Email marketers are often so preoccupied with building lists
for their customers that they overlook the motivation and psychology behind why
users are willing to register their information. ExactTarget’s 2010 Email
X-Factor Study included the following statistics:
- 67 percent of US internet users say the motivation behind giving their email address to a company is to receive discounts and promotions.
- 55 percent of US internet users say the motivation behind giving their email address to a company is to get a "freebie" in exchange for their email address.
- Only 14 percent of US internet users say the motivation behind giving their email address to a company is to interact with the brand.
The first two statistics are unsurprising. Incentivized
marketing is a core piece of the marketing puzzle. Frankly, the fact that only
55 percent of users says they’ll register for a freebie seems on the low side,
perhaps as a reflection of the quality of the free item. The numbers have
likely increased in the past two years as targeting has become more precise.
The most interesting statistic, however, is bullet point
three. Users were overwhelmingly cautious about giving out their information in
exchange for a presumed relationship, which is understandable. What makes the
brand owner think the consumer wants to interact with them? Taco Bell may be a
guilty pleasure, but the likelihood of me spending any amount of time on their website
or Facebook page is pretty slim. And I’m certainly not going to provide my
email address to build what they deem to be a relationship. If a brand wants to
interact with me, the burden is on it to come to the table with something of
value. Otherwise, I’ve got other things to do.
