Email Marketing set for further evolution

There is change afoot in the world of email marketing, according to Econsultancy writer and editor Graham Charlton.

He told EDP 24 that an example of this is the addition of social sharing buttons within email marketing messages, which will allow recipients to share content from an email on to a network of friends on a social network.

In his opinion, email continues to be relevant despite the popularity of social media, saying: "Email marketing will continue, but it will have to evolve to fit into the changing times by moving from the 'load and blast' approach, to a 'focus on relevant one-to-one communications' approach. The coming years will see email evolve further, to fit into the growth of social."

Mr Charlton accepted that some naysayers have predicted the death knell for email marketing, but he claimed this is just because 'email is dead' offers such a bold headline.

In reality, he said that the channel will carry on being hugely important while it offers benefits that social media cannot match; for example, in terms of reliability, measurability and suitability for business use.

A Software Industry Association study reported by Forbes backed up the popularity of email marketing, with researchers finding that the channel is a major advertising tool for the majority of the marketing executives interviewed.

In comparison, social media - while popular - was found to be driving only a small portion of revenue and engagement, while mobile marketing use was comparatively low.