NEW YORK, January 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

New research shows that poor email marketing correspondence can negatively affect consumer sentiment toward a company or brand.  According to an online YouGov survey commissioned by Emailvision, the leader in relationship marketing and customer intelligence,

a massive 75 percent of respondents reported they would resent a brand after being bombarded by emails, while 71 percent cited being sent unsolicited messages as a reason to become resentful.

Consumers online also reported listing their name incorrectly (50 percent) and getting gender wrong (40 percent) in correspondence as key factors that would make them resentful towards their once favored brands. Incredibly, the same survey revealed that an unexpected 40 percent stated that they would not share any of the personal details listed with a brand in exchange for better targeted offers; emphasizing the need to provide value through personalized communications.  With respondents 55 and over, this figure rose to 49 percent.

Emailvision's survey questioned what personal information consumers online would be willing to share in exchange for better targeted offers.  A mere 28 percent of adults online indicated they would be willing to share their name. 37 percent of consumers online indicated they would be willing to share their age and 38 percent would be willing to share their gender with a brand.  This lack of sharing demonstrates that consumers online don't yet see the value of exposing their information to brands.

"When a customer purchases from your in-store business, they give you money in exchange for a product or service. When a visitor interacts with your online business, they are giving you their data in exchange for a relevant experience with your brand. If a business doesn't choose to make use of this data correctly, they are missing out on important knowledge that could positively or negatively impact business for years to come," commented Emailvision Director Neil Hamilton. "It's imperative that a customer never becomes 'just a number' even in a database of millions. Technology enables all businesses to treat their customers to a personalized experience across multiple sales channels."

There survey did reveal a small percentage willing to overshare, as 8 percent of consumers online will go as far as to disclose their underwear size in exchange for better targeted offers from a brand.

"With an abundance of choice, consumers are more demanding and they expect brands to engage them correctly. If someone is not providing them with the right offers, value and relationship… they will quickly switch to another brand," commented Tim Watson, an email marketing consultant at Zettasphere. "The key to success for marketers is not in the content; it's in the intelligence and actionable information that comes from customer data. Think of it this way… when picking the perfect present for a close friend, it's your knowledge (data) about the person that's the starting point in the search for the ideal gift. After you consider the person and their preferences, then your search for the actual gift (content) begins within the range of ideal gifts already identified by data."

In order to ensure consumers don't end up resenting a brand due to poor email marketing, Emailvision has compiled a list of tips on creating an effective email marketing campaign (see notes to editors).

NOTES TO EDITORS

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2001 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken from 2-5 November, 2012.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Top tips for creating a smart email marketing campaign

• Use technology to bridge the gap between a brand and their customers: Every interaction a customer has with an online business, from a browse on the website, to the open and click on an email, to the tweet, or the in-store purchase can be captured to generate valuable data. Today there is a new generation of software that's dedicated to helping businesses understand this data called Customer Intelligence. CI technology enables marketers to build targeted and personalized marketing that's based on typical consumer profiles and/or a subscriber's past interactions with the brand.

• Get to know your customer:  Customers are individuals and online marketers need to build one-to-one relationships with them. By developing targeted messages, online brands have the opportunity to impress customers with their knowledge. Through this personal touch, companies can communicate in a relevant and more engaging way.

• Incentivize your customer:  Customers need to be persuaded to give their data.  Using competitions and money-off offers to attract their attention will help them feel the benefit of sharing their data.

• Headline and email subject matter: Every call to action should reinforce the value in taking that action, so be engaging, create excitement and bring to life the experience your brand encapsulates. This call to action should be delivered in the subject line and reinforced in the content within the email. It serves as a first impression and the relevance of the subject line will determine whether the email will be opened or will remain lost in the inbox.

• Customize your offers: Don't let customer intelligence go to waste. Previous purchase behavior and information that customers provide you with over time can be used to create targeted campaigns. Personalising your offers could mean the difference between a click and a sale.

About Emailvision

The smartest relationship marketing is powered by Emailvision. With more than 13 years of research and development, Emailvision is delivering pioneering marketing software with built-in customer intelligence. Every month Emailvision's marketing cloud platform delivers 600,000 campaigns on behalf of 3,300 clients worldwide. In 2012 Emailvision was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing privately-held software companies. To learn more, visit us at http://www.emailvision.com.  

For more information, please contact:
Sherry Smith
MWW Group
Email: ssmith@mww.com  
Tel: +1-646-797-3139
Mobile: +917-593-2716

SOURCE Emailvision