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Plug-ins: email marketing

Email marketing is no longer a one-to-many communications strategy. Our experts offer up their best advice to help marketers take advantage of consumer expectations.
 

A call for email détente: efficient marketing

Rob Price, Eleven

Almost every time I wind up on some company's email database, I get punished for it.
 

Profiling is not a dirty word

Keith Flint, strategy director, Sudden Impact Marketing

If I don't know you, I won't read your email. Unless what you have to say appeals to my puerile sense of self-interest. If you aren't a friend or trusted source of international cycling news, I won't look at your tweet — no matter how clever. I'm a marketer's nightmare.
 

Four metrics that matter

Matt Blumberg, chairman and CEO, Return Path

For a marketing department to succeed in 2012 and beyond, marketers need to be analytical, focused on return on investment and deeply embedded in the data that makes their programs hum. When it comes to email, many marketers focus on all the wrong things.
 

To cloud or not to cloud: an email marketing perspective

Liam Kelly, L-Soft International

It used to be that IT outsourcing was for small businesses without the resources to maintain their own hardware and staff. Not anymore.
 

Manage marketing data and triggered emails

Diane Buzzeo, Ability Commerce

Email marketing, considered the first line of customer engagement, leads the charge to increase Web traffic and drive sales. However, setting up an email service independently relies on a large time and capital investment.
 

Segregate append data from regular email subscriber list

John Murphy, ReachMail

Email appending gives you the ability to reach your postal-only contacts by email.
 

Examine KPI activity to test, refine tactics, restrategize

Liz Bross, The Agency Inside Harte-Hanks

Email key performance indicators (KPI) include traditional metrics such as delivery, open and click rates, but that's just the beginning.
 

Email measurement: the missing ingredient

Dan Smith, ClickSquared

Are marketers effectively using email to get closer to their customers? If email is the least expensive, most trackable and easiest way to understand customer behavior, why aren't more marketers using it to its full potential?
 

Drive email aquisition with frequent social media posts

Ryan Tuttle, BrightWave Marketing

Your social media networks can be a major source of acquiring new email addresses for your subscriber list. It's a myth that social is "killing email" or that social users prefer to use social networks exclusively to communicate.
 

Email marketing powers ROI and social media pollination

John Hayes, iContact Corp.

A permission-based email list is a beautiful thing. Some may see it as a bucketful of names to throw product and promotional information at. Others see it as cash cow, ready to be milked at every opportunity. I see it as something far more valuable.
 

Grow your subscriber base with smartphone technology

Jeffrey Rohrs, ExactTarget

Fortunately, the rise of social media, smartphones and the mobile consumer have expanded the ways in which brands can generate new opt-in email subscribers.
 

Plug-ins: email

Email marketing enables marketers to deliver custom messages directly to an in-box that many consumers check multiple times a day. Best of all, consumers have opted into most email databases, meaning they've already expressed interest in receiving communications from that brand.
 

Success relies on balance of mobile and email strategies

George DiGuido, VP of email marketing, Zeta Interactive

Reading and sending email are two of the primary uses of a mobile device. Considering this, those responsible for digital marketing must make an effort to optimize their strategies to be effective and efficient in a mobile environment, especially given the growth in the marketplace.
 

Three tips for delivering best-in-class email campaigns

Melanie Attia, product marketing manager, Campaigner Email Marketing

Before marketers shuffle their entire direct mail budget to email they should understand the value of compelling subject lines, graphics and mobile optimization.
 

Leverage retention in email campaigns for more profit

Nick Heys, founder and CEO, Emailvision

When you are in the midst of executing an email or social marketing campaign — rushing to meet deadlines, pulling together creative, copy and 
getting approvals — it is easy to lose sight of your campaign objectives.
 

Reduce risk of email data breach

Steve Webster, chief strategy officer and cofounder, iPost

The recent headlines about email data breaches have rightly caused all of us to review our security procedures and policies. No system is perfectly secure, but there are steps to take in order to avoid a breach.
 

Social e-mail creates loyalty and customer engagement

Susan Tull, VP of marketing, BlueHornet

Brands use social media in two major ways: creating a social presence on networking sites to communicate with consumers and monitoring what's being said about their brand online.
 

