Email Marketing Is On The Up

The popularity of email as an advertising tool is increasing, according to the results of a survey carried out by the DMA and Experian which shows that 60% of marketers currently use email as part of the marketing mix.

Of those already using the medium, 16% said they currently use email marketing more than direct marketing, with 30% using emails rather than telemarketing. Unsurprisingly with SMS at a relatively early stage in its development 55% of respondents prefer to use email rather than SMS advertising.

Over 86% of those that took part in the survey said they plan to increase their email marketing budget within the next two years and 85% of those not already using the medium said they plan to do so in the near future.

According to the DMA, around 83% of marketers cited low cost as the most encouraging reason to use email as an advertising tool, while speed of delivery, ease of use, accountability and reliability were also found to be positive factors.

The survey, which went out to marketing directors and managers of companies on Experian’s client database as well as DMA members, also shows that advertisers are using email for customer retention, with consumer-based email campaigns achieving a response rate of between 10% and 15%.

Recent research from the Direct Marketing Information Service shows that the popularity of traditional direct marketing is also growing, with expenditure increasing by 5.8% year on year during the first quarter of 2002 to £629.9m.

DMA: 020 7321 2525 www.dma.org.uk Carat: 020 7430 6399 www.carat.com

Recent Research stories from NewsLine: Radio Considered Most Active In Promoting Effectiveness Continental Launches Digital Audience Research Service Economist Researches Attitudes To TV

Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive