Using e-billing to promote Web traffic

Many organisations have invested millions in building and maintaining their Web sites. Whether it`s an online marketing brochure or a functional, activity-based site, most large companies will have this as a high-ticket item on their budget. There will also be a team assigned to making sure this environment gets the maximum attention from both the broader target market and existing customers.

Some could view an interactive e-bill as a rival to this infrastructure because it delivers information and functionality that previously would have required a Web visit. However, e-mail bills should not be seen to replace or detract from the online environment, rather it should be used to drive traffic to the site.

For sites that are primarily product marketing and sales focused, the e-bill is a perfect opportunity to cross-sell other services to existing customers. The bill is the most consistent and anticipated communication that customers receive from an organisation, and it should not be undervalued as a means to promote additional products or value-added services.

Of course, it`s not practical to put the entire sales pitch onto the e-bill; rather include a brief summary or a catchphrase, or even a banner, that pushes the interested recipient to the Web site for more information. Once there, guide them through the sales or purchase process.

Sites that offer interactive functionality to existing customers in the form of a secure area where customers can access value-added services, sometimes known as a customer zone, should also view the e-bill as a tool to promote registration and usage of this facility. The monthly bill goes out to all customers, and, having invested in building a functional Web environment, the monthly bill should be a catch point that drives traffic to this environment.

There are a number of key areas on the e-bill that can be used as a funnel to push traffic to the Web. Firstly, the e-mail cover letter has space to include marketing messages, with click-throughs to the Web site.

For sites that are primarily product marketing and sales focused, the e-bill is a perfect opportunity to cross-sell other services to existing customers.

Alison Treadaway, MD of Striata

This cover letter will also hold operational instructions, so be mindful that to catch the recipient`s eye month after month, the content and design will need to vary.

Then there is the landing or index page of the interactive e-mail bill. This is prime `real estate`, as the majority of customers will open and view their bill, and by default will see this page. The landing page is similar to a Web site homepage, in that the recipient uses this page to navigate through their bill, and clicks through to any other links that catch their attention.

The trick is to entice recipients into clicking through to the Web site for more information or additional functionality. That means the design and content of this page must be interesting, dynamic and relevant. Content and design must change regularly to ensure the recipient pays attention to this page other than using it just as a navigation point.

The offers, hooks or specials that are featured on this page need to be relevant to the recipient. First prize is the ability to segment the customer base into interest groups, and vary the marketing message according to each profile. It`s been proven over and over again that offers relevant to the target market get a much higher response rate than general offers. This kind of targeted marketing should be the goal for those in charge of using the e-bill to drive traffic to the Web site.

The response rate - in this case hits on the Web site - will be exponentially higher if the offers are relevant to the recipient`s profile.

While companies can include interactive functionality inside e-bills, there will be some applications that are better presented through a Web page, and should therefore be provided as a link from the e-bill to the Web.

For example, calculators that assist customers in making financial decisions are best hosted on the Web site, so that any changes to the logic or calculation are made centrally. Likewise, interactive functionality that requires a database query should be provided on the Web site, again with the benefit of the application and the database sitting in one place.

The owners of the Web site should view the e-mail bill as a key traffic generator, and put processes in place to measure the success of the hooks they place in the e-bill.