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INTRODUCTION
Email marketing has become pervasive in today¶s business world. Its undeniable benefits
continue to gain adepts in every level of commerce, industry and service. Email marketing is
easy to master. It is targeted, affordable, vigorous and highly effective. Email is faster, by far less
expensive and more compelling than the standard marketing tools, such as direct mail or print
advertising. Email marketing is available to all. It is direct, it demands less time and resources
and the results are instantly manifest
E-mail stands for ’ ’

  . E-mail is instant; you can get a reply to an e-mail that
you've sent within minutes. Most people now have at least one e-mail address. There are many
types of e-mail. Control Panel based ± If you have a website, you would have a couple of
possible e-mail addresses. There's disposable e-mail ± You create a temporary e-mail address.
However the 2 most used types of e-mail are as follows:

   ’
This is normally software that you download and run from an icon on your desktop. An
example of an e-mail client is Thunderbird. You can download this from the following
site, http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/.
 ’ ’
  
This can be any of the following:
Google mail (gmail.com) Yahoo (yahoo.co.uk) Hotmail (hotmail.co.uk) etc.
E-MAIL MARKETING
E-mail marketing is a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of
communicating commercial or fundraising messages to an audience. In its broadest sense, every
e-mail sent to a potential or current customer could be considered e-mail marketing. However,
the term is usually used to refer to:
  sending e-mails with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a merchant with
its current or previous customers and to encourage customer loyalty and repeat
business,
  sending e-mails with the purpose of acquiring new customers or convincing
current customers to purchase something immediately,
  adding advertisements to e-mails sent by other companies to their customers, and
  àending e-mails over the Internet, as e-mail did and does exist outside the Internet



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Ê

2. E-mail marketing (on the Internet) is popular with companies for several reasons:
2. A mailing list provides the ability to distribute information to a wide range of specific,
potential customers at a relatively low cost.
3. Compared to other media investments such as direct mail or printed newsletters, e-mail
is less expensive.
4. An exact return on investment can be tracked ("track to basket") and has proven to be
high when done properly. E-mail marketing is often reported as second only to search
marketing as the most effective online marketing tactic.
5. The delivery time for an e-mail message is short (i.e., seconds or minutes) as compared
to a mailed advertisement (i.e., one or more days).
6. An advertiser is able to "push" the message to its audience, as opposed to website-
based advertising, which relies on a customer to visit that website.
7. E-mail messages are easy to track. An advertiser can track users via auto responders,
web bugs, bounce messages, unsubscribe requests, read receipts, click-through, etc.
These mechanisms can be used to measure open rates, positive or negative responses, and
to correlate sales with Marketing.
8. Advertisers can generate repeat business affordably and automatically.
9. Advertisers can reach substantial numbers of e-mail subscribers who have opted in
(i.e., consented) to receive e-mail communications on subjects of interest to them.
2 . Over half of Internet users check or send e-mail on a typical day
22. àpecific types of interaction with messages can trigger (2) other messages to be
delivered automatically, or (2) other events, such as updating the profile of the recipient
to indicate a specific interest category.
22. E-mail marketing is paper-free.



23. Many companies use e-mail marketing to communicate with existing customers, but
many other companies send unsolicited bulk e-mail, also known as spam.
24. Internet system administrators have always considered themselves responsible for
dealing with "abuse of the net", but not "abuse on the net". That is, they will act quite
vigorously against spam, but will leave issues such as libel or trademark infringement to



