Email Marketers Say List Turnover Is Their Biggest Challenge

(Businesswire) - Email marketers feel like they're taking two steps forward and one step back when it comes to growing address lists, according to a recent JupiterResearch survey commissioned by Silverpop. They're making progress, but it's a slow slog uphill.


Nearly four out of 10 email marketers (39 percent) said list turnover is their biggest challenge in an online survey conducted by JupiterResearch in June. The survey polled 300 email marketers about their challenges and the assistance they seek from email service providers. It repeated a similar survey conducted last year, when marketers said the ability to analyze campaigns results was their most difficult challenge.


“Concerns over list growth aren't necessarily new, but it's interesting that it's become a top concern for email marketers," said Elaine O’Gorman, vice president of strategy for Silverpop. “Growing a strong database of customers and prospects is obviously the core part of any strong email marketing program. All elements of sophisticated email marketing – segmentation, personalization, dynamic content, lifestyle marketing and more – depend upon the quantity and quality of the email list.”


Yet while marketers work diligently to add new names to the list, others drop off or become inactive. List attrition for BtoB marketers averages 2.1 percent a month, according to MarketingSherpa's "Email Marketing Benchmark Guide 2007." The report indicates BtoC marketers lose, on average, 2.9 percent of their email addresses each month. More...