Winning the e-mail opt-in battle

Richard Harrison, president, SMTP.com

Marketers can easily find themselves caught in a difficult situation when it comes to maintaining opt-in e-mail lists.
 

Successful e-mail marketing relies on data and timing

Joel Book, principal, marketing research and education, ExactTarget

Marketing supports two primary business objectives: business getting and business keeping. Fortunately for marketing professionals, e-mail has firmly established itself as the most cost-effective tool for accomplishing both objectives.
 

E-mail resolutions to attract and keep customers in 2011

John Janetos

When your e-mail program is profitable and running smoothly, don't get complacent.
 

An up-to-date e-mail list can trump even search engine marketing

Bill Kaplan, CEO of FreshAddress

What could be better for an online marketer than being able to tell his or her boss that their company's keywords have propelled it to the No. 1 spot on Google?
 

Upcoming e-mail legislation: friend or foe?

Dennis Dayman, chief privacy and deliverability officer, Eloqua

Most of the world already has some sort of privacy data protection in place, but laws are constantly being updated to keep pace with changes in the industry and data use. E-mail spam laws usually aren't as quick to catch up, but there are some major changes coming to e-mail legislation next year.
 

E-mail's role in building an effective loyalty program

Dan Smith, SVP of marketing, ClickSquared

There has been explosive growth in loyalty programs in recent years. But are they all effective? How can loyalty programs be best used to engage and retain customers? Where does e-mail fit into a loyalty program?
 

Yahoo Mail offers new engagement opportunities

Tom Sather, director, professional services, Return Path

Yahoo recently unveiled a new webmail interface worldwide, codenamed "Minty," which follows on Hotmail's recent makeover and Gmail's release of the "Priority Inbox."
 

Search, e-mail team up for synergized marketing

George DiGuido, VP of e-mail marketing at Zeta Interactive

Marketers understand that both social media and e-mail marketing are here to stay. We hear a lot about these topics, but another tool is often left out of the discussion — search.
 

Build your e-mail list following five strategies

Curt Dalton, CEO, The Internet Time Machine

Internet users are becoming pickier about the number of e-mails and the types of e-mails that they sign up to receive.
 

Post-purchase e-mails can unearth greater revenue

Loren McDonald, VP of industry relations, Silverpop

Sophisticated post-purchase messages can turn existing customers into brand ambassadors and drive significant incremental revenue.
 

Understanding your e-mail reputation

Spencer Kollas, senior director of delivery services, StrongMail

Reputation is an interesting phenomenon within the e-mail industry. But what does the term really mean? And, is it only your reputation that can affect your delivery rates?
 

Avoiding e-mail overload

Mark Smith, EVP, Portrait Software

Did you hear the one about the mobile phone provider who increased customer churn by actively marketing to customers? Or the one about a bank that realized 45% of its direct mail budget went towards reducing sales by 8%?
 

Leverage social media with the inbox for better returns

Sam Cece, CEO, StrongMail

Social media has the potential to increase the value of an e-mail for both the brand and the consumer.
 

Unlock transactional e-mails and boost cross-sell rates

Kevin Mabley, senior VP, strategic and analytic consulting, Epsilon.

Metrics show that transactional e-mail messages significantly outperform typical marketing messages in all forms of engagement, including inbox delivery, opens, clicks and conversions.
 

Eliminate wasted efforts through 'uplift' modeling

Mark Smith, EVP, sales and marketing, Portrait Software

E-mail campaigns can prove tricky if approached incorrectly, causing the marketer more harm than good.
 

Managing mobile messages requires a more holistic view

Dave Lewis, CMO, Message Systems

In our current techno-centric world, it's not just about getting the right marketing message to the right people.
 

Address cart abandonment with remarketing e-mail

Sally Lowery, director, demand generation, Bronto Software

Remarketing through e-mail is a valuable tool, but many organizations underuse this tactic.
 

Increase conversion rates by digging into customer data

Ross Kramer, CEO, Listrak

One of the best ways for Internet retailers to engage customers is through behavioral remarketing.
 

