Email: still my favourite channelOlly Beckett, web editor, Opodo

#dmaemail

DMA 17 May 2012

Email: still my favourite channel

3

Overview

1. Email vs Social marketing2. Ways in which Opodo use email marketing3. Challenges4. Future trends

4

Email vs Social marketing

Why I think email marketing is easier than social media marketing

1. Email marketing is an established channel with relatively predictable outcomes2. There is more room to get messages across clearly on emails along with engaging

design3. By its general nature, email marketing is a one-way conversation, whereas social

media can sometimes feel like an exercise in customer relations 4. Customers are still more disposed to purchase from an email5. You can get many more offers in an email than in one social marketing message 6. Organisations are ‘sold’ on email marketing but still need to be convinced about

social marketing

5

Ways in which Opodo use email marketing

Weekly newsletter: regular and dedicated

cruise

Email lifecycleWelcome subscriber

Newsletter

Birthday email

Lapsed subscriber

Pre-departure

Welcome back

Lapsed booker

Pre-departure

Birthday

Lapsed booker

6

Challenges - general

Spam- Understanding deliverability problems- Keeping up-to-date with ESP rules Relevance

- Always evolving (keeping design fresh)- Ever-increasing need to provide customer with exactly what they wantStagnation

- Same type of subject lines always win- Repetition of offers and same timings of sales every year

List growth- Need to provide content that other marketing cannot

7

Challenges - Opodo

On-site sign up- Limited space (mostly taken up by offers)- How much info should be required (i.e. Just email or name etc. As well)

Segmentation- Need to provide special offers from suppliers- Time required for data miningSeasonality- Customers don’t buy holidays every day- How to keep people enticed throughout the year?

8

Future trends

Email via social media- Facebook now allow individual direct messages- Possibility of mass email marketing via Facebook

Database shrink- Smaller databases, with much higher engagement- Shedding more inactive customers

More customer control- Customer will choose when and how often they receive emails- Customer will choose exactly what they receive in email

9

Olly BeckettWeb Editor

Opodo

Panel DiscussionJustin Pearse, New Media Age Fiona Robson, RocketseedAnthony Wilkey, EmailvisonDela Quist, Alchemy WorxOlly Beckett, Opodo

#dmaemail

Closing remarks from chairJustin Pearse, editor, New Media Age

#dmaemail

Upcoming events

Email customer lifecycle: List growthSponsored by SilverpopTuesday 22 May 2012

Ready steady emailPartnered with the IABMonday 25 June 2012

The DMA summer lunch- with Alastair CampbellSponsored by Mobile Marketing Group Thursday 12 July 2012

To see our full events listing please visit http://www.dma.org.uk/event-listing