Inbox 2.0 - Long Live Email

I just read Scott Dorsey's debate with Robert Scoble in the Business Week Debate Room.   The title of the debate was:

E-mail Faces Deletion: Web 2.0 applications such as Twitter will unseat simple electronic mail as the No. 1 business communications tool. Pro or con?

I thought Scoble made a great case in favor of some of the Web 2.0 technologies that do in fact help overcome some of the weaknesses in email.  Obviously, since I'm now in the Corporate Blogging Software business, I feel strongly that technologies like Blogging have a strong place in any Corporate Marketing Mix.  The debate continues in both Scoblizer and in the blogs of folks such as Lisa Barone over at BruceClay.com. 

In full disclosure, I was a co-founder of ExactTarget and as such have a vested interest in the success of email.

My point goes to support Scott's comment on "Inbox 2.0" and is driven from relevance and data.

The problem with email through out it's history is the abuse by organizations who looked at the medium as "Cheap Paper".

In that light, these people replicated an broken Reach & Frequency advertising model by applying those same Mass Marketing tactics to Email.

This is changing quickly.  The beauty of email as a marketing tool is the ability to leverage data and deliver the right message to the right people at the right time.   

I may be brand-loyal to Goodyear Tires, but their product isn’t the type for which I would subscribe to their RSS feed or visit their site very often.  If they want my business they have to recognize who I am and the best time to send me any communications.  To be successful they have to pay attention to me. Know how I buy.  Know when WINTER COMES where I live.  Or how many miles I’m likely to drive so they can send me the right product reminders...the sort of thing that can be done brilliantly with the right combination of strategy, creativity, email & data.

Beyond face-to-face or the telephone, email is the only way to have a dialog, an actual one-to-one conversation in a medium that is almost universal.

It's been abused for sure...but the profits from email abuse are diminishing....and market forces are driving email marketers to become much more timely and relevant.

Comments

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[Zax Stevens]

Excellent stuff Chris, email marketing is gold and misunderstood by many marketers and receivers alike.

[Mandar]

In comparison with Inbox 2.0 - Take a look at upcoming site MyVishwa - "We Create Time" - www.MyVishwa.com . It is packed with next generation SpamFree Communication and Collaboration features all in one place. Serious competation to Gmail, MSN, MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn. On top it has revenue generation moduel for its members!! Site is getting popular rapidly.
www.MyVishwa.com

[Mandar Joglekar]

Check out www.MyVishwa.com which provides SpamFree solution much better than Inbox 2.0

[Christopher Hardin]

Hi if you like please check out my Blog on building an opt-in . Spent alot of time on it . Alot of great information on it.

[Regan Moore]

Email has allowed me to keep in contact with people in my life I may not have been able to keep up with. Blogging is a artistic release for me. If anyone blogs like me. you may want to think of checking out this new site einformationsource, this allows you to submit articles about any and everything. Since it is newer the comments that you place gain increased visibility. The site also allows the author to place links to products they promote. I know from experience many sites do not allow this. Hope this is useful to someone. Have a great day.

[Xavier Rodriguez]

Ever since the Internet was born, email was already in place..Email for sure if it dies, the Internet will go down with it..Email marketing will go on as still the primary means of communication with buyers and sellers on the Net..

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I agree that is a great way to get potential customers. Is there any tutorial o recommendation on how to star Email marketing?

[Jeff Paul Scam]

I just want to say that the Internet is a wonderful place for snowball effects. By visiting other blogs daily and spending at least twice as much time doing that as you spend working on your blog posts you will find that you are doing far better than many people at your stage in the blogging game.

[Jeff Paul Internet Millions]

I must say that email marketing is iffy sometimes because of spam concerns. It's also not permanent, I like and interested in affiliate marketing because its more profitable.

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I agree with your idea but, there are different school of thoughts producing different ideas that has to brought into consideration.

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Web 2.0 is bad :(

[Authority Networker]

Email marketing is key to your internet network marketing success and can help build your downline fast. This attraction marketing strategy can generate free MLM leads and MLM signups, present offers more effectively and close more business sales. People who come across your web page will opt-in or provide their names and email addresses if they are convinced that you can teach them how to market themselves first, and build a list of their own fresh mlm leads. With email marketing you can tailor fit your marketing specifically for this group of leads, which in turn can greatly increase the chances that they will join your program.

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Another interesting article.

By the way, your book is real great as well. Keep up the good work!

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