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the legal system. Most administrators possess a passionate dislike for spam, which they
define as any unsolicited e-mail. Draconian measures ²such as taking down a corporate
website, with or without warning²are entirely normal responses to spamming.
Typically, the terms of service in Internet companies' contracts permit such actions;
therefore, the spammer often has no recourse.
25. Illicit e-mail marketing predates legitimate e-mail marketing. On the early Internet, it
was not permitted to use the medium for commercial purposes. As a result, marketers
attempting to establish themselves as legitimate businesses in e-mail marketing have had
an uphill battle, hampered also by criminal spam operations billing themselves as
legitimate ones.
26. It is frequently difficult for observers to distinguish between legitimate and spam e-
mail marketing. First, spammers attempt to represent themselves as legitimate operators.
àecond, direct-marketing political groups such as the United àtates Direct Marketing
Association (DMA) have pressured legislatures to legalize activities that some Internet
operators consider to be spamming, such as the sending of "opt-out" unsolicited
commercial e-mail. Third, the sheer volume of spam has led some users to mistake
legitimate commercial e-mail for spam. This
àituation arises when a user receives e-mail from a mailing list to which he/she
subscribes. Additional confusion arises when both legitimate and spam messages have a
similar appearance, as when messages include HTML and graphics.
27. One effective technique used by established email marketing companies is to require
what is known as the "double opt-in" method of requiring a potential recipient to
manually confirm their request for information by clicking a unique link and entering a
unique code identifier to confirm that the owner of the recipient email address has indeed
requested the information. Responsible e-mail marketing and auto responder companies
use this double opt-in method to confirm each request before any information is sent out.
28. A report issued by the e-mail services company Return Path, as of mid-2 8 email
deliverability is still an issue for legitimate marketers. According to the report, legitimate
e-mail servers averaged a delivery rate of 56%; twenty percent of the messages were
rejected, and eight percent were filtered.



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29. Due to the volume of spam e-mail on the Internet, spam filters are essential to most
users. àome marketers report that legitimate commercial e-mail messages frequently get
caught and hidden by filters; however, it is somewhat less common for e-mail users to
complain that spam filters block legitimate mail.
2 . Companies considering the use of an e-mail marketing program must make sure that
their program does not violate spam laws such as the United àtates' Controlling the
Assault of Non-àolicited Pornography and Marketing Act the European Privacy and
Electronic Communications Regulations 2 3, or their Internet service provider's
acceptable use policy. Even if a company adheres to the applicable laws, it can be
blacklisted if Internet e-mail administrators determine that the company is sending spam.
p

 


Purely in terms of metrics the previous paragraph illustrates just how valuable e-mail
could be to an online marketing program, and it is true to say this is being followed up by
marketers. An IPT email marketing survey (2 4) found that 92% percent of professional
respondents currently used email marketing with over half (52%) declaring that the budget
would increase the following year. It is perhaps not surprising that these figures are so positive
given the findings from the consumer part of the survey. According to IPT, 99% of consumers
use the internet for email creating a vast potential audience for marketing messages. Even more
encouraging for marketers is the medium consumer felt was the most effective for marketing
communication. Email ranked second at 32%, a score only 7% behind television, but markedly
higher than press, radio and other forms.
Clearly these statistics have to be approached with caution, the answers consumers give,
compared to their actual behaviour can often be distinctly different. àtill, the figures do show
consumers are still receptive to email communication despite that fact that "the average email
user gets between 54 and 93 e-mails per week, a number that increases in direct proportion to the
length of time the person has been using email" (Brondmo, H. P., 2 2). Utilized as a marketing
tool email has both advantages and disadvantages. The key advantages of email marketing are
two-fold and intrinsically linked. The first is low costs and the second is the ability to utilize a
digital work-flow. (Jackson & DeCormier, 2999; Peppers & Rodgers, 2 ). Actual figures vary
by campaign but Dave Chaffey (2 6) estimates that "currently, e-mail costs range from $5 to $7
per thousand compared to $5 to $7 per thousand for direct mail." If e-mail costs just 2% per



