Learning from the Numbers: BullData in 2008 - Marketing Watchdog Journal

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		November 2008, Issue 57

Spotlight on Analytics
Learning from the Numbers:
BullData in 2008
By Tom Pearson, Marketing Communications Specialist, Bulldog Solutions

A Look Back on 2008: Reviewing the Trends

In each issue of Marketing Watchdog Journal, we share the survey results we collect from attendees of our events in a feature called BullData. Because the economy will likely make the coming year a rocky road for BtoB marketers, we thought we'd take a look back and revisit some of our BullData information that may suggest ways to operate more effectively in 2009, especially in the realm of e-mail marketing.

Fighting E-mail Fatigue

Our June BullData poll was particularly interesting. In response to the question "What is your biggest challenge in connecting with the IT buyer?," 34% said "information overload." Too much information is a particular problem in the IT space, but we think it's an endemic issue and certainly one that lies at the heart of the surging phenomenon "e-mail fatigue."

A November 2007 MarketingSherpa survey found that 36% of e-mail marketers said that swamped in-boxes were the biggest challenge facing e-mail marketing.¹ Things haven't improved much, at least according to BtoB magazine, which just put out a special "2008 E-mail Marketer Insight Guide”. The topic of its lead article? "How to Fight E-mail Fatigue."

Making your existing e-mail marketing strategy work better is certainly one way to fight the fatigue, and it looks like most of you are focused are improving your creative and being smarter about when and how you're delivering content. When asked in August of this year, "What's your biggest e-mail messaging challenge?," 39% of respondents said "All of the Above," that is, content, design, and deliverability. And in September, our BullData survey showed that 55.5% of you are using personalization and dynamic content, and 52.3% of you are doing subject line and creative A/B testing.

These are encouraging numbers, especially given that the economy will likely continue to narrow your e-marketing margin of error over the coming quarters. And while refining and improving your e-mail tactics is essential, it may be time for a new way of looking at e-mail marketing.

Expanding the Definition of "E-mail Marketing"

"B-to-b companies need to think about creating pages within the social networks, such as Facebook, so clients can become fans of their products and set up preferences on how they want to be messaged," says JupiterResearch's Vice President and Research Director David Daniels.²

Adding social media to the BtoB marketing equation was certainly a hot topic in 2008. According to our March 2008 BullData poll question, "Does your company have a social media strategy?," only 10% said "Yes" while 40% said "We're formulating one" and 38% said "We see the need, but do not have one yet."

E-mail marketing and social media can be a very effective pairing. "E-mail marketing could not be better suited to enhance your social media efforts; in fact, it is the key ingredient in launching a successful social media marketing campaign," says Aaron Kahlow, managing partner of consulting firm Business Online.³

This integration of e-mail and other digital marketing efforts is a trend you'll want to keep tabs on in 2009. Founder and chairman of Email Data Source Bill McCloskey says that the number one e-mail trend today is big companies shifting their focus away from e-mail marketing toward newer channels.

"Many of the larger Fortune 100 companies are pulling their attention away from e-mail and instead looking at other new marketing channels, such as mobile texting, RSS, blogging and social networks. The tried and true e-mail marketing campaign is not the hot, exciting toy in the boardroom at these companies. It's more exciting now to say, 'Here's our mobile marketing campaign.' Some of the budgets for e-mail are now being targeted to other early-stage marketing channels," says McCloskey.⁴

E-mail Is Dead! No, Wait—Long Live E-mail!

It's too soon to declare that e-mail marketing has jumped the shark. But it is time to start thinking of e-mail as a cog in a bigger machine. Testing, analytics and some good common spam sense will help you fight e-mail fatigue. And looking for new ways to use social media in conjunction with your e-mail tactics will help you carve out a comfortable corner of the digital world, one that will keep your existing supporters happy and your conversions high.

Stay tuned for more results of our BullData surveys each month in Marketing Watchdog Journal. We love to learn what you think and what you're doing.

¹ Email Marketing Benchmark Guide 2008, MarketingSherpa, November 2008
² Quoted in "How to Fight E-mail Fatigue," by Karen J. Bannan, BtoB Magazine, September 2008
³ Quoted in "How Does E-mail Marketing Fit in with Social Media?," by Aaron Kahlow, BtoB Online, September 11, 2008
⁴ Quoted in "Industry Vet McCloskey on Key E-mail Trends," by Judith Nemes, BtoB Online, May 1, 2008

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Tom Pearson is marketing communications specialist at Bulldog Solutions.

Marketing Watchdog Journal is a monthly newsletter from Bulldog Solutions, a lead optimization and lead management company dedicated to helping our clients generate more, better leads and turn them into revenue. We welcome your feedback on this newsletter's content and design, and encourage you to share your ideas for topics you would like us to cover in future issues. Please send your comments or questions about Bulldog Solutions to Amy Bills, senior manager of Field Marketing.