Email Marketing Management Within Large Companies Or Cat Herding
Posted by Bill Leming on June 22nd, 2009
When I think of “large companies” what comes to mind are multi-layered enterprises that typically consist of various organizational divisions each of which has its own set of management objectives, strategies and tactics. To the extent that each division has a specific need and a desire to promote its products and services via email with varying degrees of urgency, it quickly becomes apparent that there is a pressing need for centralized cat control. Without it chaos reigns.
This isn’t terribly different from brand management’s responsibility to create/identify the brand, communicate the rules surrounding its use, monitor how the rules are being followed and enforce compliance. More typical than not such an individual and, in some cases whole departments have clearly defined email responsibility within large companies. And, given the ability of any one division or group to pollute the pond for everyone else, well they should.
Like those responsible for brand compliance, it is up to the enterprise email manager to establish and communicate the email marketing rules to which everyone will adhere. These include who will be added to the opt-in list (and equally important, who will not), whether the company will use single or double opt-in, under what specific circumstances trade show attendees/verbal opt-ins will be added (or not added), how frequently the enterprise will communicate with any one individual within a given timeframe, what each and every email will include in terms of the subject line, from address not to mention graphic design and content and a myriad of other rules. All of these are designed to collectively ensure corporate compliance with both CAN SPAM and email best practices, as well as to create synergy and advance a collective voice through message uniformity and consistency.
So where does this control start? I think it starts with a corporate commitment to recognize the need and to assign both the responsibility and the authority for all email within the enterprise to one individual. Management has no difficulty doing so with respect to its brand largely because of the brand value itself, because that’s what brand managers have demanded and because doing so increases ROI. While each of these same reasons apply to email responsibility assignment within large companies, we can also add in that assigning ultimate responsibility for all email to one individual will also reduce the risk of getting blocked, blacklisted and/or sued.
At the risk of self-promotion, the channel solution we provide does more than simply help our clients monitor compliance with the rules they’ve established. By controlling images and content across all divisions and downward within divisions in fixed, locked-down formats it ensures email, brand and regulatory compliance. That in turn allows our clients more time to deal with their cats who, in true feline fashion, always want to test the bounds of email propriety, best practices and legislation.
Great summary Bill. Sounds VERY familiar!