Widely considered the most efficient form of communicating with prospective customers, email marketing campaigns are increasing in popularity and therefore advancing accordingly. It is estimated that half of all internet users - circumstances permitting - check their emails on a daily basis.

Research shows that the UK consumers are among the most likely to purchase services or goods online. Countries such as Germany and Japan are others that are making the most of online deals and are increasingly shopping on the internet. The current economic situation means that many businesses are being encouraged to be more pro-active when it comes to marketing and sales. It goes without saying that direct marketing is more affordable and often more efficient than other promotional tools. Email marketing is possibly the best example of this; huge numbers of potential customers can be contacted quickly and easily. With the correct facilities it is also much easier for businesses to study responses from prospective customers through open and click rates. With all these advantages large numbers of companies are following expert advice and utilising email marketing. But in order to achieve optimum results the emails need to be of a high quality standard and sent to an appropriate audience for the product/service/company being promoted.

Recently increasing diversity in the content and format of marketing emails has arisen due to the need for individual emails to stand out- in what could potentially be an inbox crowded with others. This has meant static emails are often being rejected in favour of audio or even video versions. Audio adverts can sometimes play automatically once the email is opened. This creates a strong impression on prospective customers, it is different to the advertisements that they are used to receiving. It also gives an idea that a company has put more effort into their campaign and made it more user friendly. Statistics show that people are often put off marketing emails when they have to use quite a lot of time and effort accessing different links and reading more than necessary. Having an email sent that announces its purpose with so little user time and activity is certainly seen to be considerate and up to date.

Video emails are less straightforward at this moment in time due to the fact they often rely on links to external sources or have a large download size. This may mean they require more time or effort from a recipient to be used effectively. These problems are often rectifiable by the use of technology that can reduce download sizes. It is also worth mentioning at this point that, generally speaking, a consumer’s standard of software and access to increased bandwidth is improving. This means that this form of marketing email has the potential to gain more and more popularity in the future. On another note, consumers find videos more interesting than static emails. Encouraging research has shown that measured response rates (opens and clicks) can sometimes be up to ten times higher than for static emails. They also promote viral email marketing quite well. This can lead to a much wider consumer base just through items of interest being forwarded by recipients.

With online sales continuing to rise, it is essential that companies are using all the means they can to promote services and products online. Email marketing is a fundamental part of this. Whether static or other emails are used, it is vital that any promotional information sent is of exceptional quality and is user friendly.

For further information, please visit http://www.emailcenteruk.com/