It\’s easy to forget email, sometimes, among the glitz of mobile marketing (and the space\’s shiny new \”smart\” handsets) and the hype of behavioral online ad targeting (and the cries of consumers afraid of what it could mean). But a report from emarketing strategy company Datran Media indicates that targeted email is the top results-getter for digital marketers.

Of 2,000 online marketing professionals surveyed by Datran, 80 percent said email was the strongest-performing medium. That beat other digital media such as display (37.6 percent said it was strongest) and search (which got top marks from 70.6 percent of those surveyed). Traditional media, such as print, broadcast, and cable, trailed much further behind.

What\’s more, according to the Direct Marketing Association, email ROI will hit $45.65 for every dollar spent in 2008. That\’s more than twice the ROI of other media including search and display, Datran says. And 67 percent of respondents said email helped them boost sales through other channels. Maybe that\’s why 82 percent of those surveyed said they were going to increase their use of email in the upcoming year.

To be sure, the other media mentioned in the report – both digital and traditional – don\’t require as much effort as permission-based/targeted email campaigns. The kind of email campaigns discussed in the report require signing up current customers or consumers who have already expressed interest in the brand, say detractors, an extra step not needed in \”pull\” campaigns.

But that\’s exactly why such campaigns are important and effective. A marketer maintains a relationship with current customers, starts a relationship with potential new ones, and can even reach out to additional folks thanks to viral campaigns (in which those who have subscribed to receive messages forward the emails to their friends).

No doubt about it, permission-based email makes sense for all marketers.

Eydie Cubarrubia
Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm
\”I\’d rather you text me\”