ATLANTA, December 6, 2006 - The age-old challenge for marketers has been not only identifying customers but also figuring out what makes them tick -- determining which campaign elements move them to buy and which don't. And according to a new JupiterResearch survey commissioned by Silverpop, a leading email service provider, these challenges continue to confront marketers today in the fast-paced world of email marketing.

The survey polled 422 email marketers and agencies email marketers about their challenges and the assistance they seek from ESPs. Nine out of 10 respondents use or plan to use an ESP or similar application within the next 12 months.

When asked what their greatest challenges in conducting email marketing are, 34 percent of marketers report that a lack of customer data is the highest hurdle they face.  Thirty-two percent struggle with analyzing campaign results.

"The ability to analyze customer data in meaningful ways is more important than ever for marketers," said Elaine O'Gorman, vice president of strategy for Silverpop.  "Driving Web site traffic, personalizing content and improving ROI can't happen without sufficient levels of customer data and sophisticated analysis of that data."

She noted that while email campaigns can provide a rich source of information, marketers often not only need more robust reporting tools to better understand campaign results and prove ROI, but also to better understand the customers they are targeting.

Consequently, it's not surprising that when seeking the assistance of an ESP, four out of 10 marketers sending 50,000 or more emails a month look for customized reporting capabilities from within an email marketing application. Thirty-eight percent identified the ability to program reoccurring campaigns as important.  Campaign triggering capabilities also ranked high at 35 percent.

"These concerns marketers are feeling tell us Silverpop is on the right track in terms of focusing on robust reporting capabilities and other advanced functionality," O'Gorman said.  "As marketers move toward increasingly sophisticated email campaigns, they need increasingly sophisticated email marketing solutions that provide them with the reporting functionality and analytics needed to maximize results."

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