Email creates a doorway for dialogue and data capture

Rusty Warner, VP, product marketing, Alterian

Compared to traditional communication vehicles, email marketing has the potential to create powerful customer interactions at a fraction of the cost.
 

Tie email to in-store traffic to stimulate offline sales

Laura Saati, VP, retail practice, e-Dialog

The relationship between email and the offline world isn't always friendly.
 

Prepare for the inbox marketing of the future

Nicholas Einstein, VP of deliverability and strategic services, Datran Media’s StormPost Inbox Marketing Business Line

Now that ROI is the cornerstone of most sophisticated digital marketing programs, e-mail is front and center and will continue to play a key role moving forward.
 

Four tactics for flawless e-mail marketing plans

For an effective e-mail plan, list your marketing goals, then identify which type of e-mail can help you reach each goal.
 

Simple is often best with mobile email marketing

Len Shneyder, senior product marketing manager, Unica

The most well-received email marketing creatives are simple.
 

Deliver value by beginning with original creative content

Simms Jenkins, CEO, BrightWave Marketing

While it's easy to fall into e-mail marketing traps such as lackluster content, sending too often or neglecting to test or segment, these are all digital crimes our industry needs to avoid. Here are four rules to help guide you:
 

Email lists inherently shrink, fight the trend with analysis

Lora Downie, senior email analyst, Catalyst

Subscribers are undoubtedly your best assets. Yet, most marketers are so focused on getting their next email out the door that they don't take the time to give their subscribers all the attention they deserve.
 

Strive for e-mail list growth, but don't sacrifice quality

Derek Harding, CEO, Innovyx

When it comes to e-mail marketing, the quality and management of your list are essential.
 

Local strategies add energy to e-mail marketing efforts

Betsy Miller, director of marketing, Blueport Commerce

New technologies are helping retailers to better target consumers with promotions as they shop online or through their mobile devices as they walk into their local store.
 

Search and email team up for synergized marketing

George DiGuido, VP, e-mail marketing, Zeta Interactive

Marketers understand that both social media and e-mail marketing are here to stay. We hear a lot about these topics, but another tool is often left out of the discussion — search.
 

Today's competitive inboxes transform e-mail marketing

Matt Blumberg, CEO, Return Path

Internet service providers (ISPs) and large webmail providers are not that different from you. If you are fighting for wallet share, they are fighting to be a priority inbox.
 

Marketing emails can prevail in an age polluted by spam

David Cacioppo, president and CEO, emfluence

Deliverability reigns in the world of email marketing. It has since the beginning, but the rules change often enough that it's always a relevant discussion.
 

Advanced e-mail tactics can shed light on new customers

By Joel Book, principal, ExactTarget Marketing Research & Education Group

Used properly, nothing is more effective and efficient for driving new and repeat sales than e-mail.
 

As e-mail programs progress, remember basic practices

Ashley Johnston, VP of marketing at Experian Marketing Services

When it comes to e-mail, many progressive marketers focus on the 'new' — mobile campaigns, social network integration and attribution modeling. Unfortunately, this means that they let their more basic programs run on autopilot.
 

Follow 10 best practices for e-mail success

Danny Flamberg, managing director, digital strategy & CRM, The Kaplan Thaler Group

To optimize e-mail marketing, you need to take concerted action to stand out from the increasing din of other online marketers.
 

An e-mail marketer's guide to an increasingly mobile world

By Sara Ezrin, senior director of strategic services at Experian CheetahMail

The fast adoption of e-mail-friendly mobile devices and the increasing receptiveness of mobile advertising by consumers presents a big opportunity to e-mail marketers.
 

Make e-mail marketing the linchpin of holiday planning

Ed Henrich, SVP, professional services, Responsys

This year's holiday shopping season will be another tough one for retailers. Marketers have more channels than ever for sending out promotions, but e-mail remains the linchpin of integrated digital marketing programs.
 

How to prepare for the 'second filter:' priority inboxes

Riaz Kanani, alliances director for Lyris

Google has generated plenty of attention with its Priority Inbox, ranking e-mails based on user interaction with messages. What's more, Hotmail and Yahoo have similar plans.
 

