Marketers Say eMail Strongest Performing Media Buy

BoSacks Speaks Out: Call me a skeptic or just a realist, but I don't believe these statistics. And I am a guy who has sent out more emails in the last 15 years than Bayer has pills. But I pass it along for you to make up your own minds and draw your own conclusions. Is email powerful? Yes, you're reading one now, right? Is it the best ad platform money can buy? No, at least not alone. And that may be the answer to this and several other studies. The possibilities of media dilution are now endless and there is no longer a single answer as the best media buy. So take this info with either a grain of salt or a Bayer Aspirin.

"If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children"."
-Unknown

Marketers Say eMail Strongest Performing Media Buy

http://success.datranmedia.com/research/2008survey.php
Datran Media recently released the results of its second annual survey of over 2000 online marketing professionals, finding that 82 percent of the marketers surveyed indicated that they plan to increase their use of email marketing in 2008, and 55 percent of the respondents cite that they expect ROI from email to be higher than any other channel. The reports says that the survey results are consistent with the Direct Marketing Association's recent report, which found that email ROI will hit $45.65 for every dollar spent in 2008, more than twice the ROI of other mediums including search and display.

In addition to increased use of email as a media and lead generation channel, the Datran Media survey found:

80 percent of respondents indicated email was the strongest performing media buy ahead of search and display.
Search is the favored channel for complementing the email channel.
More than 80 percent of marketers send targeted email campaigns.
Selected key findings include the following...

Company Email plans for 2008, compared to 2007:

82.4% to increase use of email marketing
15.3% to stay the same
2.4% to decrease email marketing expenditures
Source: Datran Media, January 2008

Expectations for company's Email marketing ROI in 2008:

55.3% say higher than other channels
25.9% feel ROI roughly equal
18.8% say lower
Source: Datran Media, January 2008

Advertising media buys that perform strongly for your company: (multiple response OK)

80% say eMail
37.6% display
70.6% say Search
16.5% feel Print
10.6 say Broadcast
7.1% Cable
1.2% think Mobile
2.4% report RSS
34.7% say Ad Network
8.2% uncertain
Source: Datran Media, January 2008

Media channels that complement the eMail media channel: (multiple response OK)

51.8% say Display
71.8% say Search
24.7% think Mobile
17.6% say Broadcast
10.6% Cable
41.2% report Direct
Source: Datran Media, January 2008

Of those who plan to employ eMail, they also expect:

80% to send newsletters
78.8% drive sales
67.1% will increase upsell or cross sell opportunities
50.6% will sent transactional messages
52.9% to reactivate dormant customers
70.6% plan to enhance customer relationships
64.7% expect to increase brand awareness or lift
Source: Datran Media, January 2008

The respondents say eMail planning includes these elements in 2008:

74.1% to conduct content or creative split testing
36.5% will test creative across inbox devices
29.4% to pay for eMail marketing based on CPM model
58.8% will pay on a CPC or CPA model
36.5% will include banner ads
25.9% will measure effect on Brand lift
36.5% will measure effect on customer satisfaction
64.7% will measure eMail effect on sales
Source: Datran Media, January 2008

Response to... "use and/or plan on using an outside vendor for email marketing?"

69.4% say Yes
20% say NO
10.6% Not Sure
Source: Datran Media, January 2008