When is the time to graduate to “ninja e-mail marketer” status?

I have participated in an advisory council for a particular company over the last year.  In our most recent meeting, we were presented with their marketing plan for 2010 which included things like the proposed budget for each line item, marketing mix adjustments from 2009, ROI for each line item in 2009, etc.

Now I am not a first-born, so I wasn’t sitting there taking detailed notes…but let me share with you some general ROI numbers that I saw.  E-mail was sitting proudly at the top of the list with a 200+% return.  The next line item was so far behind (under 50%) that I didn’t even really pay attention to what it was.  I asked the marketing manager what could be done to capitalize and maximize the success that e-mail was already providing.  I received a quick shrug of the shoulders and a question along the lines of “what do you have in mind?”

My recommendations were as follows:

• Test, test, test, and then test some more.
• Improve your welcome message.  Give some solid value in that first message and manage expectations about your e-mail communication activities.
• Can you capture additional information from your subscribers that will allow you to fine tune how often and what types of messages they will receive?
• Set up a drip campaign that will nurture a “tire kicker” down the engagement path until they are comfortable enough to raise their hand.

When the time is right and you have a good grasp on the basics…ask your current ESP to help get you to the next level.  If they can’t or won’t…let me know…I might have a black-belt over here that is just your size.

Scott Cramer | Sales and Business Development