Emergence Media

Via Emergence Marketing, the Direct Marketing Association has released a study that finds that e-mail marketing is generating greater returns than non-email Internet marketing as reported by Direct:

E-mail returned a whopping $57.25 for every dollar spent on it in 2005, the DMA reported in its Power of Direct economic impact study released last month. In contrast, print catalogs generated $7.09 and non-e-mail Internet marketing produced $22.52.

Of course, DMA may have motivations for advancing studies that demonstrate that e-mail marketing offers higher returns than other forms of online marketing.

The main point however is that while social media, search marketing and behavioral marketing are the hot items du jour, strategic marketers aim to develop a full spectrum plan that hits where ever the target audience lies.

Indeed, if the long tail holds true than in every channel - from social media to e-mail marketing - lies potential opportunities to find niche communities that fit within the client’s targeted audience. Understanding these niches and exploiting them separate the brilliant strategic and tactical marketers from the average ones.