Inbox Insider: Video e-mail marketing on the rise, with hurdles

The use of video in e-mail marketing is growing, but it also presents a range of challenges for marketers. Video e-mail marketing firm Flimp, the Web Video Marketing Council and e-mail service provider ExactTarget recently published a report on video in e-mail.
 

Preparing for future deliverability changes: data is key

By Tom Sather, director of professional services at Return Path

Recent filtering changes at the ISPs are making many marketers unsure of their next move. Here are just five examples of the data already available and how to use it.
 

Inbox Insider: Marketers should converse with consumers about e-mail prioritization

The e-mail marketing industry is abuzz, discussing the impact of Google's launch of its 'Priority Inbox' feature in Gmail.
 

Do your e-mail recipients know you and do they care?

By Eric Groves, SVP of global market development at Constant Contact

In the build-up to the holiday shopping season, there's a need to reach as many people as possible with our campaigns, but some are forgetting the basic tenets of permission-based marketing — particularly when it comes to e-mail.
 

Google's 'Priority Inbox': 4 things to know

Melanie Attia

This week Google revealed its Priority Inbox. It's great in theory, but it's based on algorithms having to do with replies, not abstract decision-making.
 

Inbox Insider: Education is key to understanding social media marketing

Brands are welcoming e-mail marketing firms' efforts to expand their services to include social media. However, it can also cause headaches for those who don't know how to use these bells and whistles properly.
 

E-mail marketing: the social outcast?

Jessica Shieh, digital strategist for AgencyQ

Although I wouldn't consider myself a 'shopper' per se, not a day goes by that I don't receive some form of communication from at least 10 different retailers offering me their latest and greatest deals.
 

Preference seekers are the sweet spot in your e-mail strategy

Andrea Orvis, group director, strategic services at e-Dialog

You may know that your e-mail list includes stay-at-home moms, in-store shoppers and bargain hunters, but there could be another influential segment hiding in plain sight: preference seekers.
 

Inbox Insider: How do you define mobile?

Last week, I had a very lively chat with Sam Cece, CEO of StrongMail, about what services he wants to add to the e-mail marketing company's offerings. It came as no surprise that mobile is at the top of his list.
 

Inbox Insider: Social media impacts e-mail marketing strategies

Earlier this week, Marc Haseltine, manager of e-mail marketing at the National Geographic Society, told me about some new social media initiatives the organization is launching.
 

The Big Picture: Where you should really start when planning e-mail strategy

Josh Mabus, founder of the Mabus Agency

The efficacy of e-mail advertising is one of the most polarizing debates in modern marketing.
 

Inbox Insider: Personalization is the new black

We all know that relevancy is a term that is very fashionable. However, personalization is becoming more the trend these days.
 

Building a foundation for effective e-mail campaigns

By Michael Thompson, director of deliverability and ISP relations at ClickSquared

Effective e-mail campaigns require two critical elements: good list hygiene and an understanding of customer preferences.
 

Inbox Insider: Be excited, not afraid

Last week, the Direct Marketing Association's E-mail Executive Council launched a YouTube channel to create a more contemporary platform to evangelize about e-mail marketing.
 

Inbox Insider: Want to be 'down with the kids?' Don't pander

I had several interesting conversations about e-mail marketing to teens while working on an upcoming feature about college marketing for our August 9 issue.
 

It's all about who you know

As we know, e-mail marketing is one of the most valued tools in direct marketing.
 

Synergies abound between e-mail and social

George DiGuido

Brand loyalty and customer engagement are at an all-time low as more companies are vying for attention in an increasingly crowded and competitive landscape.
 

Inbox Insider: E-mail drives sales away from the inbox

Given that e-mail is the choice form of communication for many consumers, it's no surprise that its influence on offline sales, brand advocacy and discovery is high.
 

Improve your customer data and your ROI

Doug McCrea, board member at AcquireWeb

Marketers have the best chance to strengthen their brands and boost sales when their messages are properly delivered. However, improving the quality of existing customer data - particularly with up-to-date email addresses - is sometimes a daunting task.
 

