According to Tomlinson, no one was looking for email; he Just thought it was a “neat” Idea. Bellies) In 1978, Gary Truer, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corporation (DECK) changed BIB marketing by sending out the first mass email promoting a DECK product to 400 techies. ‘When those early email users checked their infixes, they discovered this foreign-looking message with a c list that took up so much room it spilled into the message’s body. ” (Strolled, 2004) Some loved it but many people hated it when their computers crashed.
Truer was prohibited from sending additional mass emails but “Despite the scolding, Truer says It was a great Idea… He saw these mass emails as a cheap, effective way to get a message to a hole lot of people. ” (Strolled, 2004) The actual results that were gained by DECK from that first mass email were $1 3 million in sales for their machines! (Lee, 2013) Both Tomlinson and Truer opened the door to greater efficiency in communication because they thought it was a “great idea. ” Their ideas have transformed our culture and how we communicate with one another with one of the greatest impacts being in commerce.
Email marketing Is one the fastest, cheapest forms of direct marketing allowing businesses to reach their customer’s with greater efficiency. Prior to email BBC and BIB direct sales Involved a great deal of snail mail and telephone communication both of which are costly. With email and the ability to send mass emails, the costs are significantly less and require far less resources. So it is no surprise that in 1983 CompuServe launched the first commercial internet email product and for the first time consumers could send messages with an internet email address.
Prior to CompuServe launch, the only people using Internet messages were the military and unlettered. (Break, 2011) Spray ; Pray sass’s The early sass’s ushered in a new era when Tim Berne Lee introduced “the URL rotator, web browser software and the World Wide Web (www) to the public. ” Cones) In addition something else significant that happened in 1992 was introduction of the first Smartened. Other important events significant to the evolution of e-marketing such as the launch of Amazon. Com in 1995 where individual consumers were requested credit card Information to make a purchase.
In fact, “most business analysts thought Amazon would flop because consumers would never use their credit card online. ” (Break, 2011) Another significant event was the launch of “HOTMail”, the first free web based email service. All of a sudden access to email became available to everyone and personal email addresses made direct marketing an extremely attractive tactic for marketers. A business would “Spray,” putting out an email to everyone that provided them with an address, and “Pray for a response. Ins for your attention by most consumers with their new Hotmail accounts became a nuisance. In 1998, the Data Protection Act was updated to help control Spam mail and allow consumers to opt out of receiving email’s regarding products and services they were not interested in. The sass’s dot. Com boom also included the launch of impasses like Yahoo who were one of the first companies to offer advertising space on their home page and developed software to track user preferences. In the US online advertising spending was $0 in 1994, $301 million in 1996 and by 1997, had reached $1 billion.
Cones) “It is also during the sass’s that search engine optimization got started utilizing luck and guesswork before hackers managed to crack the first algorithms in 1997. In 1998, Hotelier (run by AT&T) began selling banner advertising space to large corporate clients and achieved a… 30% click – through rate. ” Cones) Finally, in 1999 Google was launched. People around the world waited for YAK but what came instead was a crash in the market and the dotcom boom of the late sass’s came to an end. “The boom was a time when enthusiastic but inexperienced business people conceptualized and financed…. Addict and exciting new web based companies” The problem was that many of the ideas and strategies were untested and enviable resulting in investment money being lost. As a result there was a significant decrease of over 30% in online advertising and between the years 2000 to 2002 many companies were cautious. Cones) That caution ushered in a new era for e-marketers as they became more tragic seeking ways to optimize their direct marketing efforts through greater efficiency. A New Millennium The New Millennium ushered in an era for developing strategic business to consumer (BBC) marketing as never seen before.
To be successful two things were required, building a database, finding out what consumer’s like and don’t like and giving them what they want to need. The availability of e-mail and the new world of social media through Backbone took e-marketing to a whole new level and the volume of BBC marketing was increasing rapidly. In 2003 marketing emails had increased significantly with a great proliferation of Spam with viruses. As a result the Can Spam Law (US) and Privacy Electronic Regulations (Europe) were enacted and in 2004 the Sender Policy Framework (SSP) “was introduced providing an email validation system. Cones) Spam and particularly those laden with viruses threatened the ability of e-tail to effectively reach consumers who were in fear of their computers being harmed. In 2004 AOL developed a process to gather actual feedback on Spam complaints from consumers creating an opportunity for an additional metric to help address consumer needs. The process of engaging consumers directly is at the root of marketers coming to understand the necessity of being strategic and thoughtful of the type of emails they send to their customers.
Key significant events and ideas significant to the evolution of e-marketing are as follows: * Google Towards was launched in 2003 and really took off. “Google wasn’t the first search engine, but it was the first to offer a system whereby advertisers could serve ads in response to users’ real-time intent and desires. It’s still the king of internet advertising and remains a $BAN market today. ” (Break, 2011) * Backbone was launched in 2006 ND by late 2007 the site had over 100,000 business pages allowing companies to multiple channels; online, in store, Twitter, Backbone and email” Cones) * The first Phone was introduced by Apple in 2007. Apple allowed third party developers to create their own phone applications, giving consumers a choice in how they wanted to consume content and services on the go. ” (Break, 2011) * Windows Live Sender Reputation Data was introduced in 2008 protecting customer’s from mail they do not want and in 2010 To Today: Power to the People The age of targeted email, market segmentation and customization has empowered customer’s ability to pick and choose what is offered to them and how based on their specific needs and preferences.
Highlights of significant growth in e- marketing include the following: * 2010 – Hotmail Sweep and Google’s Priority Inbox was introduced to help users get rid of the clutter in their infixes. * 2010- Backbone launches Open Graph, “a technology that pulls off an unprecedented feat; it gets consumers to volunteer their identity to marketers across the web (wherever a Backbone Like button is present). ” (Break, 2013) * 2012- SEE the methodology of choice – DAM reports 85% of email marketers segment their list.
Inform reports 40% of marketing email is opened on a mobile device. * 2013- marketer reports email marketers who take advantage of automation have seen conversion rates as high as 50%. Industry research by Ascend reveals 53% of marketing professionals agree that email is the most effective marketing tactic. Conclusion It’s amazing how what started as a “good idea” born out of a desire to communicate better and provide better understanding has empowered consumers and strengthened businesses ability to reach the marketplace more effectively.
The customer really is in charge today and they comfortably utilize multiple channels so arresters would be wise to continue adjusting to the needs and desires of the consumer. Egalitarianism’s. Com provides a list of six marketing trends to watch in 2013 and they include: 1. Media Fragmentation – inform goal as a marketer should be to distribute content across as many types of media and platforms as your budget can allow…. Give digital consumers opportunities to buy. ” 2. Smartened Device Adoption Has Reached Half of U. S.
Population – “Mobile is becoming a more prominent channel for commercial transactions. Post social media content that is easy to consume and interact with on the go. 3. Content Marketing is Still King – 91% of in-house marketers use content marketing to sell their products and services… Consumers interact with content first, giving brands ideas or insights about what is important to them. ” 4. Backbone is Still Dominant – “The number of users on Backbone is rising, giving marketers opportunities to interact with audiences in innovative ways.
