Are My Email Newsletters Welcome?

Some people worry that communicating by email regularly in this way might make them unwelcome with the recipients.  When you send out email newsletters to your customers and prospects, how warmly are they received? According to a recent US survey, most adults that regularly use the internet DO welcome such emails - provided they come from a familiar source.

The recent Harris Interactive poll was commissioned by Acxiom Digital, a leading provider of integrated digital marketing solutions for Global 2000 enterprises. Polling over 2,500 adults over 18, the survey indicated that almost 3 quarters of the group valued the email communications they received from companies they frequently do business with. However, only 17% felt the same way about email communications received from companies they didn’t usually buy from.

The survey showed that, of the 94% that had received email marketing communications recently, 60% believed that price discounts and special offers created a strong motivation to respond. 55% were impressed when an email marketing campaign addressed a particular area of interest that was important to them – a hobby or pastime for example, or a communication targeting specific lifestyle choices. 23% of those polled felt that graphics and personalisation were important – a somewhat lower figure than expected.

Kevin Johnson, President of Acxion Digital, commented on the results : "Consumers have come to rely on e-mail marketing communications as a resource to help them get the best deals possible. This poll demonstrates that e-mail marketing has evolved over the years to bring more value to consumers while proving to be a more effective medium for retailers than ever before."