Two new reports are now available in the research area of the DMA’s website. The first concerns the creative layout and specifically the use of navigation in emails and the second covers what email marketers can do if the company runs into financial trouble.

Email Navigation Differs Radically from Website Navigation by Chad White (May 2009). If you want to know how navigation within email differs from website navigation, the benefits, what is important for the navigation within email, then this report will definitely be of interest. Even if the actual creative of the emails is not within your remit, reading this report is worthwhile if only to sense check your own navigation. 

Going-Out-Of-Business Email Strategies by Chad White (April 2009). Whilst I hope, as does the author, that your brand does not run into financial difficulty, there are several helpful comments and best practice points if a company or brand runs into either financial difficulty or is acquired or merged with another. Of particular interest is how the strategies relate to compliance and the time period and methods used when a change in ownership occurs.  There are several strategies and real life examples cited which makes the report all the more valuable.

Whilst the two reports couldn’t be more different in topic area, they are written by long time friend and supporter of the UK DMA’s Email Marketing Council; Chad White of Retail Email Blog. Chad has also provided the perspective for the Q4 2008 National Email Benchmark Report which will be released soon. As with all reports from this author, there is a wealth of examples from the retail sector and a number of best practice ideas that could apply regardless of sector, to this end both are recommended reading.

Members can download the reports free of charge by logging into the research area here.