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November 23, 2008
The E-Mail Challenge. Or, Why Print Isn't Dead.
Today, I logged into my personal e-mail account and mercilessly deleted dozens of e-mails from companies whose e-mails I opted-in to receive. I used my caller ID to avoid any calls from numbers I did not want to talk to. I discarded a host of junk mail. BUT, I did keep the coupons and catalogs from the stores I enjoy shopping at or whose websites I use regularly.
Now, I am no Luddite. In fact, I am a dedicated online marketer. I blog, use Twitter, follow multiple blogs on my RSS reader, have accounts in multiple social networks. At work, we develop and support Web-based applications for marketing, so I spend every day immersed in online media.
In my personal life, I am a marketers dream. I am a proficient gourmet cook, enjoy fine wine, travel globally, pursue active sports including cycling and kayaking, am a decent carpenter/woodworker, an avid reader, and even find time to work out at least five days a week. So, I have lots of "things" I need. I read the NY Times, Wired, BusinessWeek and one or two other business journals in print...everything else I get from online.
The point? While I read some of the consumer-oriented e-mail I get, I am more likely activated by traditional media sources that provide solid sensory impact. I pour through e-mail at lightning speed and delete anything that is not top-of-mind...meaning if I have no pre-existing reason to be looking at REI merchandise, I won't even open their e-mail. Of course, when I when I need a new cycling jersey, I would be inclined to open an e-mail if one was in my Inbox. And, when I open it, I am really engaged. But, then again, I don't typically start shopping in e-mail. Usually, I just log onto the EMS or REI site first...
E-mail is a powerful medium, but to rely on it excessively (a common problem in B2B markets) -- whether in B2B or B2B context, is to risk missing opportunity. The most powerful marketing strategies cross media venues, and let users define the medium most preferred. Good advice as we approach the most clogged season for e-mail marketing!
Posted by jcioban at November 23, 2008 8:17 PM
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