Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Powerful Potential of Permission-Based E-Mail



FEBRUARY 24, 2009

The majority of customers who receive e-mail from a company have a more positive image of that company.

Really?

According to “Beyond the Click: The Indirect Value of Email,” from Epsilon and ROI Research, 57% of consumers had a more positive impression of companies they had purchased from when they received e-mail from them—and 40% said such e-mail made a future purchase from the company more likely.

Getting consumers to sign up for permission e-mails may be difficult, but the effort is worth it when 84% said they liked receiving e-mail from companies they had registered with—and more than one-half saved the messages for later review.

Even when consumers have to wade through hundreds of spam messages, they appreciate receiving relevant information.

“E-mail builds loyalty and brand awareness and drives on- and off-line behavior,” said Kevin Mabley, senior vice president of Epsilon Strategic Services.

To test this thesis, Epsilon looked more closely at one particular category in its “Flying High: Measuring the Value of Email Marketing for the Travel Industry” report.

“In the travel industry where so much activity has moved to the online arena, it’s crucial that companies communicate effectively and efficiently with their customers,” said Mr. Mabley.

In fact, recipients of travel e-mail showed even higher loyalty than retail, consumer packaged goods, pharma or finance category recipients, with 63% saying in October 2008 that they were more likely to buy from companies that sent them e-mail.

A whopping 92% of respondents who received travel e-mail thought it was a “great way” to learn about new products and offerings.

More importantly, consumers often took easily measurable actions such as booking online, clicking links and downloading coupons after receiving e-mail from a travel company.

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