Executive Summary Email still dominates as a marketing and sales channel. For many years, email has enjoyed favored status as a marketing and sales channel. However, the challenges in the way of email marketing success continue to mount: legislation, filtering & blocking technology and the reluctance of recipients to engage via email are growing obstacles to success. These challenges are worsening, quite likely because of “batch & blast” email practices and overall poorly conceived email campaigns. In short, it’s becoming harder to use email as a marketing channel. While most marketers are diversifying into additional channels, few have abandoned email. It’s familiar, inexpensive and still gets results. What will email marketing success look like in the year ahead and how will marketers achieve it? To find out, Demand Metric in partnership with Ascend2 fielded the Email Marketing Survey and completed interviews with 518 marketing and sales decision-makers and practitioners from around the world. We thank these busy professionals for sharing their valuable insights with you. The charts in this report compare the strategies and practices of companies that have succeeded in achieving or exceeding their revenue goals with those that have not. This research has been produced for your use. Put it to work in your own marketing strategy planning and presentation materials. Clip the charts and write about them in your blog or post them on social media. Please share this research credited as published. Table of Contents - Executive Summary - Achieving Revenue Goals - Email Marketing Objectives - Current Email Marketing Success - Obstacles to Email Marketing Success - Email List Size - Email Tactic Usage - Email Tactic Effectiveness - Changes to Email Marketing Effectiveness - Email Tactic Execution - Email Programs & Channel Integration - Email Marketing Software Improvements - About Marketo - About Demand Metric & Ascend2 - Appendix - Survey Background Research Methodology Surveys are conducted online from a panel of more than 50,000 Ascend2 research subscribers, representing US and international marketing and sales decision-makers and practitioners in a range of contact roles, company types, sizes and geographic regions. The questionnaire used incorporates standardized research practices across all studies while maintaining a proven 3-minute survey format. Survey findings are examined in a quantitative context by experienced analysts and reported objectively. The Demand Metric and Ascend2 2014 Email Marketing Benchmark Report was administered online in February 2014. During this period, 518 responses were collected that were qualified and complete enough for inclusion in the analysis. To obtain this document, visit us at http://www.demandmetric.com/register

1. © 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation in Partnership with Ascend2. All Rights Reserved.
Benchmark Report
Email Marketing:
Sponsored By:

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
4
5
6
7
8
Executive Summary
Achieving Revenue Goals
Email Marketing Objectives
Current Email Marketing Success
Obstacles to Email Marketing Success
Email List Size
13
15
16
Email Marketing Resource Usage
Email Marketing Software Improvements
About Marketo
11
12
Changes to Email Marketing Effectiveness
Email Tactic Execution
17Email Tactic Usage About Demand Metric & Ascend29
14 Email Programs & Channel Integration
18Email Tactic Effectiveness Appendix – Survey Background10

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Email still dominates as a marketing and sales channel.
For many years, email has enjoyed favored status as a marketing and sales channel. However, the challenges in the way of
email marketing success continue to mount: legislation, filtering & blocking technology and the reluctance of recipients to engage
via email are growing obstacles to success. These challenges are worsening, quite likely because of “batch & blast” email
practices and overall poorly conceived email campaigns. In short, it’s becoming harder to use email as a marketing channel.
While most marketers are diversifying into additional channels, few have abandoned email. It’s familiar, inexpensive and still
gets results.
What will email marketing success look like in the year ahead and how will marketers achieve it?
To find out, Demand Metric in partnership with Ascend2 fielded the Email Marketing Survey and completed interviews with 518
marketing and sales decision-makers and practitioners from around the world. We thank these busy professionals for sharing
their valuable insights with you.
The charts in this report compare the strategies and practices of companies that have succeeded in achieving or exceeding their
revenue goals with those that have not.
This research has been produced for your use. Put it to work in your own marketing strategy planning and presentation
materials. Clip the charts and write about them in your blog or post them on social media. Please share this research credited as
published.
- Jerry Rackley, Chief Analyst – Demand Metric

4. 12%
55%
33%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Exceeding revenue goals Achieving revenue goals Not achieving revenue goals
% of Companies Achieving Revenue Goals
ACHIEVING REVENUE GOALS
Two-thirds of companies responding to this survey are
achieving or exceeding their revenue attainment goals.
This distinction serves as a useful basis for comparing the
email marketing strategies and practices of these achievers
to the one-third of companies that are not achieving
revenue goals.
Figure 1: Percentage of Companies Achieving Revenue Goals
Email Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, February 2014, n=518

5. ABOUT MARKETO
Marketing Software. Easy. Powerful. Complete.
You want results and you want them fast. The Marketo platform is built by marketers, for marketers. Everything you need –
marketing automation, social campaigns, inbound marketing, sales apps, ROI reporting, - all in one place.
For more information, visit www.marketo.com

6. ABOUT DEMAND METRIC & ASCEND2
About Demand Metric
Demand Metric is a global marketing research & advisory firm serving a membership community of over 40,000 marketing
professionals, CEOs, and business owners with advisory services, 100+ research & benchmark reports, 20+ consulting
methodologies, 50+ training e-workshops & courses, and a library of 500+ practical tools and templates. Using Demand Metric
resources, members complete projects faster and with greater confidence, boosting respect for the marketing team and making it
easier to justify needed resources. Our 1,200+ corporate clients range from start-ups to consulting firms to members of the Global
1000. To learn more about Demand Metric, please visit: www.demandmetric.com.
About Ascend2
Ascend2 is a market research firm with over 50,000 research subscribers and survey panelists comprised of sales & marketing
professionals. Each month they field new research studies and generate reports that typically include 12 to 18 pages of charts and
analytical commentary. Demand Metric partners with Ascend2 to leverage their panel of research survey panelists and develop
additional benchmark reports for community members. Learn more about Ascend2 at www.Ascend2.com.
To read the rest of this Benchmark Report, become a Demand Metric member today!