For the whole month of March SimonYoungWriters.com are looking at email marketing - one of the most powerful media around, but also the most misunderstood.

They'll be unpacking all the issues - how to make sure your email isn't filtered out, how to get read and how to get response.

In this first issue, they look at sources of research that show how people use email, and how you can tap into that.

First up, this month's NZ Marketing Magazine. In it, you'll find my indepth article on Email not being dead, called "Requiem for a Medium?". It covers the state of email marketing in New Zealand, plus some tips from top email marketers.

In brief, the tips are: Communicate!

• Get to know your customers before, during and after your campaigns or newsletters
• Don't use email alone - it's much more powerful as part of a multichannel strategy
• Test and measure copy, offers and other variables. Improve your message bit by bit.

In the same issue, there's a research piece by BRC Marketing & Social Research from Wellington, looking at what makes email stand out from the crowd, and the impact of spam.

The news is good - a staggering 36% of respondents said they don't get any spam on their work email. Something is working!

As far as getting read and getting response, go for colour and graphics if you're after a young audience (under 29's - I just slip in!). The subject line is important to just about everybody, except South Islanders.

The From line is considered by many to be the most important part of email marketing. If an email is from someone you know, you're more likely to read it, or at least that's according to 13% of South Islanders said, 8% of lower North Islanders and 9% of upper North Islanders.

Some other New Zealand-specific research was done last year by the DMA, www.dma.co.nz Calcium Software www.calcium.co.nz and messagemedia www.messagemedia.co.nz. It showed that email was by far the most popular medium for business communication, taking up 42% of the day's interactions. Whatever happened to the phone?

For full results of the survey, visit www.mailprimer.com - although the survey may not be up there yet.

Overseas research is saying pretty much the same thing as New Zealand research - email is popular, and there are several key factors to get attention:

• A trusted 'from' line
• A highly relevant subject line
• Good use of colour and graphics

Some other sources of research to help you paint a full picture of email and human behaviour:

• emarketer.com - in depth research on all aspects of marketing on the net.
• marketingsherpa.com - fantastic case studies and some very 'niche'newsletters.
• clickz.com - with a great column on email marketing
• doubleclick.com - right now their Q4 2003 Email Trend Report is available

And last but not least, Simon Young's whitepaper, Getting the Words Right for the Web and Email, is still a good read over a year after he wrote it.

Visit the Simon Young Writers site for more information.

March 2004

Simon Young
Managing Director
Simon Young Writers