There are 5 basic skill requirements of a good email marketing manager:
- Be able to code an email
- Be able to write and run a SQL query to run advance queries, or at least create a relational database in Access
- Be able to technically explain how an open is tracked, not just that is by allowing graphics in an email
- Be able to explain how the clickthrough rate actually relates to the sales database and lead generation
- Be able to create and manipulate a pivot table of results
After sending email for five years for many different companies and organizations of varying size and complexity from many different systems, I can confidently say that if you are an email manager that is unable to do all five of these things, you are extremely lucky to have a job.
Why? Because if you can’t complete these five little tasks, then you are having someone else do them, either other company resources or a consultant. That costs money, which makes that unbelievable ROI on email you are reporting to your boss a little less unbelievable. You better hope that they don’t catch on, or at least latch onto a new company before they do.
All the talk about spam, marketing automation, deliverability, and every other email marketing buzzword that is used in email marketing blogs is bullshit if you are unable to accomplish these five tasks *. Every single buzzword you use in your blog will cost your company more money, either in capital AND variable costs (because you couldn’t get the current/old email system to work up to its potential and purchased a new magic system) or in third party consultants to do the work for which you will take credit **.
“Well, this seems harsh. I can’t code my own email, but I know what DKIM stands for, I can log into Eloqua, and I write a blog” an email marketing manager may say in response. “My blog has so many links and trackbacks that I’m basically a search marketer. I even Twitter. In fact, I’m going to TwitterBlog how good I am at my job.”
I am biased because I am an email & database marketing manager who can do all of these things. Actually, I’m grateful that more email managers are unable to accomplish these tasks- it keeps me employed and provides enough low-hanging fruit that every normal thing I do makes me look like a genius. It also keeps my freelance work hopping.
So I’m an idiot for writing this- I’m giving away my competitive advantage. I take it all back- go back to writing your blog about your reaction to whatever the DMNews said the Gmail blog said they were doing yesterday *. Keep up the good work.
* 95% of all internet marketing blogs, not just email blogs, are completely worthless. They just refer to other blogs, who refer to other blogs, who refer to other blogs. In each IM discipline, there are probably legitimately five blogs that are actually writing real and useful information that aren’t opinion or trackbacks. This post is probably in that initial 95%.
** Don’t worry- they don’t care- you got that prestigious spot in DMNews. They got your budget money and you probably don’t know the cost per lead, but at least Ken Magill mentioned you.
I do actually like the DMNews blog and Ken Magill’s stuff.
