Maximizing email success has become a key element in driving profits and maintaining relevancy in the marketplace. But understanding the components of a successful email campaign can be tricky, at best. In order to gain insight into the process, Experian Data Quality commissioned a survey by Research Now to analyze the methods companies believe best drive consumer email interaction.

After compiling responses from over 200 companies of varying sizes and across enterprises, the study found that 50 percent of large businesses believe increased personalization is the key element, differentiating consumers based on product preferences or similar criteria. However, among the SMBs queried, 39 percent pointed to better quality email addresses as the driving force behind improved email interactions, as it ensures a greater percentage of emails reach their intended destinations.

Only about a third of all respondents think that content relevancy and quality is important, a reversal of findings from a 2014 study that identified content quality as central to an effective email campaign.

Overall, the study found that 90 percent of respondents identified the quality of the email database, as well as database relevancy, as the most important factors, and those surveyed believe that at least 20 percent of the addresses on their email lists are worthless. To cope with this, 55% are consistently working on email validation strategies, another 45% are resuming contact with dormant subscribers, and about 4 in 10 are engaging in email purging.

For the authors of the study, minimizing risks to email campaigns and improving subscriber interaction lies in addressing and managing delivery rates, as well as tracking email ROI, since the value lies in emails reaching their subscribers.

References:

MarketingCharts. “How Companies Feel They Can Improve Email Subscriber Interactions,” October 1, 2015.

The 2015 Email Data Quality Trends Report. Experian Data Quality, October 2015.