2006 Email Marketing Predictions

ExactTarget has come out with a list of 2006 top email trends (in their humble opinion.) While I usually ignore this type of press release when looking for blogging fodder, there were some interesting items in their list.

One item is that they believe RSS will start to make serious inroads against email marketing, but will not be widely adopted yet. As I talk to people about Web marketing most are starting to see blogging as a possible tool for marketing, but when I start to explain RSS their eyes glaze over. Bottom line is we'll need a better delivery system, something that feels more natural like receiving email or integrating it more seamlessly with a Web browser.

They also feel multi-channel marketing will offer greater results. This follows with consumers/customers/clients wanting to receive content in a way that works for them, not the content supplier. TiVo, DVR's, podcasting are all making this a reality. Some people will continue to want to receive your emails, others will want to get your info via an RSS feed of your blog, others will want to visit your Web site or online store, and still others will require a face-to-face meeting...or at least some video conferencing.

The info is also available as a white paper with "real-world" examples, but it appears you need to register. I didn't take the plunge.

Rich Brooks
Email Marketing Guy