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thousand to reach customers compared to direct mail the casual observer may question whether,
in the words of the age-old idiom, "You get what you pay for."
According to Hans Peter Brondmo (2 2) "the best email marketing programs, in fact,
routinely enjoy response rates above 3 percent, while even fairly simple promotional marketing
campaigns routinely see a 4 to 6 percent response (compared to 2 to 2 percent response rate from
traditional direct mail campaigns)." The figures are a positive re-enforcement for email, but
Brondmo continues with a note of caution. He says that "with all the information consumers are
exposed to on a daily basis, it's getting harder and harder to separate the good from the bad."
This viewpoint expanded by Windham (2 ) who suggests that email marketing has one major
disadvantage, the scourge that is spam, or unsolicited email. Not only does this taint the
reputation of email as a form of communication, but it directly affects response rates to
campaigns. In addition many counter spam measures introduced by IàPs and email providers
have had a significant detrimental effect on email open rates and created rendering issues
(Double-click, 2 5).
Legitimate marketer¶s use of e-mail adds to existing volumes of consumer spam and
further reduces its effectiveness in selling products. This paper will review just what spam is, the
reasons behind why it has become so overwhelming for so many people, and possible solution
areas of reducing spam that marketers can learn from. This review will help answer the question
of how marketers can use this low-cost communications tool without further eroding consumer
trust while still getting their message across to consumers.

à ÊÊà
àPAM ± This just means unsolicited/junk e-mail. Typical àPAM e-mails are things like:
You've won the Nigerian lottery, Beneficiary notice e-mails etc.
àpam is defined by Havelka & Neal (2 6) as unwanted commercial e-mail.´ and is
further explained that ³Using the name  for junk e-mail comes from a Monty Python skit in
which a song containing the word was repeated many times.´ The idea behind spam is typically
credited to two Arizona attorneys who were attempting to promote their immigration law
practice through mass e-mailings to a newsgroup on the Internet (Krause, 2 5). Why is spam
such a problem in modern society? With the advent of e-mail and its exponential growth and
public adoption, more pressure is placed upon individuals to respond to any and all



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correspondences sent. The phrase µYou¶ve got mail!¶ is widely known and understood. This
pressure to respond means continually managing e-mail accounts, weeding out unwanted
messages, and the loss of previously private time that was used for things such as personal
interests or hobbies (Demirdjian, 2 5). E-mail ³«has become an integral part of the
infrastructure for the way in which we communicate nowadays with colleagues, business
partners, customers, suppliers, and friends and family members.´ (Demirdjian, 2 5, p. I). other
issues associated with spam include viruses or hidden payloads that cause damage to computers
and loss of revenue in the millions of dollars each year.
How can the overwhelming issue of spam be addressed? àeveral solution areas
are suggested by Hann, et. Al (2 6) as technological, social and, regulatory. Technology
solutions related to spam would include software application filters looking at content words,
colors, or images contained within the header or body of an e-mail. These filters also look for
known internet addresses that habitually create and send spam, large amounts of e-mails, and
bogus or non-existent e-mail origination addresses (Fruchter, 2 5).
àocial solutions to spam need to take into consideration the current attitudes toward
unwanted e-mails from commercial entities. While individuals tend to begin sending e-mails at
greater frequency and with less concern over the content and addressees, commercial marketers
need to know the current environment and be cautious of sending too many messages. Reduction
in spam volumes boils down to the individual level (Demirdjian, 2 5). Government attempts to
pass regulations to curve the use of e-mails from various technical perspectives, but societal
awareness is needed about the potential harm spam brings. Education of technology
Professionals and greater attention to ethics relating to spam activities can help.
Regulatory solutions concerning spam include existing state regulations and the federal
CAN-àPAM Act of 2 4. The CAN-àPAM Act covers e-mails where ³the primary purpose of
which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,´ (Friel,
2 5). This act serves as a regulatory guideline for businesses engaged in marketing activities
using e-mail communications.
Guidelines for the transmission of e-mails would include having opt-out options
contained within the e-mail, correct labeling of e-mail messages, restrictions on sexually oriented
materials, how mobile message are sent, deceptive e-mail methods, and address harvesting



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methods. Liability concerns are also address in this legislation for responsible parties to an e-
mail.
à Êà

