Your email database, with its low cost delivery and high ROI, is your greatest weapon, if only you could unlock its real value. Many tools to deliver this value are complex and expensive. But the work needed to unlock the value of email databases is less than you think. Here are some simple steps to quickly improve ROI:

1. Ask the customer what they think - in the world of online relationships, surveys are fast, effective and cost almost nothing.
2. Anonymous visitors can be turned into attributable prospects by asking for an email and explaining how you’ll use it. For prospects who don’t want to commit, offer something else like RSS and automate the follow up with information and promotions.
3. Integrating web analytics and email is increasingly straightforward. Integrating data from other channels can double and even quadruple the value of customer relationships. Start by simply exporting data and seeing if it can drive better conversions.
4. Optimisation uses technology to help improve response rates to web pages. Automatically test combinations of text, images and calls to action to see which perform the best. Test data integration combinations too.
5. Use the data you have and make it more valuable - rank customers into categories, e.g., bronze, gold or platinum. Simple demographic and survey data is an easy way to start and can be done manually. Behavioural data is even better as it simplifies targeting and analytics tremendously.
6. Add some purchasing data to your email list. Target high spend customers (the old Pareto principle) and run promotions for customers who haven’t purchased in several months.

Every journey starts with a single step as they say and email marketing has the potential to be a long and profitable journey for marketers – and their audience – if they are willing to commit fully to it.

Mike Weston is MD for Silverpop EMEA