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Groups Look to Automation to Combat Email Fatigue

Feel like you’re sending more emails but getting less response? You’re not alone. A new report says automation offers a way to take a more targeted approach to email campaigns.

In 2016, associations kicked up their email game, sending 12.3 percent more messages than the prior year, but they saw slightly lower open rates (35.6 percent compared with 36 percent in 2015), according to the 2017 Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report by Informz.

In a world awash in email, groups using marketing automation saw higher  engagement, according to the report.

“The uptick in engagement that associations are seeing when using marketing automation can be directly attributed to perfecting the timing and relevancy of their messages,” said Joe Tyler, CEO and president of Informz, in a statement accompanying the report’s release. “Automated campaigns are the perfect vehicle for delivering content at precise times based on members’ behaviors, exactly when they’re looking for it, therefore eliminating concerns about email fatigue.”

In one example, the report highlights a marketing automation campaign for an event that targeted website visitors and abandoned event registrations. With the technology at the helm, registration for the event increased 25 percent, driving $19,000 in additional revenue.

Another automated campaign targeted members with low engagement scores and saw an “immediate positive impact” on performance: “60 days later, members maintained a higher engagement score,” the report says.

Are Associations Stuffing Inboxes?

Think you’re sending too many emails to members? You’re in good company. Nearly 90 percent of associations reported that they were concerned about sending too many mass emails and nervous that the messages may arrive too close together or cause “email fatigue” among recipients.

The issue arises as many associations are changing the way they send email, shifting from management by one one department to a decentralized approach in which several departments have greater autonomy over their own email campaigns.

Automation may help manage this shift by implementing tools that can adjust email cadence and avoid overstuffing inboxes, according to the report.

(PashaIgnatov/Thinkstock)

Juliet Van Wagenen

By Juliet Van Wagenen

Juliet Van Wagenen is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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