Since social marketing is the latest bright and shiny object, still relatively unknown to many of us, and top of mind for all marketers these days, perhaps inevitably, today’s Shop.org Marketing Month webinar, “Is Email Dead,” began with a discussion of what hasn’t killed email marketing lately.  Through the years, we’ve had this conversation about spam, RSS, blogs, social marketing and even youth.  The panelists today confirmed once again that email is squarely at the center of good e-commerce and e-marketing programs.

“The biggest benefit to email is that it’s trackable,” says Jessica Harley, VP, Online Marketing, FTD.com.  “Not only does it work and generate a high ROI, but I can tie it back to a CRM-identified source.   It’s also custom.  I can give the consumer the offer that is right for them.”

Fellow panelist Jeanniey Mullen, Global EVP & CMO, Zinio & VIV Magazine and co-founder of the DMA/Email Experience Council, agreed.  “Email is the backbone of all digital communications. No real online commerce can be done without an email address. What we are seeing today, is the challenge of how to innovate email successfully,” she says.

Moderator Kevin Ertell, VP, Retail Strategies, ForeSee Results, shared some results of an annual consumer satisfaction survey produced by ForeSee.    The survey asked about factors in the decision to visit a website or likelihood to buy online in the future.  Of course, these factors  may not be the last click – the tracking of which was the topic of a previous Shop.org Marketing Month webinar on attribution which I blogged about as well.   

In the ForeSee survey, “Familiarity with the brand remains at the top of the list, and brands are still built through a combination of media and marketing,” Ertell says.  Some of the most popular methods for building a brand referenced in the survey are display and direct marketing (print, email and online advertising).  “Email is much higher on the list than any social marketing,” Ertell reports, which should guide us in how we prioritize these channels.  Interestingly, the survey shows that the primary social activity, a friend recommendation, is only cited 1% of the time.  

The panelists then addressed the key issue for retailers trying to optimize the email channel: How to optimize and earn higher response and revenue.  Both  Mullen and Harley offered practical tips, from incorporating social marketing, YouTube links as part of a holistic SEO strategy, formatting images so they don’t resize with various mobile and web clients, and the importance of a full engagement series rather than just one welcome message.

“So often we focus on the offer, but we really must focus on the relationship,” Harley says.  “Ask for feedback in your messages, thank customers quickly and engage buyers (and non buyers) on their experience.

“If you can take this feedback to the customer level, you can work to improve the specific experience for that customer,” she says. “Send out a thank you with an offer to share with a friend for those who are happy, and for others, give a sincere apology and share ways for them to get in touch with to correct things further.”

Harley’s testing shows this level of personalization builds loyalty via email, in a relatively automated method.

There is a risk that we send a post-purchase coupon for an item that the customer has just purchased, Harley says.  However,  she has not found this to be a major issue in terms of redemption or complaints.  “We try to make sure the follow up offers are not so fantastic that customers immediately regret the purchase they just made.”

Since the world of online commerce has changed so much, and we are now all socially connected, email marketing must change, too.   Customers want to connect with brands, but only in the ways that reflect their preferences. No longer will a “one size fits all” broadcast strategy work for retailers.  Check out the recording of this great webinar for dozens of great ideas to improving your own program and upgrading your content and contact strategies for higher ROI.