Featured Article:

Just how rich is "Rich-media E-mail Marketing?"
By Josh Linard, Kellen Interactive
Association Executive, Nov/Dec 2002 Issue

You've seen the attention-grabbing e-mail messages that contain crisp graphics, are personalized to your first and/or last name, have Web links, and in some cases, play animation or a short video clip of a company infomercial. These messages are called "Rich-media" messages, and research is showing they are capturing your interest. The messages are so popular that Rich-media E-mail Marketing (a.k.a. "REM") is now being used by practically every type of business for practically every type of business purpose, and now, not surprisingly, it has fast entered the world of non-profits. It is quite a Goldmine!

What makes Rich-media E-mail Marketing so rich? In addition to its high-impact appearance, the technology that occurs behind the scenes makes a Marketer's dream come true. For instance, each e-mail recipient's response is tracked with REM. The e-mail message can report to the hour as to who specifically has opened the e-mail message (i.e. "you@youremailaddress.com"), who has "opted in," (chose to remain on the e-mail list) who has "opted out," (chose not to remain on the e-mail list), who has clicked through to the respective Web site (those who "took the bait"), and who was never there at all (i.e. a "hard bounce"). The list is then automatically separated into the various categories (opt ins vs. opt outs, etc.) and then marketers respond to those categories accordingly. Just how rich is REM? Very. For a minimal unit cost, a relationship has begun.

Consider the Association Executive. Three weeks before the biggest fund-raiser of the year and still several sponsorships waiting in the wind. Or, it's a week before a show and there is still open booth space. What's the first move? Mail or fax, traditionally. How effective is mail or fax? Does your message really get into the right hands? How long does it take? In addition, your unit costs can be very high with these methods, especially in "rush" scenarios.

Enter REM. In a matter of hours, an e-mail is designed, delivered, and tracked for each recipient in the AE's database. He/she enjoys a higher response rate, a faster response rate, and last but not least, a "clean" database after the campaign. In addition, the message was optimized for each recipient's e-mail system (e.g., Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) so the message appears consistent in all of the different email systems.

Association Execs are reaping its benefits in member communications. Ask Vickie Mabry, Associate Director of the Association of Fund-raising Distributors and Suppliers: "As a member communications vehicle, REM is doing wonders for our association. It helped to see how many members were not opening up our e-mails and the number of members who delayed opening them. I learned a lesson to send the notices further in advance if we needed a response." Assuming Vickie was getting a 50% response rate (which is actually quite good on the first message/mailing), more than half of her members would never have seen her information. With REM, Vickie is able to immediately identify which members did not open her message and can target them accordingly.

There are several variations of Rich-media E-mail Marketing, but really only one true method. Many organizations send out e-mails using their e-mail application (such as MS Outlook) with a page from their Web site or random graphics. Rich-media? Maybe. But how is it tracked? Look at how the "From" field and "To" field are addressed? Is the message personalized? Also, how does the message look on Yahoo mail, Hotmail, or AOL? These are fairly easy tests to perform internally to see if you have an effective system. Chances are the look and feel of the "in-house" dynamic message will NOT be carried over in the various systems.

Linda Howard, Communications Manager of the Exhibit Designers & Producers Association, learned this lesson the hard way. "Before we started using a REM service, we assumed our members were receiving and opening our messages because we never heard back from them about any problems. Logical, right? It turns out we never heard from some of them because they couldn't even view our message (because our graphical emails weren't accepted by Yahoo, AOL, etc.), and some never even opened it! With REM, we've solved the problem."

Costs for REM are few and far between, depending on the exact system you are evaluating. Most programs are measured on unit cost, which would be the cost per e-mail address of those that will be getting your message. REM providers can assist in designing messages as well as sending the messages through their system. Typically, unit costs are low when sending a relatively simple message to a large group, and on the contrary, unit costs are high when a more dynamic message (i.e. the video infomercial) is sent to a small group.

Common applications for REM are:

• Promotion of a trade show, convention or awards program (replacement of or complement to a printed invitation)
• Membership campaigns for applications, retention and renewals
• Media communications (press releases, etc.)
• Publication sales and banner ad sponsorships (REM messages can be so attractive that companies want to advertise there)
• Announcements

Tom Shallow, Executive Director of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, also is singing the praises of REM: "We started a REM campaign with our newsletter to see if a more electronic approach would work. Our graphics were easily included in the e-mail and lo and behold, we've seen a nice increase in the newsletter's usage. How do I know? It's easy, I get a report. Not a monthly report, an hourly report!"

To run an effective REM campaign, you'll need to have an experienced, knowledgeable REM resource or provider, a database of e-mail addresses, and a goal or objective for the campaign (e.g., sending an e-newsletter twice a month). What you get in return will be just that. A excellent return on your investment! In an up and down market, this is one tool that is worth cashing in on.

Josh Linard is Business Development Manager for Kellen Interactive, an Internet Communications and Marketing firm with offices in Atlanta, New York, Washington D.C. and affiliations worldwide. www.richemailmarketing.com