Posted by Frank Reed

With Internet marketers putting the squeeze on budgets the search for the magic bullet to attract new customers continues. MediaPost gives some insight on a Merkle report that says that e-mail still is attractive to marketers but the perception from those on the receiving end may be changing as well.

The report talks about how inboxes are getting more and more cluttered with marketing messages. After looking over the findings it appears as if the direction that e-mail recipients are heading is toward having had enough of the practice. I know how I react to e-mails that I have opted – in to receive. I take a brief look at the subject line and if it is not something that can make me slow down for a second it’s deleted. Not to say that my behavior is normal but I suspect that the patience level on these techniques is waning.

Some findings to consider

• Time spent with permission email has stabilized since the gains seen last year. 59% of all email users spend twenty minutes or more with permission email weekly, with just over one- quarter spending an hour or more weekly

• The biggest reasons subscribers choose to opt-out of permission email continue to be lack of relevance (cited by 75%), followed closely by sending too frequently (73%)

• Slightly over half of respondents said that they were less willing to sign-up for email communications when compared to just a few years ago – showing that they are exercising caution

As with most studies those who want to support the use of e-mail as a marketing tool can find numbers to support their position. The other side of that equation is true as well. One thing that is nice is that the highest percentage of e-mail time is reserved for friends and family. Great for news for keeping up with the college crew but maybe it explains some productivity issues at the office as well.

The final piece of information most noteworthy to a subject near and dear to our hearts here at Marketing Pilgrim is about brand reputation. The report says that 30% of respondents have stopped doing business with a company based on their e-mail marketing practices. Ouch.

So what do you do? Even if you opt-in are you paying attention to the e-mails that come to you? Are you more or less tolerant of e-mail that falls outside of business or personal direct connections? We know about ad blindness but is e-mail blindness just as real?

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About the Author: Frank Reed's blog Frank Thinking About Internet Marketing provides practical advice and insight for Internet marketers from local SMB's to Fortune 500's. Frank provides Internet marketing services through FT Internet Marketing, Inc. In addition, Frank is a regular contributor to Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim and Mike Moran's Biznology blogs.