Inbox Insider: A lot has changed in e-mail marketing

DMNews launched the Inbox Insider column in 2007, and since then, we have addressed the range of issues facing e-mail marketers. A lot has changed since it launched three years ago.
 

Inbox Insider: E-mail measurement should be standardized

E-mail marketers are driven by measurement, but e-mail measurement metrics are not standardized across the industry.
 

The secrets of global e-mail deliverability

Bertrand Van Overschelde, regional manager, North America, Emailvision

As an online marketer you know that business have no boundaries and you need to reach customers around the globe. Developing economies in Asia, Eastern Europe and South America are growing at a faster pace and provide interesting opportunities to grow your business.
 

E-mail marketing stretches nonprofit

Chuck Hester, communications director, iContact

In this era of stretched budgets and lack of resources, it can be difficult for businesses to effectively stay in touch with their constituents. Those in the nonprofit arena arguably have a greater burden since they dealt with these challenges before the economic downturn.
 

Inbox Insider: Subject line discounts improve e-mail offers

Marketers have long debated the best way to send consumers offers through e-mail. They question how much they should give; when to give; if a percentage off works better than a flat fee; or whether giving a discount or coupon trains customers to expect similar deals via e-mail. Speaking as an e-mail subscriber, I appreciate a good offer.
 

E-mail and Social Media: Everyone has a Job to Do

Dave Parsons, account director, e-Dialog

"You simply can't have an effective social media program without an e-mail component." This bit of wisdom comes from Paul Gillin, author of The Secrets of Social Media Marketing, and they are words that every marketer should live by.
 

Inbox Insider: Industrial marketers turn to e-mail

E-mail marketing is an important tool for business-to-business marketers. It is common that we hear about Microsoft, Dell and other businesses using e-mail newsletters to communicate with existing customers. Interestingly, industrial marketers are also using e-mail to reach out to their customers.
 

Dads and grads means marketing opportunity

Wendy Lowe, Regional Development Director at Campaigner

To many businesses, June is a busy month - because it's the month to pick up extra revenue from those shopping for "dads and grads." E-mail marketing is an effective way to target these shoppers. Let's take a look at some tips and ideas to get started.
 

Inbox Insider: E-mail marketing is going beyond e-mail

Some brands are expanding their view of e-mail marketing, reflecting that consumer inboxes now receive information from social media news feeds, RSS feeds, news sources and search ads.
 

E-mail and social synergies: Driving acquisition and engagement

George DiGuido, VP of e-mail marketing, Zeta Interactive

Brand loyalty and customer engagement are at an all time low as more companies are vying for attention in an increasingly crowded and competitive landscape. This has only increased with the additional messaging customers are receiving from networks like Facebook and Twitter.
 

Inbox Insider: E-mail service providers break the mold

E-mail marketing service providers are becoming more than just that. They are transitioning to social marketing providers, mobile marketing companies, behavioral marketing firms and so on.
 

Inbox Insider: Marketers should merge e-mail and mobile opt-ins to build lists

E-mail and mobile technologies are becoming ever more entwined. E-mail marketers should take advantage of these multiple touch points and use them to build their lists.
 

Better e-mail is three steps away

Danny Flamberg, SVP and director of interactive marketing, Juice Pharma Worldwide

Marketing is a process of nurturing interested prospects from the awareness and info gathering stages through preference to conversion. E-mail has become our tool of choice because it's widely used and accepted, flexible, easy to change or update and it's cheap.
 

Inbox Insider: Virgin America ahead of other travel marketers on targeted e-mails

I love to travel, and it feels like half of the e-mails I get are from travel companies, whether online travel agencies, airlines, hotels or online travel magazines. Some of the e-mails are great, but some aren't, and targeting has a lot to do with that.
 

Drive sales by tapping e-mail

Michael Caccavale, CEO, Pluris Marketing

E-mail marketing is gaining significant attention from all quarters of the marketing value chain as firms seek to reinvigorate their approach and tap this abused channel to drive customer value while simultaneously lowering overall marketing costs.
 

