National client email report 2014

Executive summary

The considered value of email marketing remained high over the course of 2013; however there has been a decline in the proportion rating it as strategically important or very important to their business.

There has been a marked decline in the prioritisation of email marketing among those in the B2B market

Overall satisfaction levels with email programmes have plateaued with an increase in those saying that they are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, potentially reflecting some level of email fatigue since an upbeat 2012

Budget allocations during 2013 have remained steadfast, across both B2C and B2B business streams.

Nearly two in five are spending 30%+ plus of their marketing budgets on email

Over half of all respondents anticipate their company’s spend on email to increase during 2014, unsurprisingly there is a more positive outlook among those in B2C specialisms

As seen in 2012, nearly two-thirds of marketers are able to calculate their own email revenues

Positively, the estimated average return from email marketing has increased since 2012 (£21.48 to £24.93 per £1 spent) – the ROI is perceived to be higher across B2C marketing (£30.52)

Revenues are being driven increasingly by more targeted and focused email marketing campaigns than ever before

For over a third, digital business equates to 60%+ of the total business revenue; email marketing has equated to approximately a third of this digital business and therefore 18% of overall business revenues

The business objectives for email marketing campaigns has shifted slightly over the course of the year.

We are seeing ‘engagement’ and ‘building brand awareness’ having a greater impact

There have been some fluctuations in the use of email techniques over the last year, while newsletters remain the most popular approach, we have seen the emergence of both customer surveys and thank you messaging

Content and conversion rates continue to be the most important factors in helping to achieve business goals, albeit at lower levels of importance than seen in 2012

Email marketing strategies have become more focused.

Given that revenues are being driven by more targeted campaigns, it is unsurprising that contact strategies are focused on defining the audience type and message type this year

Furthermore, there has been an upturn in the proportion of email marketing specialists who segment and tailor their mailing lists, with a greater number segmenting into more than six different audiences

There has been a decline in the frequency of contact made with individual addresses over the course of a typical month, they are now contacted 3.4 times a month compared to 4.1 times during 2012

Marketers continue to turn to industry newsletters, blogs and webinars as sources of intelligence on email marketing although in smaller numbers, while there has been a notable increase in those who are self-taught

Metrics suggest that email marketing has settled and calmed after a buoyant 2012, rather than continuing on an upward trajectory.

The majority claim that click and conversion rates have stayed the same over the course of 2013

There has been a slight downturn in the levels of those who expect open, click and conversion rates to increase over the following year

The B2C market is significantly more sophisticated and competent than the B2B marketplace.

A greater proportion of B2C marketing professionals have advanced skills in email testing

Those in B2C marketing are much more likely to describe themselves as advanced and therefore able to take advantage of modern tools and tactics when managing their email strategies compared to those in B2B marketing

There has been an increase in B2C streams operating their email programmes in-house, whereas B2B are increasingly outsourcing it

Social network use has continued to grow among all consumers, consequently it is unsurprising that social media has had an impact on many aspects of email strategies and outcomes during 2013.

Social media is perceived to have helped forge the acquisition of new email addresses and has influenced ROI

A third of all respondents referred to social media as an effective technique to drive email lists

National client email report 2014