 We’re back from another successful Email Insider Summit [#mpeis], where we also made our announcement regarding Twitter. Thanks to Ken Fadner, David Baker and the @mediapost team for organizing another exceptional event that has, in practice, expanded to a messaging forum that now addresses email, social and mobile messaging; Lyris calls this tri-messaging.
Lyris moderated the Multichannel Marketing Stories panel with three industry experts: Sylvia Sierra from Access Intelligence; Karen McNaughton from In-Touch Survey Systems; and Karen Talavera from Synchronicity Marketing. All three panelists shared their thoughts below on video. Karen Talavera and I teamed up to bring you these take-aways to consider:
1) Email is the new essential element.
The email address is the must-have data point because email marketing is driving, connecting and pulling target audiences into the many marketing channels and contexts they’re already interacting in, like social media. Email is the accelerant that conveys information and offers in ways that traditional advertising can’t compete with – faster and more efficient than is possible otherwise – offering both time and cost advantages now desired and necessary; so it’s both supplementary and complementary to offline marketing.
Online it powers site traffic, driving and enabling customers to interact with businesses digitally. By doing so it speeds channel migration, streamlines operations and accelerates customer service. Of course, email is now available anytime, anywhere on a wide variety of fixed and mobile devices. All of this makes it the new customer-contact nexus.
2) Email has left the silo.
The era of back-corner email marketing operations run by an individual working through lunch is fading fast. To be most effective, email can no longer exist in a linear channel or “silo”. It is most powerful when intentionally orchestrated with both offline direct marketing channels (i.e. mail and print), and when informed and triggered by Web site visitor activity and social media engagement. It’s not merely an e-commerce tool, it’s a commerce tool, a PR tool, a social tool, a CRM tool, and needs to be viewed in the holistic context of these functions in conjunction with and across all channels that serve and integrate these functions.
3) The age of analytics and the data powerhouse is here.
To compete in a multichannel marketing world with email or integrated marketing, you need analytics and a strategy to build a data powerhouse. Like the data warehouse, the data powerhouse collects and stores behavioral, contextual and demographic data from multiple sources. Unlike the data warehouse however, the powerhouse then goes above and beyond to allow for sophisticated and fast views, what-if analysis, modeling and reporting. It’s not just about having data, it’s about mining and manipulating it – and fast – for insight, intelligence and course-correction required to respond to market demands and signals.
4) What and how we measure will evolve.
It’s time to move beyond traditional marketing-campaign metrics in order to genuinely focus on measuring what matters. What matters varies depending on engagement strategy, objectives, offers, and call(s) to action. Higher numbers don’t necessarily equate to better performance. Dig deep and analyze marketing, not just on the basis of conversion and ROI, but on conversations, average order value, reach, frequency and both segment as well as target audience behavior. As email evolves from a direct catalyst (i.e. e-commerce) to influencer -- as it becomes increasingly integrated into social and mobile channels -- we’ll need ways to measure both direct and indirect impact. Oh, and don’t forget your Net Promoter Score.
5) Tri-messaging: try it, your target audiences will like it.
The inbox has morphed and people today expect proven and new ways of communicating with your business -- anywhere, anytime. Email, social and mobile messaging, or tri-messaging, is now a force in the multichannel marketing landscape. Tri-messaging is marketing messages that are written, packaged, orchestrated and unleashed for opt-in and connected audiences. Listen and learn with tri-messaging execution; messaging is no longer a slow moving, one-way street. To learn more about the how to make email, social and mobile work really well together, register for Lyris' upcoming webinar, "Social Media Marketing: CPR for Email Marketers".
Take a look at these brief video clips from the Email Insider Summit 2009 and share with colleagues and friends. Let us know your thoughts too.
1. Sylvia Sierra, senior vice president of corporate audience development, Access Intelligence (1:22)
2. Karen McNaughton, director of marketing, In-Touch Survey Systems (0:50)
3. Karen Talavera, president of Synchronicity Marketing (1:05)
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About the Authors
Erick Mott is the communications director for Lyris, Inc. Connect and collaborate with him on http://twitter.com/lyris and www.linkedin.com/in/erickmott.
Karen Talavera is president of Synchronicity Marketing. Follow her on http://twitter.com/SyncMarketing
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