Inbox Insider: E-mail marketers push last minute Mother's Day deals

The economy may be recovering, but many brands are still offering a range of Mother's Day incentives and deals. 1-800-Flowers.com, See's Candies and Bloomingdale's have each distributed e-mails in the last week pushing gifts for mom and offering discounts.
 

Process makes perfect

Michael Thompson, director, deliverability and ISP relations, ClickSquared

When it comes to your e-mail programs, are you on your toes or your heels? With e-mail marketing, you can shift from a reactive posture to a proactive stance that lets you engage and control interactions with customers. But how do you get to a proactive position?
 

Inbox Insider: Hotels.com takes advantage of Cinco de Mayo

May is just around the corner, and marketers are taking advantage by launching e-mail campaigns promoting the month's holidays. For one, Hotels.com has launched a push for Cinco de Mayo, featuring sales at Mexican hotels.
 

Cross-channel audience analysis and re-marketing

Anto Chittilappilly, president/CTO of Visual IQ

Most e-mail and database marketers do some level of audience analysis on their e-mail lists to find patterns and propensity to convert. Some of them join these databases with the richer demographic datasets provided by companies like BlueKai or eXelate to further improve their models.
 

Inbox Insider: Exclusive communities help to move inventory

E-mail is a great way to connect with communities. It's also an effective method for selling inventory through exclusive offers. I recently signed up for Gilt Groupe's fashion e-mail newsletter, as well as the company's Jetsetter's newsletter. Both do a great job to build community and move inventory.
 

The year of social media marketing accountability

Ryan Deutsch, VP of emerging media, StrongMail

It is time for interactive marketers to start holding social media marketing accountable. Many times, early adopters of marketing technologies become enamored with the solution they champion, instead of taking an analytical approach that will ultimately facilitate its development.
 

Improve e-mail marketing with universal profile management

Brian Deagan, co-founder/CEO of Knotice

A more modern, customer-friendly approach to e-mail marketing focused on message relevance is yielding great results. However, gathering and combining all of the useful bits of marketing data used to develop marketing segments and strategies is a difficult process. Direct digital marketing software has evolved rapidly, and marketers should demand their e-mail marketing platform contain a universal profile management system.
 

Relevant e-mails avoid 'mental opt-out'

Mark Smith, EVP of global sales, Portrait Software

How many times have you opened your inbox to find the same old message from a company that seems to contact you almost every day, offering a product or service for which you have no current need? If you're like most of us, you'll probably simply press "delete" rather than scrolling to the bottom of the page and unsubscribing. Thus, although you haven't physically opted out of the e-mail list, you have mentally opted out of e-mails from this company.
 

Inbox Insider: Tie your marketing e-mails to consumers' passions

Marketers don't need to have the most exciting products to reach consumers, as long as they tie those offerings to consumers' passion points. For instance, just in time for Earth Day, April 22, online file-sending service YouSendIt is using e-mail to promote its services as environmentally conscious.
 

"Be Stupid".... It's all about ROI

Al DiGuido, CEO of Zeta Interactive

Walking down Fifth Avenue last week, gazing at the passing retail store displays, I came across one that stopped me in my tracks. There, in the center of the window in nearly five foot letters, bellowed the words: "Be Stupid." Two towering smiley faces flanked the proclamation. This provocative marquee called attention to a collection of mannequins in varying poses sporting the latest in tight-fitted Diesel jeans. The irony of the advertising sold the point. Instead of trying to look "smart" in your clothing like everyone else, it beckoned viewers to break the rules, set their own style, and just "be stupid."
 

Inbox Insider: Spammers take advantage of news events, holiday marketing

To catch consumers off guard, spammers keep on top of the news, then send timely e-mail attacks. That's why spam attacks spike around major news events, such as an election or the Census, or holidays such as Christmas, Valentine's Day or Mother's Day.
 

Smart marketing: Prospect your prospects, not your customers

Todd Boullion, president of UnsubCentral

Many companies will use e-mail this year to prospect and uncover new sales leads. This is no real surprise given e-mail's unmatched ROI and targeting capabilities. What I wonder is how many of these companies and their agencies will actually remember to scrub out their customer lists before launching their prospecting efforts?