Email

Whilst email has been with us for years, and there are numerous newer, sexier communication mechanisms available, it remains an ideal tool for keeping in touch with existing and potential clients because it is:

  • Personal so it will normally get direct to the person you sent it to.
  • Immediate which means not only instant delivery but also better control.
  • Cheap as there is no cost of delivery.
  • High impact with the ability to incorporate graphics and content.
  • Interactive as it provides means for the recipient to respond to your message (e.g. reply, download links, weblinks etc).

Unfortunately, this broad appeal has led to email being abused in many ways including sending emails:

  • To people who have not given the appropriate permission (Spamming).
  • Without proper targeting so the majority of recipients find it an uninvited intrusion.
  • Which promote inappropriate products and services.
  • With the intent of spreading viruses.

A number of initiatives have been launched to address these issues, including:

  • Legislation at UK and EC level to control the sending of unsolicited email.
  • Codes of practice amongst email list brokers to verify that the addresses that they supply are compliant.
  • Enhancements to email services and anti viral software to block emails which are spam or which pose a viral threat.

Email can be used for a wide variety of business purposes including:

  • Promotion by sending targeted emails to permissioned recipients so as to introduce your products and services.
  • Administration by providing a very low cost mechanism by which you can interact with your client and communicate with them through a process.
  • Relationship building by sending regular, relevant information to your clients so as to bridge the gap between more infrequent face to face or telephone communications.
  • Retention by staying in touch with clients and providing targeted information in the run up to potential defection points.

There are a wide variety of tools available to help organisations run their own email campaigns including:

  • Contact management tools to help organise your email addresses and generate campaigns.
  • Design products which enable you to produce professional looking, high impact emails.
  • Integration tools which allow you to draw content from the web, thus providing the recipient with current and engaging information.
  • Web based email services which combine all of the above, thus making it easy to run and manage your email communications.

To find out how email can benefit your organisation or for help deciding which are the best tools for you, pleas feel free to contact us.