Now that the 21st century is a decade old, it seems a good time to reflect on what we’ve learned when it comes to online marketing. I personally enjoy this type of reflection because it not only illuminates how far we’ve come in the last 10 years, but it also gives us an indication of what hasn’t changed. In other words, what are the enduring best practices?
Here is my list of the five best online and email marketing tips that I’ve learned in the last 10 years, in no particular order:
1) Email marketing is the heart and soul of online marketing
Email marketing pre-dates the year 2000 but it was still a relatively unproven medium in terms of generating meaningful results at that time. The novelty of this medium made email marketing both a stand-out and a risk. But email marketing quickly replaced conventional direct mail, and internet service providers and marketers alike were able to test, measure and learn - through trial and error - and ultimately create best practices and laws that govern email marketing to this day. Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing and the CAN-SPAM legislation come to mind.
Despite the influx of social media and other marketing channels, email continues to be the foundation, the rock, the heart and soul of online marketing in 2010. It is the core of all solid online marketing strategies and a proven performer that has weathered the storm and the scrutiny for well over ten years. Good job hanging in there, old friend.
2) Permission + personalization = relevance
Many online marketers have been tempted by the urge to send out mass email marketing campaigns in the hope of getting more results faster. However, this “spray and pray” method rarely works and is, in fact, frowned upon by ISPs and the like. The key to online marketing success is creating relevance for the recipient or viewer. In the case of email marketing, that means getting explicit permission (AKA, opt in) from the email recipients before sending them email marketing messages, and personalizing the offers as much as possible.
3) Email deliverability isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have
In the late ‘90’s and the early part of the 21st century, email messages were deployed with little to no concern about whether they were actually delivered. It seems silly to think that way now. But in its relative infancy email marketing was more about getting the message out the door than it was about worrying if the email made it to the desired recipients.
Ten years later, this area of email deliverability is one of the most important aspects of email marketing. Not only do we now know that email messages cannot be acted upon if they aren’t delivered and read, but we also know that a company’s online reputation is the foremost reason why email messages are delivered or not. And, perhaps more importantly, a company’s online reputation is heavily weighted by how email subscribers do or do not interact with its email messages. So shoring up your online reputation is a key to email deliverability which, in turn, is a key to the success of your email and online marketing campaigns.
4) Viral still works
A few years ago, forwarding an email to a friend or colleague was considered viral marketing. And it worked. But with the introduction of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, the concept of viral marketing has risen to another level. So while viral marketing has morphed and evolved, the fact is it still works.
5) Measure the results, not just the indicators
In 1999 I remember distinctly moving away from snail mail to permission-based email marketing. And while our primary objective was generating qualified sales leads, we were enamored with the ability to measure the number of opened email messages and clicks. For several years, many marketing professionals still used those same metrics to determine the success or failure of their email marketing campaigns.
But time and technology have shown us that open and click-through rates, while valuable, are really indicators. They indicate important information such as whether an email subject line or offer was appealing, and if a list is growing stale. But what they do not tell us, in most cases, is if an email marketing campaign generated results against a defined objective. So be sure to measure the results, not just the indicators.
What are the best online marketing tips you’ve learned in the last 10 years?
###
About the Author
Cathi Mason is director of marketing programs for Lyris. Her team is responsible for executing programs that deliver quality leads to the sales team.
is a powerful software for bulk opt-in emailing (the number of recipients is unlimited, unsubscribe option is available). Launch the program, write your message, select a mailing list (e.g. generated by Email Hunter) and press 'Start' to send. Monitor your email campaign with a web-based system Atomic Mail Tracker.
) searches the HTML files web sites are built with. Enter a valid URL and Atomic Email Hunter will search the site and return all available addresses within minutes. 
