E-Mail Marketing Actually Works*

*If you know your audience

A new-ish report by The GfK Group confirms the longstanding suspicion that accurate targeting of e-mail marketing messages makes a significant difference. Not surprisingly, E-mails based on consumers' expressed preferences are, by definition, more relevant and therefore more likely to be read and responded to.

Some interesting stats:

• Showing a 5% increase from last year, 58% of the respondents "agreed that e-mail they receive is usually targeted to their need and interests."


• 60% of respondents to the 2006 survey said that the e-mails they receive from companies with which they do business have become more targeted and relevant, up 3% from 2005.


• 78% of respondents said that they do not use their work e-mail addresses to receive marketing offers.

Basically, responsible, well-researched, targeted E-mail marketing can be very successful. In order to erase the interweb telemarketer-type stigma that surrounds e-mail marketing, it would behoove everyone in the industrty to review their standards.