à
Having defined spam and potential solution areas, where can marketing organizations
begin formulating a winning strategy using e-mail communications? Marketers can learn from
current spammer behavior as to who gets targeted and why certain groups are marketed to a
greater degree than others. By examining their behavior marketers can further refine their own
strategies and recommendation concerning the use of e-mail. In their study of current spamming
behavior, Hann, Hui, Lai, Lee & Png (2 6) have confirmed some interesting ideas around
unwanted e-mails and who they are sent to. Through their study they have confirmed that spam
is not simply a random event sent out to large mailing lists but rather a systematic targeting of
Consumer segments that are more likely to purchase products on the Internet.
This study also discovered that ³«the most important influence on the spam rate was
the identity of the email service provider. àpecifically, Hotmail accounts received significantly
more spam than accounts set up with other email service providers.´ These researchers go on to
say that Internet user should be cautious when creating web-based e-mail accounts and take into
consideration the provider they are using and their potential spam rate.

Today, spammers are ³«pollution our digital environment.´ (Demirdjian, 2 5) and they
have no incentives to decrease current volume levels (Hannn, et. al, 2 6). Consumers don¶t like
the idea of receiving additional amounts of e-mail even if it¶s considered legitimate marketing
materials that they may be interested in purchasing. Marketing groups have the added hurdle of
getting their legitimate advertisings past filtering applications. Fruchter (2 5) examines content
filtering methods and suggests limiting the use of µtrigger¶ words or phrases contained within
filtering databases that cause messages from being blocked. The use of filtering applications on
proposed messages prior to sending them can help marketers reduce the amount of rejected or
filtered message getting to consumers. Internet Protocol (IP) address filtering solutions include
working with vendors that are µwhite listed¶, not µblack listed¶ by the software creator. These
white listed vendors are know to be reputable and are allowed through filters. Filtering
technology will also stop e-mails from sources that contain many µhard bounces¶ that Fruchter
(2 5) describes as ³«an email address that is undeliverable for reasons that are likely



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permanent such as µaddress invalid¶ or µdomain not found¶.´ Marketers should strive to make
their e-mail lists as clean and up to date as possible to avoid this filtering method.
à

As Demirdjian (2 5) points out ³The key is exercising self-restraint from generating
frivolous and unnecessary e-mails.´ (p. II). While this paper focuses on the aspects of students
sending e-mails to their professors at all hours, marketers can learn from this point: don¶t make
the marketing message trivial. As can be seen by Krause (2 5) and the use of e-mail advertising
by attorneys, maintain focus achieves the effort of getting to those you want to reach while still
marinating trust and remaining with regulatory confines.
pÊ
p
Legitimate marketers need to keep their e-mail efforts focused on the right audience as
well as staying within the legal boundaries of federal and state authorities. The guidelines
contained within the CAN-àPAM Act of 2 4 can serve as an excellent method for
organizations to further their efforts in effective e-mail marketing campaigns. Parmar (2 3)
does an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the regulations contained within the CAN-àPAM
Act of 2 4 as well as addressing the social aspects of e-mailing consumers. These ideas include
educating and entertaining the recipient, not being too self serving, not attaching files, and
archiving materials for later reference. Also, Parman (2 3) goes on to point out that e-mail
recipients should be given the option of turning your campaign off, not blasting individuals with
multiple messages, and keeping track of those who do want your messages.

à
à
There is still debate over the legitimacy of marketers sending e-mails in an attempt to sell
their products and those individuals who send innocuous e-mails with virus or pornography.
Under the general definition of spam both these groups could be seen as harming the larger
society. Marketers need to remain within the set boundaries E-mail àpam and Marketing of
society through legislation and remember to focus on their target market without spilling into
unnecessary areas.



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REFERENCE:
2. Demirdjian, Z. à. (2 5). Toward taming the monster in electronic mail. ù
 


 

  
(2), I-II.
2. Friel, A. L. (2 5). The spam spat. 


(3), 48-5 .
3. Fruchter, J. (2 5). Getting around spam filters. 


(6), 3 -32.
4. Havelka, D., & Neal, C. à. (2 6). Can spam. ù
 
(2), 33-34.
5. www.emailbrain.com
6. ëëë
 
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