Is SPAM the ultimate rejection in e-mail marketing?

Email marketing, commonly associated with "SPAM" has a less than stellar reputation. We're all used to cleaning out our spam/ junk mail folders, while skimming through computer-generated promotions for products we aren't particularly interested in.

But the reason that email marketing still thrives, is that bulk email blasts cost little to nothing to produce and send. Promotional productions avoid the likes of direct mail costs, such as packaging, printing, postage, and affiliated manpower. So, if only one out of ten-thousand consumers buy the "Deluxe Rolex Watch - CHEAP!!", the promotion is profitable. Businesses are now introduced to an inexpensive means to mint money from good strategy.

A clear incentive in email marketing is the ability to create a legitimate consumer audience (address book), engage them through strategized promotions, and expand network through automated referrals. Tracking of bounced emails & adherence to SPAM laws maintain a genuine network of interested consumers, with very little expense. Promotions can be strategized in advance, tested for efficacy (focus groups), and successful campaigns can be promoted to out of network consumers by means of incorporating a "Forward to Friend" feature within each campaign. Additionally, the Social Media surge (facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.) has amended the tradition structure of an email promotion to include posts to consumer profiles with a single click.

Email marketing's most exciting attribute is in accumulating brilliant market research on target audience & consumer trends. Businesses can acquire demographic details during consumer registration, allowing them to construct segmented email lists, and devise targeted promotions for specific consumer groups. Male & female recipients can now view the same Rolex promotion with imagery that compliments their personal style. Additionally, with the advent of embedded tracking cookies, campaign strategists can ascertain the success of individual promotions, creating priceless market research.

While 92% of emails are considered SPAM, recent consumer surveys indicate that majority of people (62%) prefer to receive marketing promotions via email, than direct mail. In fact, three-quarters of consumers report they've bought something as a direct result of e-mail marketing. Don't be mistaken, the email marketing strategy will create record buyer rejections, but don't take it personally. Always, remember that a few hot minutes can alter the tide of your sales and proper analysis of each promotion will create an encyclopedia of effective sales pitches.

--By Ben Jacoby