn't, and we have the numbers to back it up.

Is email still cool? Sure. It's just not the same way it was when it was the shiny new toy that every marketer was scrambling to implement as the 1900s faded away.

The best email marketing messages are far more recipient-friendly, relevant, and useful. It's not about just spreading a company's message as far and wide as possible (and actually, it never was).

Instead, email today is about each individual recipient: how to gain and retain their trust, send them messages they find most valuable, and market to them where they are, regardless of browser, platform, device, or even channel. Email isn't just about email anymore, either.

Marketers who have recognized this fundamental shift and adapted to accommodate today's dynamic marketplace are the ones today who are reaping the greatest benefits from email: a high return and a loyal, engaged audience.

How has the email environment shifted over the last decade? Here are 10 valuable lessons we have learned that affect the success of email marketing.

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Comments

Georgia Christian
Georgia Christian December 23, 2010 at 5:10 AM

Thanks Wendy for this trip through email marketing history. I really appreciate your in depth look at 'then and now'. The industry has certainly evolved and it will be very interesting to see what the next few years bring. Thanks again.

Gloria April
Gloria April August 20, 2010 at 4:42 AM

Now email marketing is commonly used by businessmen but not all of them succeed. They should really care more about the feeling of the recipient. The existence of some useful email marketing services, such as Comm100 Newsletter---a tool that can send emails and newsletter effectively, makes it easier for marketer to send business emails to the inboxes of the targets. However, if they can't come up with good email contents, the results may turn out frustrating.

Jeffrey Fossum
Jeffrey Fossum March 31, 2010 at 10:10 AM

Great article! I love the way you were able to sew the email into the entire environment, instead of showing it as one more tool in the bag.

Thank,

Jeff

Rolv Heggenhougen
Rolv Heggenhougen March 24, 2010 at 11:47 AM

Email Marketing does not have to mean mass email!
Companies invest a great deal in their website which in many cases is their only "store” where they showcase products and services. The challenge is to drive people to the website but as we all know, more people in the store will lead to more sales. Corporate employees send emails every day to clients, prospects, friends and others but these are plain emails that do not generate any traffic to the website.
WrapMail – www.wrapmail.com - offers a solution that does not require any installation but that seamlessly adds interactive letterheads (designed by the client) to every outgoing email so that each and every one becomes a promotional piece for the company and when clicked delivers the reader to the website. Furthermore the solution tracks the clicks and reports who is clicking on what and when (also in real time), turning the system into a research tool.
This "hidden” advertising medium is probably the most viral available and the least costly, WrapMail only charges $5 per user per month.