Email Marketing Campaign Best Practices

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Online retail sales are growing, fueled by sophisticated email marketing campaigns with eye-catching creative and strong promotional incentives. But despite the proven value of targeting customers with the one-to-one communications available through email marketing campaigns, few companies are implementing programs that truly maximize the technology's tremendous potential.

Email marketing campaigns are many things to many people. Six out of 10 marketers say they rely on email messaging to retain customers and increase loyalty. Nine out of 10 online retailers use email marketing campaigns to drive incremental revenue, and nearly the same number (88 percent) use it to increase customers' purchase frequency.

With a focus on driving sales, email marketers increasingly are challenged to grow in-house lists. Marketers will have to be more aggressive in their list-building techniques. JupiterResearch reports that 21 percent of email marketers say the lack of effective sources to obtain opt-in email addresses is their biggest concern.  Eighty-three percent of companies rely on Web site registration to acquire email addresses.

Silverpop conducted a comprehensive study to bring into focus the landscape of email marketing currently being implemented by major U.S. companies. The data in the "2005 Retail Email Marketing Study" provides marketers with insights into best practices for the registration process, creative and messaging, and opt-out practices.