The constant challenge for e-mail marketers worldwide, is to somehow make THEIR e-mails stand out above the other 50 mails that flood their customers' inboxes on a daily basis.

The first, and easiest step, is to personalise each and every contact you have with your clients.

Personalised e-mail allows you to interact with your customers efficiently, effectively, and on a one-to-one basis. I am far more likely to read a mail that is addressed "Dear Mike" as opposed to a mail that simply says "Hi there!" In fact, I have often deleted important mails because they did not address me by name. I thought they were spam.

"Humanity Through Technology" is the new new thing - people want the human touch - even if it is in the form of an e-mail. They want to be addressed by name, and they want to know who it is they are dealing with.

Take, for example, a newsletter sent regularly by a well-known weight- loss group. They are informative and friendly - but they make one vital error - they are not "From" any person in particular, but rather from a faceless and nameless team of people. Who is the target audience? Largely (pardon the pun) - women. How much more effective would it be if the mails were from "Jacqui" or "Angela", rather than "The Team"?

Case in point - our Fe-mail ezine, which is mailed to customers every fortnight. The newsletter is signed "Shelli B" - and we have been overwhelmed by the number of mails she receives daily from both male and female subscribers. And she answers each one personally. The result? A loyal group of subscribers who feel that they are getting an e-mail every two weeks from someone who knows them. They feel important. And they feel heard. Bingo - a subscriber base that receives new subscribers each day.

In terms of customer service, it is vital to let someone know that there is a person behind their customer service e-mails. E-mail-based customer service is "high-touch", meaning that it requires an individual approach. Often an auto responder is not the best idea, or, if used, needs to be followed up with a personal e-mail and not a pre-written answer. Once again, it is about making the customer happy.

Personalisation and customisation is gaining popularity as we speak. eMarketer predicts that by the year 2002, 83% of firms deploying commercial opt-in e-mails, will adopt a personalised approach.

And the way of the future? How about an e-mail that can actually talk to you? Artificial Life have created BotMail. By putting a customisable character and dialogue box in an e-mail, customers can have a conversation with the marketer. It appears to be real-time communication, but is actually a series of scripted responses to typical questions. And what is more, companies can learn more about their customers from their responses - a potential gold mine of customer feedback. (http://www.artificial-life.com/mobile_computing/products/botmail.asp)

All in all, it is about capturing your customers' attention and engaging them.

And personalisation should help your cause.

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