This week saw a sudden drop in email to 2008 levels, after an expected surge in bogus email over the Christmas period failed to materialise. Ryan Deutsch, StrongMail’s VP Strategic Services, explains the need for marketers to send personalised material across all channels, to ensure that marketing messages don’t trigger spam filters.
The sudden and unexpected drop in email spam has prompted widespread speculation that the problem will soon spread into social media channels.
Whether or not this turns out to be true, the issue highlights the increased importance for online marketers to pitch relevant, personalised content in its correspondence across email and social media. Anything else will almost certainly be construed as spam, and not be read.
Companies are already aware of the deliverability benefits that targeted, personalised communications have on email. But following the stratospheric rise of social media, a crucial next step is now to integrate email into social channels.
Using social channels, companies are able to listen to the conversations customers are having, learn how they are using the web, build a truly unique experience for them and influence them to begin sharing messages and promotions.
While many companies monitor online activity, few use the data they capture to build unique experiences and begin to influence their customers. Businesses must learn to create this bond and to utilise the strategic guidance, creativity and tools necessary to build relationships and drive brand advocacy.
It is through leveraging the data and insights gained from marketing activities to build more relevant conversations that spam filters will be avoided, correspondence will be read and results can be achieved.
By Ryan Deutsch
VP Strategic Services
StrongMail
www.strongmail.com