Leader in Email Marketing Doesn’t Do Email Marketing

I went to a panel discussion last week about email marketing strategies. When the Chief Marketing Officer of Constant Contact was asked about subject lines and increasing email open rates she replied “I don’t know how to get attention with email. We don’t use it.” Which struck me as odd because (1) Constant Contact is arguably the most recognizable name in email marketing and (2) if she’s not an email marketing expert, why was she on the panel?

I think I have an answer for mystery #1. I’m still not sure about #2. As a leader in email marketing, Constant Contact has very strong opinions about how it should be used. From their standpoint, it’s for relationship building, not for acquisition. So, when she said they don’t use it, she didn’t mean they don’t ever use their own product. They use it to distribute a “Hints and Tips” e-newsletter, for example. They just don’t rely on it to attract new business. Instead they use pay-per-click advertising, banner ads, and a lot of education (Webinars, in person seminars, etc.).

It’s refreshing to see a successful business with a powerful tool that isn’t using it to hammer everything in sight. Email isn’t new anymore, but thanks to companies like Constant Contact, it is a newly available tactic for millions of small businesses and nonprofits. The hammering is getting pretty loud. For example, the 2008 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study found that on average the nonprofit partners in the study sent more than four emails per subscriber per month. If I try hard enough, I can think of reasons why a constituent might want four or more emails per month, but they certainly don’t apply to everyone.

For another example, look at your inbox. Another of the panelists, Michael Katz from Blue Penguin Development, pointed out that when he started his business writing email newsletters the biggest objection he heard from potential clients was that their customers didn’t use email. Today, the biggest concern is that their customers already get too much email. His suggestion was to pick a very narrow subject and speak to a narrow audience so you know you’re newsletter gets to the top of the pile.

Here are some suggestions from me:

1. Before planning an email marketing campaign, ask yourself what you want to accomplish and if email is the best way to do it.

2. Before you launch your email campaign, be sure it’s integrated with all your other communications – website, letters, phone, in person, etc. Although there may be many people from different departments involved on your end, from your audience’s perspective you have one relationship, one personality and all your communications should reflect that understanding.

3. Before writing email content, ask yourself what your audience wants. The more the email is about them and the less it’s about your agenda, the more likely it is to get read.

Happy emailing!