Marketers use a wide variety of techniques to improve response in their retention and acquisition email programs, with varying results, according to a MarketingProfs survey, the results of which are analyzed (premium article) by Return Path, which also offers recommendations. Among respondents who measure their campaigns, 40 percent say email earns the highest ROI, followed by search (28 percent) and direct mail (18 percent). Revenue per campaign is the most-utilized email-marketing success metric, used by 39.8 percent; file size is a close second with 38.3 percent keeping tabs; and revenue per email third at 25.8 percent. Some 35 percent do not set clear success metrics.

Some 50-70 percent of respondents say they manipulate various response elements in every email campaign, primarily the offer, the call to action, and the subject line; however, 5-40 percent do not at all adjust the various elements.

Some 50 percent of respondents segment their email file to boost response, saying they do so consistently and reporting that segments based on purchase/response drive the highest success; demographic targeting is used by 70 percent of that half, with mixed results.

Only 35 percent of respondents use email as part of a multi-channel effort, and 60 percent of those consider the impact of multiple channels with every campaign; the most common efforts were combinations of direct (post office) mail and offline events combined with email.

The 2005 Email Marketing Survey was conducted by MarketingProfs in November 2005 and includes responses from 1,033 marketers, 68 percent of them in the US or Canada. About 73 percent of respondents are corporate marketers. Roughly 50 percent are B2B, 23 percent are B2C, another 19 percent market to both.