Module - E-Marketing Communications

Future Developments in e-Marketing Communication

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Future e-marketing tactics

In recent years, we have witnessed a change in the way people communicate over the
Internet, as well as in the way mobile telephony is used. The main findings are that:

Email is declining as the preferred method of instant messaging.

SMS messages are being replaced by alternative text-based techniques.
Phone calls are made mostly through VoIP providers.
Messages with attached media are preferred.
Lifespan of tools used for communication is dramatically reduced.

Based on the above findings, we can see that organisations must be prepared to shift between
technologies, tools and techniques. However, the future of e-marketing is also dependent on
the way the available tools and techniques can be used.

Some suitable tactics for e-marketing strategy may include the following:

Providing a relevant message – this means that the business must always be alert and
use current events and popular culture in its e-marketing messages. This will make the
message relevant and more likely to attract the attention of customers.
Using social media to promote links – this approach allows the creation of interest
based on offering some meaningful contribution to the social network. Rather than
spamming users with marketing emails, the business can offer additional content to
existing topics and attempt to push the relevant link.
Optimising customer database – organisations are likely to maintain databases with
customer data. It is essential to ensure that customer databases are organised
according to the actual needs of each customer and all entries must be coded for
certain products. This allows the transmission of relevant messages only and avoids
spamming the recipients.
Offering incentives – there is nothing better than a meaningful and useful offer for those
recipients of an e-marketing message with a link for registering online. Such practices
make a huge difference to the way the message will be perceived and are likely to
improve the success of the campaign.
Expanding contact lists – promotions available through various e-marketing message
types are likely to attract new customers or people who do not mind emails being used
for further promotions if these include offers.
Optimising message content – as more people use their smartphones and mobile
devices to access email and websites, businesses must ensure that their messages
are configured to fit the interfaces and the technology constraints (e.g. bandwidth,
transfer rates) of different devices. Special attention is required for mobile phones and
smartphones, as computers are not likely to be the main method for accessing emails
 and text messages.

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Some techniques for preparing the business e-marketing strategy include the following:

Creating versions of the same e-marketing message which correspond to all possible
outcomes of an event.
Creating a message that can be used for generic events in the future. This means that
when an event appears without notification, the business is ready to launch its e-
marketing campaign with minimum preparation.
Hijacking a trendy topic, i.e. the business can create a message that can be related to a
topic that becomes a trend in social media.

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Consider how search engine optimisation is likely to evolve in the future and discuss possible
ways for achieving better ranking results.
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The proliferation of social media means that there is likely to be a different way we search
for information. Some issues we should consider for future developments include:

Searching content that exists in social media applications and not on websites
Introducing search functions for social networks
Selecting keywords to search social media content
Creating alternative search algorithms for non-text content
Using search engines for multimedia content

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There are several techniques that can help business to prepare for the integration of social
networks and social media for search engine optimisation. For example, businesses can:

Maintain blogs with frequent updates including a variety of topics.

Author white papers and mini articles with informative content.
 Update podcasts with recent developments.
Offer RSS feeds to customers and registered users.
Include social media outlets in their website.
Create online adverts with dynamic content.

You can find further reading and useful resources as follows:

A blog on the impact of the Internet on traditional marketing

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/adjust-traditional-marketing-tactics-millennials-var