Here at NueMedia, LLC we are literally writing the book on the use and evaluation of electronic media. If you read my first blog, you know that this "new media" we call electronic media, eMedia for short, affords us exciting challenges and tremendous benefit that no other medium of the past could offer. However, to avail us of these benefits, we need to first review the marketing theories, strategies, tactics, and tools that apply to this fantastic tool. This blog is the first in a series that will provide you with the information you need to implement and evaluate the power of eMedia. Let’s start with a brief history lesson.

Direct marketing is considered the oldest promotional approach known to man. What most marketing professionals don't know is eMedia actually gave birth to modern day direct marketing. Think that direct mail and catalogs were the first direct marketing media? That opinion is logical given the roots of direct marketing are usually traced back to the mid 1400s and Guttenberg’s movable type printing press. By the late 19th century catalogs for both general merchandise and special interests were plentiful and thriving. eMedia on the other hand, began with the Internet and only recently has become part of the promotional mix.

Right?                                                                                          

Wrong!

Prior to establishing Sears, Roebuck and Company, Richard Sears was a station agent and telegraph operator for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway in a Redwood Falls, Minn. In 1886, the 23-year-old handled a shipment of gold-filled pocket watches that would give birth to eMedia and change his career path forever.

Back then, to force goods into the marketplace, wholesalers notoriously shipped unrequested merchandise at inflated prices to remote retailers. Those receiving the unwanted goods (and the whopping invoice that accompanied the shipment), contacted the shipper and rejected the order. Upon the refusal, the wholesaler countered with a lower price under the premise that they would save the return shipping cost. Retailers typically fell for the ploy, thinking they were getting a bargain.

However, Stegerson, a savvy merchant in Redwood Falls, would not be duped. He rejected the watch shipment despite the reduced price. Of course all communication between the wholesaler and Stegerson was sent via telegraph … the telegraph that Richard Sears operated.

Seeing an opportunity, Sears contacted the wholesaler and struck an agreement to sell the watches, keeping any profits he made over $12 per watch wholesale price. He then used the eMedia at his fingertips, the telegraph, and informed station agents along the railroad line of the watches. Using the railroad for fulfillment, within six months he netted $5,000! The rest, as they say, is history!

Why the history lesson? While today's eMedia is considered very young and new, its roots go back 150 years! The experience of Sears also holds some valuable lessons about using today’s burgeoning eMedia opportunities.

The eBlast is the 21^st century equivalent to Sears’ telegraph message.  Your business can benefit from the use of email messages if you keep in mind four important lessons from the eMedia playbook of Richard Sears.

1. The more precise the target, the better the results will be. Undoubtedly, lots of people could have used pocket watches. However, Sears chose to send the promotional telegraphs to a group of prospects he knew and understood, fellow station agents. Focused, niche marketing achieves stronger results than mass advertising, especially when promotional budgets are limited.

2. A single, well-focused offer is critical for eBlast success. Sears didn’t confuse his prospects with a multitude of merchandise offers. He focused exclusively on one product … watches. Hissubsequent catalog business used a different medium that was designed to sell multiple products to a more diverse customer base. Exploiting the power of a medium does not mean trying to get it to do something for which it was not designed.

3. Results are quantifiable and measurable. How did Sears know he had a successful business? He kept track of sales! He learned that for every X telegraphs sent, he would receive Y watch orders. Today’s eBlasts provide that same measurability. Do you know how your media are performing? Are you keeping track?

4. Timing is everything. No doubt that Sears was in the right place at the right time, but he was also open to the opportunity presented to him. He knew station agents had an ongoing need to keep the trains on schedule.  He also knew watches had become a status symbol portraying urban sophistication. His watches spawned many station agent businesses as they sold them to locals in their rural communities. (That’s another story for another blog!) Do you know when your prospects need what you offer? That’s the time to get your promotional message in front of them using a proactive eBlast.

As I stated in my introductory blog, "everything old is new again!" But beware of those who know no restraint. Like the eBlast’s most recent predecessor, direct mail, oversaturation leads to underperformance. Any supplier or service provider that consistently invades their customers’ inboxes dooms their marketing communications to "junk mail" or "spam" status forever! You see, in order to effectively avail yourself of this fantastic marketing tool, you must continue to respect your customers and play by the rules.