Nov
21

Integrated e-mail marketing: no one marketing channel has all the fish

Author: Manu De Ros

Make no mistake, marketing is cross channel and always has been. Since the first clam changed hands, people have been marketing their products and services across a number of channels because it’s an effective approach.

No one marketing channel is the answer for all your needs and anyone who tells you otherwise is focused on their goals and not yours. Consider that no mass medium has ever been relegated to obsolescence by a new media in our history to date. And no, the telegraph was not a mass medium. I’m not saying this will never happen, I’m simply offering some perspective on change. There will always be early adopters and there will always be lots of “new buzz” for any shiny new communication channel, but don’t confuse buzz with effectiveness.

Fish where the fish are: be where your customer is

Most certainly, do not confuse the enthusiasm of early adopters with special insight or worse, prophetic talents. Channels need time to mature and over-enthusiasm can result in unreasonable expectations and disappointment.

People do indeed migrate from one channel to another. And today they even use them often at the same time. Which is why marketing is very much like fishing, you fish where the fish are and it means you must be prepared to cast your message into a number of lakes to get nibbles and reel in leads.
 
A recent report from the DMA in the UK includes some fascinating data on this subject. For example, while the numbers still show just over half the respondents expect to increase their e-mail marketing budget, the number has steadily declined from 83 to 51 percent just 3 years ago.
 
The decline isn’t anything that ominous in nature.  It reflects a number of factors, among them are the maturity of the channel and some rough economic times.
 
DMA survey: social media as e-mail’s victim?
 
Those planning to increase their e-mail marketing budget were asked to specify what other media that increase was coming from and a whopping 19 percent cited social media as the victim. So perhaps social media didn’t work for that percentage and they are walking away from it? That’s not certain by any means. Returning to the fishing analogy; it may simply be the result of a lack of patience of on the angler’s part.
 

1. A company sniffs around social media a bit, doesn’t see the appeal, convinces itself that it’s B2B market isn’t savvy enough to get it either and walks away before even really trying.

2. A company makes an initial investment of time and effort, doesn’t see any obvious results fast enough and decides the return isn’t worth the effort and falls back on the channels which are familiar and safe.

Both these conclusions are at best, short sighted. However, the first is down right dangerous! What may start out as a valid analysis, can quickly become dogma in marketing. Especially when we are considering new and developing channels! Once you assume that your potential customers don’t care or don’t get it, you undervalue them and your product or service. Allowing your own bias to skew your marketing strategy is a recipe for disaster.

B2B does move a little slower in general than B2C, but one can not forget that those who make or influence the decisions in B2B are also consumers. They channel new awareness and new ideas through corporate cultures – they are the corporate culture! Underestimating your customers is almost as good as padlocking your doors to them.
 
Social media is not now and never will be your only solution to reach potential customers. Any more than one lake has all the fish. It’s one channel to leverage among a number and as with fishing, if you use the right lure in the right lake, you’ll get bites.
 
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