Are Your E-mail Campaigns Outdated?

I love getting coupons.  The thought that I could save money on anything gets me very excited.  Call me crazy, but I am that person that keeps a plastic bag full of coupons in my purse and a folder in my e-mail box entitled “coupons”.  Just in case I am near a Chick-fil-a, I can use that coupon for the free chicken sandwich that they e-mailed me last week, or if I decide that I cannot live without a new jacket from J.Crew.  I have a coupon code ready to be used for just about any occasion.  To keep up with my love affair with coupons, I will freely give my e-mail address to just about any organization.  Therefore, I receive an enormous amount of e-mails from a wide range of companies on weekly basis.

This past year the world of e-mail marketing has truly taken on a life of its own.  The top three trends over the past year have to do with frequency, quality and social media.

Frequency

The frequency of e-mail marketing has sky rocketed in the past year.  The once a month e-mail blast has developed into a very precise weekly, or some times daily e-mail with the upcoming sale dates, coupon code, or new product arrival information.  Every occasion is proceeded with an e-mail marketing campaign.  E-mails from J.Crew have almost become a staple in my inbox.  They have developed an almost daily e-mail marketing campaign, mainly targeting sales due to the current economic climate.

Quality

Each of these e-mail marketing campaigns are designed with brilliant images, targeted information, and are tested in all e-mail formats.  Direct links, and specific questions are being answered in the e-mail.   Pottery Barn has consistently raised the bar with their quality of e-mail campaigns.  Rotating images, nearest store locations, direct links to sale items, and catchy subject lines make Pottery Barn one of the better e-mail marketers.

Social Media Presence

The abundance of Twitter and Facebook Fanpages was not unnoticed in the e-mail marketing world.  The footer of all most all of these e-mail campaigns you will find a “Follow us on Twitter” and a “Become our Fan on FaceBook”, along with a small incentive to do so.  Land’s End made a big push this holiday season by sending out an e-mail campaign letting their customers know that if they signed up to become a Facebook Fan of the Land’s End Facebook Fanpage, they would be registered for a drawing of 3 $500 Land’s End gift cards.

As we begin 2010 review your e-mail campaign strategies, and evaluate the trends of 2009.  Are your e-mail campaigns matching up with the competition?

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