1. 10/19/2015 In perfect harmony: e­mail works in­sync with other channels ­ Print Article ­ Direct Marketing News
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In perfect harmony: e­mail works in­sync with other
channels
Tanya Lewis
April 07, 2008
Main Feature
In perfect harmony: e­mail works in­sync with
other channels
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E­Loan, an online consumer direct lender, has strived
to deliver relevant and timely communication to
customers of the Pleasanton CA­based company
throughout its 11­year history.
Because Federal Reserve interest rate adjustments
directly impact its customers, the announcements trig​­
ger immediate communication from E­Loan. In the
past, these e­mails were coordinated with Web site
content, but for the January rate cuts, E­Loan linked e­
mail with both Web and paid search efforts. The tactic
resulted in a lift in conversion and applications.
E­Loan devel​oped this type of “fusion marketing” to
share knowledge across channels, says Siara Nazir, E­Loan's director of online/offline marketing and cus​tomer
retention. “We saw an oppor​tunity to create a united [marketing] front — all messages were the same type, and they
went out at the same time,” she says. The campaign results offered enough of a lift to implement the tactics for the
March rate cut.
E­mail need not stand alone
JupiterResearch reports that cou​pling e­mail with other channels has delivered remarkable results. A 2007 study found
campaigns improved for 90% of marketers who integrated third­party data, for 74% who inte​grated with off­line
direct marketing and for 85% who integrated Web site analytics. Overall, e­mails are four times more effective when
targeted and integrated with other data.
Scott Olrich, CMO at e­mail service provider Responsys, works with E­Loan on its e­mail campaigns. He explains that
adding channels and driving an integrated experience helps marketers' dialog with customers.
“Sophisticated marketers need seg​mentation, relevant content, and to consider timing and behavior of the consumer,”
says Olrich. Consistent messages are important, he adds, but points out that it's more important to let the conversation
evolve.
“E­Loan is successful because it doesn't just think about a single campaign or channel,” he explains. “It thinks about

2. 10/19/2015 In perfect harmony: e­mail works in­sync with other channels ­ Print Article ­ Direct Marketing News
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what it wants customers to do and builds a program.”
The goal of an e­mail campaign, Olrich says, should determine which channels are used in conjunction with it.
Segmentation helps marketers deliv​er personalized information, while testing can inform decisions about channel mix
as well as content.
E­Loan segments customers based on the type of product they use, such as mortgages and car loans. Language and
keyword strategy is tailored across channels.
“Fusion marketing coupled with rigorous testing is the era we're head​ing into,” Nazir says. The first step, she says, is a
unified message. “The second step is [acquiring knowledge] from online media buys, search mar​keting, traffic data,
and click data, and applying that to e­mail subject lines, content, and links,” she continues. “What we've already done
and tested in other channels is applied to e­mail and [vice versa].”
For the January 30 interest rate cut, E­Loan measured open rates of e­mails with subject lines that includ​ed the rate cut
figure and ones that didn't. E­mails that included sub​ject lines without the number were opened more often.
“What may work for e­mail may not work for search landing pages, but ideas cross­pollinate,” Nazir says. “We're
taking what has proven a sig​nificant lift over the control in e­mail and applying it to Web strategy.”
Increases efficacy of all channels
Sean O'Neal, chief revenue officer at e­mail service provider Datran Media, agrees that using e­mail with other
channels increases the efficacy of all channels. “Leads from all chan​nels should result in an e­mail mes​sage,” he says.
“E­mail is the only truly two­way channel — it closes the loop and begins two­way dialog.”
Datran Media client Norman Migli​etta, director of advertising and mar​keting for Turner Sports' new media division,
says integrating has made “a huge difference.” Turner Sports offers TrackPass, a product on its nascar.com site that
allows visitors to see and hear NASCAR information online. Coordinating online efforts around TrackPass with e­mail
communica​tion has worked well in acquiring and retaining subscribers, he says.
The start of NASCAR season is also a peak selling time for nascar.com's e­commerce store, and e­mails with content
tailored to customer preference are used in conjunction with print catalog mailings. Miglietta says response rates are
higher in both channels when they work together.

3. 10/19/2015 In perfect harmony: e­mail works in­sync with other channels ­ Print Article ­ Direct Marketing News
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“Experiment on what works
best,” Miglietta advises. “We
always hold a control group to
measure.”
Nazir agrees, noting that E­Loan
won't rest despite January's
success with channel mix and
messaging. “It's an evolutionary
process,” she says. “We
continuously test against a win​­
ner to find another winner.”
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